Smart Interfaces for Low Power Energy Harvesting Systems

An effective energy management plays a key role in environmental energy harvesting systems due to the low energy densities involved. The energy flow inside an energy management interface should be organized in order to guaranty the operation of the system and minimize energy losses. An efficient interface for low power solar cells is proposed. It combines a current-to-voltage converter with a storage unit, a super-capacitor, optimizing the energy flow from the solar cell to a load. Circuit simulations of the interface agree with experimental results.