Mechatronized maximum power point tracking for electric field energy harvesting sensor

Electric field energy harvesting is a promising solution to energize a variety of self-sustainable wireless sensor nodes, which may be used in next-generation smart-grids. In this work, a low-power energy harvesting system targeting to extract energy from the electric field around energized wires is presented. Unlike the conventional electric field harvesters, the generator described in this work is intended on contactless household low voltage applications. A low-power design methodology to reduce power dissipation and to increase the harvested power has been implemented, considering the electric field scarcity in household applications and a variety of challenging design issues. In addition, the proposed harvester is equipped with a mechatronized maximum power point tracking system, that is used to automatically varies the location of the electrodes until harvesting the maximum power. The results show that the harvested power rises by approximately 94%, with a power density of 0.04 μW/cm² in non-contact applications. Since the electric field is relatively low in residential environments, these results are highly promising to develop sensor nodes.