Harvesting raindrop energy: theory

At present, the energy autonomy of a microsystem is limited by the lifespan of the battery. Hence the development of an energy harvesting concept, whereby the energy needed to power the sensor is taken from the operating environment. However, there is no single solution suitable for all types of environment. In this paper, we look at a still unexploited source of energy: rain. Our system recovers the vibration energy from a piezoelectric flexible structure impacted by a water drop. This paper describes in detail the theoretical study undertaken to optimize the mechanical system.