Supercapacitor-Assisted Energy Harvesting Systems

Kasun Subasinghage and Kosala Gunawardane ()
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Kasun Subasinghage: Department of Materials and Mechanical Technology, Faculty of Technology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Homagama 10206, Sri Lanka
Kosala Gunawardane: School of Electrical and Data Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, 15, Broadway, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: Energy harvesting from energy sources is a rapidly developing cost-effective and sustainable technique for powering low-energy consumption devices such as wireless sensor networks, RFID, IoT devices, and wearable electronics. Although these devices consume very low average power, they require peak power bursts during the collection and transmission of data. These requirements are satisfied by the use of energy-storage devices such as batteries or supercapacitors (SCs). Batteries offer significantly higher energy density but are subject to regular replacement, thermal runaway risk, and environmental concerns. On the other hand, SCs provide over a million-fold increase in capacitance compared to a traditional capacitor of the same volume. They are considered as the energy-storing devices that bridge the gap between conventional capacitors and batteries. They also offer fast charging times, a long lifecycle, and low equivalent series resistance (ESR). Most importantly, they are capable of handling the high transient currents produced by energy harvesters and provide a stable power source for external loads. This study encompasses a brief exploration of the three fundamental SC types. Then, the discussion delves into the integration of SCs into energy harvesting applications. The collective knowledge presented aims to guide future research endeavors fostering the development of novel energy harvesting systems using SCs.

Keywords: energy harvesting; energy storage; power management; supercapacitors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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