Piezoelectric Energy Harvester Design and Power Conditioning with Solar Integration

Off-the-grid energy has generated quite some interest in the recent years. Researchers are focused on trying to harvest energy from every possible source. Harvesting energy from sources which don't result in significant contribution towards the energy needs is called energy scavenging, which promotes saving every ounce of energy. One such example is to tap electrical energy by making use of the force exerted by humans as they walk. This pressurized weight energy can be converted to the electrical form using piezo-electrical crystal. To ensure uninterrupted, off-the-grid supply, even when there is no crowd, a solar panel has been deployed. In this paper, a new prototype for power generating floor tile using PZT based mechanical vibration energy harvester in combination with solar energy is presented. The prototype gives promising results.