Design and Analysis of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Device Using Waves

Electricity generation through fossil fuels has caused environmental pollution. To solve this problem, research on new renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal heat, etc.) to replace fossil fuels is in progress. These devices are able to consistently generate power. However, they have many drawbacks, such as high installation costs and limitations in possible set-up environments. Thus, piezoelectric harvesting technology, which is able to overcome the limitations of existing energy technologies, is actively being studied. Piezoelectric harvesting technology uses the piezoelectric effect which occurs in crystals that generate voltage when stress is applied. Therefore, it has advantages such as a wider installation base and lower technological cost. In this study, a piezoelectric energy harvesting device based on constant wave motion was investigated. This device can regenerate electricity in a constant turbulent flow in the middle of the sea. The components of the device are circuitry, a steel bar, an bimorph piezoelectric element and buoyancy elements. In addition, a multiphysical analysis coupled with the structure and piezoelectric elements was conducted to estimate the performance of the device. With this piezoelectric energy harvesting device, the displacement and electric power were analyzed.