On the Effectiveness of Vibration-based Energy Harvesting

There has been a significant increase in the research on vibration-based energy harvesting in recent years. Most research is focused on a particular technology, and it is often difficult to compare widely differing designs and approaches to vibration-based energy harvesting. The aim of this study is to provide a general theory that can be used to compare different approaches and designs for vibration-based generators. Estimates of maximum theoretical power density based on a range of commonly occurring vibrations, measured by the author, are presented. Estimates range from 0.5 to 100mW/cm 3 for vibrations in the range of 1–10 m/s 2 at 50–350 Hz. The theory indicates that, in addition to the parameters of the…