• Energy Research

Energy harvesting in the automotive sector is a rapidly growing field aimed at improving vehicle efficiency and sustainability by recovering wasted energy. Various technologies have been developed to convert mechanical, thermal, and environmental energy into electrical power, reducing dependency on traditional energy sources. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review of energy harvesting applications/methodologies, aiming to trace the research lines and future developments. This work identifies the main categories of harvesting solutions, namely mechanical, thermal, and hybrid/environmental solar–wind systems; each section includes a detailed review of the technical and scientific state of the art and a comparative analysis with detailed tables, allowing the state of the art to be mapped for identification of the strengths of each solution, as well as the challenges and future developments needed to enhance the technological level. These improvements focus on energy conversion efficiency, material innovation, vehicle integration, energy savings, and environmental sustainability. The mechanical harvesting section focuses on energy recovery from vehicle vibrations, with emphasis on regenerative suspensions and piezoelectric-based solutions. Specifically, solutions applied to suspensions with electric generators can achieve power outputs of around 1 kW, while piezoelectric-based suspension systems can generate up to tens of watts. The thermal harvesting section, instead, explores methods for converting waste heat from an internal combustion engine (ICE) into electrical power, including thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and organic Rankine cycle systems (ORC). Notably, ICEs with TEGs can recover above 1 kW of power, while ICE-based ORC systems can generate tens of watts. On the other hand, TEGs integrated into braking systems can harvest a few watts of power. Then, hybrid solutions are discussed, focusing on integrated mechanical and thermal energy recovery systems, as well as solar and wind energy harvesting. Hybrid solutions can achieve power outputs above 1 kW, with the main contribution from TEGs (≈1 kW), compared to piezoelectric systems (hundreds of W). Lastly, a section on commercial solutions highlights how current scientific research meets the automotive sector’s needs, providing significant insights for future development. For these reasons, the research results aim to be guidelines for a better understanding of where future studies should focus to improve the technological level and efficiency of energy harvesting solutions in the automotive sector.

Energy harvesting in the automotive sector is a rapidly growing field aimed at improving vehicle efficiency and sustainability by recovering wasted energy. Various technologies have been developed to convert mechanical, thermal, and environmental energy into electrical power, reducing dependency on traditional energy sources. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review of energy harvesting applications/methodologies, aiming to trace the research lines and future developments. This work identifies the main categories of harvesting solutions, namely mechanical, thermal, and hybrid/environmental solar–wind systems; each section includes a detailed review of the technical and scientific state of the art and a comparative analysis with detailed tables, allowing the state of the art to be mapped for identification of the strengths of each solution, as well as the challenges and future developments needed to enhance the technological level. These improvements focus on energy conversion efficiency, material innovation, vehicle integration, energy savings, and environmental sustainability. The mechanical harvesting section focuses on energy recovery from vehicle vibrations, with emphasis on regenerative suspensions and piezoelectric-based solutions. Specifically, solutions applied to suspensions with electric generators can achieve power outputs of around 1 kW, while piezoelectric-based suspension systems can generate up to tens of watts. The thermal harvesting section, instead, explores methods for converting waste heat from an internal combustion engine (ICE) into electrical power, including thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and organic Rankine cycle systems (ORC). Notably, ICEs with TEGs can recover above 1 kW of power, while ICE-based ORC systems can generate tens of watts. On the other hand, TEGs integrated into braking systems can harvest a few watts of power. Then, hybrid solutions are discussed, focusing on integrated mechanical and thermal energy recovery systems, as well as solar and wind energy harvesting. Hybrid solutions can achieve power outputs above 1 kW, with the main contribution from TEGs (≈1 kW), compared to piezoelectric systems (hundreds of W). Lastly, a section on commercial solutions highlights how current scientific research meets the automotive sector’s needs, providing significant insights for future development. For these reasons, the research results aim to be guidelines for a better understanding of where future studies should focus to improve the technological level and efficiency of energy harvesting solutions in the automotive sector.

This dataset holds all measurements recorded by a custom-built thermal harvesting tracking collar - including GPS-position, four temperature readings, acceleration, timestamps. Three collars, two of them supplied solely by thermal energy harvesting, were attached to cashmere-goats from 26 May to 12 July 2020.

This dataset holds all measurements recorded by a custom-built thermal harvesting tracking collar - including GPS-position, four temperature readings, acceleration, timestamps. Three collars, two of them supplied solely by thermal energy harvesting, were attached to cashmere-goats from 26 May to 12 July 2020.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an infrastructure of physical objects connected via the Internet that can exchange data to achieve efficient resource management. Billions of devices must be self-powered and low-cost considering the massive scale of the IoT. Thus, there is a need for low-cost ambient energy harvesters to power IoT devices. It is a challenging task since ambient energy might be unpredictable, intermittent and insufficient. For example, solar energy has limitations such as intermittence and unpredictability despite utilizing the highest power availability and relatively mature technology. Designing a multi-source energy harvester (MSEH) based on continuous and ubiquitous ambient energy sources might alleviate these issues by providing versatility and robustness of power supply. However, combining several energy harvesters into one module must be done synergistically to ensure miniaturization, compactness and more collected energy. Also, additive manufacturing techniques must be used to achieve low-cost harvesters and mass manufacturability. This dissertation presents two different kind of ambient energy harvesters, namely radio frequency energy harvester (RFEH) and thermal energy harvester (TEH). Each harvester is individually optimized and then synergistically combined into a MSEH. First, RFEH is designed for triple-band harvesting (GSM900, GSM1800, 3G2100) using the antenna-on-package concept and fabricated through 3D and screen printing. TEH collects energy from temperature fluctuations of ambient environment through a combination of thermoelectric generators and phase change materials. It is adapted specifically for the desert conditions of Saudi Arabia. Later, TEH and RFEH are combined to realize MSEH. Smart integration is achieved by designing a dual-function component, heatsink antenna, that serves as a receiving antenna of RFEH and a heatsink of TEH. The heatsink antenna has been optimized for both antenna radiation performance and heat transfer performance. Field tests showed that the MSEH can collect 3680μWh energy per day and the outputs of TEH and RFEH have increased 4 and 3 times compared to the independent TEH and RFEH respectively. To validate the utility of the MSEH, a temperature/humidity sensor has been successfully powered by the MSEH. Overall, sensor’s data can be wirelessly transmitted with time intervals of 3.5s, highlighting the effectiveness of the synergistic MSEH.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an infrastructure of physical objects connected via the Internet that can exchange data to achieve efficient resource management. Billions of devices must be self-powered and low-cost considering the massive scale of the IoT. Thus, there is a need for low-cost ambient energy harvesters to power IoT devices. It is a challenging task since ambient energy might be unpredictable, intermittent and insufficient. For example, solar energy has limitations such as intermittence and unpredictability despite utilizing the highest power availability and relatively mature technology. Designing a multi-source energy harvester (MSEH) based on continuous and ubiquitous ambient energy sources might alleviate these issues by providing versatility and robustness of power supply. However, combining several energy harvesters into one module must be done synergistically to ensure miniaturization, compactness and more collected energy. Also, additive manufacturing techniques must be used to achieve low-cost harvesters and mass manufacturability. This dissertation presents two different kind of ambient energy harvesters, namely radio frequency energy harvester (RFEH) and thermal energy harvester (TEH). Each harvester is individually optimized and then synergistically combined into a MSEH. First, RFEH is designed for triple-band harvesting (GSM900, GSM1800, 3G2100) using the antenna-on-package concept and fabricated through 3D and screen printing. TEH collects energy from temperature fluctuations of ambient environment through a combination of thermoelectric generators and phase change materials. It is adapted specifically for the desert conditions of Saudi Arabia. Later, TEH and RFEH are combined to realize MSEH. Smart integration is achieved by designing a dual-function component, heatsink antenna, that serves as a receiving antenna of RFEH and a heatsink of TEH. The heatsink antenna has been optimized for both antenna radiation performance and heat transfer performance. Field tests showed that the MSEH can collect 3680μWh energy per day and the outputs of TEH and RFEH have increased 4 and 3 times compared to the independent TEH and RFEH respectively. To validate the utility of the MSEH, a temperature/humidity sensor has been successfully powered by the MSEH. Overall, sensor’s data can be wirelessly transmitted with time intervals of 3.5s, highlighting the effectiveness of the synergistic MSEH.

With the increasingly severe energy crisis and the growing demand of carbon neutralization, clean energy has become an imperative global priority. Among the clean energy, heat source is ubiquitous, and various technologies have been developed to harvest the waste heat. By utilizing the thermogalvanic effect of electrode materials, thermally regenerative electrochemical cycle (TREC) could effectively convert the low-grade periodic temperature difference into electricity. In this thesis, I propose advanced designs on TREC to overcome the obstacles limiting the application of TREC. To address the challenge of harvesting ultralow-grade heat, thermally responsive ionic liquid is introduced to the TREC system. By involving both electrode and electrolyte in temperature change processes, the energy conversion efficiency is significantly increased, particularly when the temperature difference is minimal. Besides, I explore the thermogalvanic effect of the overlooked pseudocapacitor electrode material. Ti3C2 and Ag/AgCl are proved to be ideal electrodes for operating charge-free TREC owing to their approaching open circuit voltages and moderate equilibrium temperature, suggesting new candidates of pseudocapacitive materials being utilized as the electrode of TREC system. Furthermore, the operating conditions of the charge-free TREC system are systematically studied to obtain the optimal energy harvesting performance. With the optimized electrolyte system, a practical application of powering a calculator has been successfully demonstrated for the first time, verifying the feasibility of the system. The thesis provides new prospectives for optimizing the energy conversion efficiency, effectively harnessing ultralow-grade thermal energy, extending the range of electrode choices, and expanding the potential applications of TREC technology. ; Doctor of Philosophy

With the increasingly severe energy crisis and the growing demand of carbon neutralization, clean energy has become an imperative global priority. Among the clean energy, heat source is ubiquitous, and various technologies have been developed to harvest the waste heat. By utilizing the thermogalvanic effect of electrode materials, thermally regenerative electrochemical cycle (TREC) could effectively convert the low-grade periodic temperature difference into electricity. In this thesis, I propose advanced designs on TREC to overcome the obstacles limiting the application of TREC. To address the challenge of harvesting ultralow-grade heat, thermally responsive ionic liquid is introduced to the TREC system. By involving both electrode and electrolyte in temperature change processes, the energy conversion efficiency is significantly increased, particularly when the temperature difference is minimal. Besides, I explore the thermogalvanic effect of the overlooked pseudocapacitor electrode material. Ti3C2 and Ag/AgCl are proved to be ideal electrodes for operating charge-free TREC owing to their approaching open circuit voltages and moderate equilibrium temperature, suggesting new candidates of pseudocapacitive materials being utilized as the electrode of TREC system. Furthermore, the operating conditions of the charge-free TREC system are systematically studied to obtain the optimal energy harvesting performance. With the optimized electrolyte system, a practical application of powering a calculator has been successfully demonstrated for the first time, verifying the feasibility of the system. The thesis provides new prospectives for optimizing the energy conversion efficiency, effectively harnessing ultralow-grade thermal energy, extending the range of electrode choices, and expanding the potential applications of TREC technology. ; Doctor of Philosophy

Oceanenergy is one of these renewable sources comprising a vast amount of the renewable energy source as it covers 70% of the earth. This paper focuses on the idea of getting benefitted by one of the largest sources of renewable energy source by absorbing its energy in the form of marine and tidal current energy, thermal energy, wave energy etc. This paper will also give us a perspective of how harvesting of the ocean energy would change the traditional energy production business with respect to economy, efficiency and its effect on nature