A Markov Model for a Self-Powered Green IoT Device with State-Dependent Energy Consumption

The growing concerns about the resource sustainability and environmental impact of deploying billions or trillions of IoT devices in the various sectors of society or economy have given rise to an energy research field known as Green-IoT (G-IoT). G-IoT emphasises the need to prioritise energy efficiency and the reduction of pollution in the IoT ecosystem. This paper presents a Markov model for a self-powered Green IoT device with state-dependent energy consumption. The model evaluates the energy performance of a self-powered Green IoT device. We derive the probability distribution of the energy content of the battery, including the probability that the energy stored in the battery is completely depleted and the density of the lifetime of the IoT device. We investigate the influence of some design parameters on the results. Introducing the threshold at which the device is forced to enter an energy-saving regime significantly increases a G-IoT device's lifetime. Apart from deploying energy-efficient mechanisms to increase the lifetime of a G-IoT device, integrating an efficient energy harvesting system into the device will increase its lifetime and reduce the frequency of battery replacement.