Transient analysis of ambient vibration-based micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) piezoelectric energy harvester using ANSYS and COVENTORWARE approaches

The market for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is rapidly growing, yet limited by batteries with short lifetimes. Providing a green, virtually infinite alternative power source to traditional energy sources will significantly expand the applications for WSNs and other technologies. The use of piezoelectric materials to capitalize on the ambient vibrations surrounding a system is a method that presents dramatic potential for power harvesting. The simplicity associated with piezoelectric micro-generators makes MEMS applications highly attractive. In such applications, mechanical vibrations from environment are harvested and converted into electrical energy. These micro-generators are designed as an alternative to a battery-based solution that is especially intended for remote systems. We propose a comparative study on the obtained results of the energy delivered from the ambient vibration-based MEMS energy harvester using the ANSYS and COVENTORWARE approaches. The improvement reflected in the experimental results for vibration-based MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters indicates excellent application scope in power MEMS and green energy.