Towards an on-site characterization of energy harvesting devices for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) suffer from the lack of wired infrastructure. Each node needs its own power supply, e.g. batteries or energy harvesting systems (EHSs). Typically, EHSs can extend the lifetime of a sensor node or even enable perpetual operation. Due to the high variation of harvestable energy of the environment, the design of the EHSs has to be done very carefully. The design process can be enhanced by using simulation of the WSN including energy harvesting. However, a realistic simulation needs accurate data of the harvestable energy of the environment. This paper presents the concept of an on-site characterization instrument for different types of energy harvesting devices. These instruments can be connected like a WSN.