Design and Manufacturing of A Small-Scale Energy Harvesting Demonstration Model For Vibrations Lab

Abstract

The increasing demand of energy has highlighted the exploration of alternate sources of energy. Non- renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels will run out one day. Moreover, the potential harm done to the environment with their consumption has risen the need of green and environmentally friendly energy sources. Piezoelectric based energy harvesters are gaining popularity in this regard due to their light weight, ease of application, flexibility, and environment friendly nature. Piezoelectric materials produce an electric current when placed under mechanical stress. In this project, we will create a small-scale demonstration model to depict the phenomenon of piezoelectric energy harvesting. The model will be used afterwards as a lab equipment in the Vibrations lab. The mechanical loading on the piezoelectric material will generate electric current. The generated current can be used either to light up an LED or to charge a battery so that energy can be stored for future use. The internal circuit consisting of Arduino UNO and multiple sensors will be used to find the numeric values of concerned parameters and to plot their respective graphs. The demonstration model can store data on an SD card or it can be shown on the display screen. The model is a good addition to the Vibrations Lab and will provide future students with an insight of this growing field of energy harvesting