Benefits, Examples, and Applicable Fields of Energy Harvesting

What is Energy harvesting? Energy Harvesting is a way to collect and use energy from sources other than fossil fuels, like the solar, wind, thermal, vibration, and other biological sources. Energy Harvesting allows the ability to tap into these alternative energy sources and provide electricity for our small electronics, or supply power grids.  Most known energy harvesters: Solar Panels Wind Generators Huge Addition to the Power Grid Still more out there Alternate sources: Alternative energy sources are called ambient energy Ultra Low Power MCU's (microcontroller families) convert ambient energy into useful energy. 

The crystal radio Introduced in 1904 Was popular Components: Wire for antenna Coiled copper wire for adjustment Capacitor Crystal Detector* made from a crystalline material like galena (diode) Earphones  Powered by the waves picked up by antenna

Applicable fields Built infrastructure and systems Buildings, transportation (public, commercial, and personal), and consumables Ecosystem Services and the Environment Examining certain habitats, species, watersheds, and global climate change Sociotechnical Systems  Society, organizations, and people

Emerging technologies Na-TECC:  Uses expansion of sodium and solar heat to directly generate electricity Distributed energy applications, such as powering your house Flexible Generators (TEG)'s: Solid-state devices that convert heat to electricity made from attractive polymers Generates small amount of electricity, but could be sprayed anywhere Fuel converted from sky: Uses solar energy to reverse the combustion process to make synthesis gas which can be converted into kerosene, gasoline, and fuels like them. Instead of using fossil fuels, uses byproducts of combustion and energized by  the sun to create these fuels. Graphene Supercaps: Graphene-based supercapacitors that could replace batteries Current low energy density, but graphene based supercaps offer much greater energy dense devices that will provide high power and longevity.   

Energy harvesting Areas to improve/applicable areas Built infrastructure and systems  Ecosystem Services and the Environment  Sociotechnical Systems  Emerging Technologies Energy Harvesting is a way to collect and use energy from sources other than fossil fuels, like the sun, wind, heat, vibration, or other biological sources. Energy Harvesting allows the ability to tap into these alternative energy sources and provide electricity for our small electronics, or supply power grids. NA-TECC Uses expansion of sodium and solar heat to directly generate electricity  Distributed energy applications, such as powering your house  Fuel from the sky Uses solar energy to reverse the combustion process to make synthesis gas which can be converted into kerosene, gasoline, and fuels like them. Flexible Generators Solid-state devices that convert heat to electricity made from attractive polymers Generates small amount of electricity, but could be sprayed anywhere  Graphene Suercaps  Graphene based supercaps offer much greater energy dense devices that will provide high power and longevity which could replace batteries

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