Research on a Management System for Energy Harvesting from Multiple Ambient Energy Sources for Smart Sensors in Power Grids

In the domain of the smart grid, the efficacy of smart sensors is indispensable for pivotal tasks including data collection, transmission, and processing. However, the pressing concern within the power system environment revolves around ensuring adequate energy supply for these sensors. Given the ubiquitous presence of environmental energy sources such as magnetic fields, vibrations, and temperature differentials inherent to the power grid milieu, the equivalent circuit models for magnetic field energy extraction coils, thermoelectric generators, and piezoelectric cantilever vibration energy converters are studied in this paper. These models are predicated on the principles of electromagnetic induction, the Seebeck effect governing thermoelectric materials, and the positive piezoelectric effect exhibited by piezoelectric materials, respectively. Corresponding simulations and simulated energy harvesting experiments are conducted. Furthermore, using the off-the-shelf low-power energy management chips and integrating the aforementioned three environmental energy harvesting methodologies, a multi-source energy management system adeptly tailored to the power grid environment is meticulously designed. The system's power output performance is analyzed under diverse load conditions. The research endeavors outlined in this article proffer novel avenues for mitigating the energy supply challenges confronting smart sensors within the ambit of the smart grid.