Integration of thermoelectrics and photovoltaics as auxiliary power sources in mobile computing applications

The inclusion of renewable technologies as auxiliary power sources in mobile computing platforms can lead to improved performance such as the extension of battery life. This paper presents sustainable power management characteristics and performance enhancement opportunities in mobile computing systems resulting from the integration of thermoelectric generators and photovoltaic units. Thermoelectric generators are employed for scavenging waste heat from processors or other significant components in the computer's chipset while the integration of photovoltaic units is demonstrated for generating power from environmental illumination. A scalable and flexible power architecture is also verified to effectively integrate these renewable energy sources. This paper confirms that battery life extension can be achieved through the appropriate integration of renewable sources such as thermoelectric and photovoltaic devices. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.