Energy Harvesting Techniques

by Fynn Hass

Feb 23, 2023 2 Min.

Humanity is facing an energy crisis and secure energy sources are more important than ever. Energy harvesting could provide a remedy here in the future. Electrical energy can be generated from heat, light, movement or chemical reactions. This would make chargers superfluous, as devices such as phones could charge themselves by extracting energy from the environment. There are various methods for generating energy:

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1.
Vibration Energy
2.
Heat Energy
3.
Radiofrequency Energy
4.
Wind Harvesting
5.
To Conclude

Vibration Energy

With vibration energy harvesting, the energy is extracted from small vibrations. One can imagine the functioning like a dynamo: the energy is taken from the movement. Part of the energy is converted into heat, which is lost, and the other part is converted into electricity. This electricity is then in turn used to generate light.

Heat Energy

Another option is to generate energy from heat (Thermoelectrical energy). For this, thermal energy is transferred into electrical signals using a thermocouple.

There are several areas where harvesting heat energy could be an exciting technology. Smartwatches could be charged solely by the owner's body heat while wearing the watch. Another application is energy storage in batteries or other electrical devices. Heat energy between different pipes could also be reused with the help of heat energy harvesting.

Moder farm on a hill, sun is shining — Heat energy harvesting involves capturing waste heat produced by various processes and converting it into useful energy. This process reduces the amount of wasted energy and can have a positive impact on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and overall energy consumption.

Radiofrequency Energy

Radiofrequency energy is a form of electromagnetic energy. It travels through space at the speed of light and can even be generated by humanity. In this type of energy generation, the high-frequency wave first hits an antenna. The signal travels through the antenna and is converted into DC voltage through several stages. This DC voltage can be reused as electrical energy.

High frequencies are often used in telecommunications to transport information over long distances. And it is also used in microwaves and ovens.

Wind Harvesting

Windmills are already part of the general picture in many parts of the country. They are the fourth and last possibility of energy generation, wind energy harvesting, and at the same time the best known. A generator converts the energy of the wind into electrical energy. This is a very sustainable way of energy production, which is already widely used today. The possibilities of using wind energy are only limited by the usable area and the costs.

To Conclude

So, there are many ways to harvest energy and in the future energy harvesting could accompany people in many situations. Today it is already used in many areas and in the future the importance of Energy Harvesting will probably increase!

There are so many more ways to use Energy Harvesting today. Here you can get an overview of companies working on and with Energy Harvesting. The future of Energy Harvesting is bright!

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