A piezoelectric hydro-energy harvester featuring a special container structure

Abstract This research proposes a novel piezoelectric hydro-energy harvester for ultra-low head and low flow applications with limited electricity access. The proposed hydro-energy harvester is a cantilever piezoelectric beam structure with a special container structure. The container structure is comprised of a cylindrical container attached with a small mass block and a rotating shaft symmetrically crossing the container. The working principle and vibration model of the proposed energy harvester are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Results show that a micro-hydro experimental prototype of the proposed energy harvester has the ability to measure the water flow rate. The velocity of the fluid is experimentally measured at 2355 mL/min by the proposed energy harvester. In addition, the proposed energy harvester can quickly charge a capacitor with 470 μF 25 V up to 2.9 V after 7 working periods (3.8min) at 2355 mL/min. Furthermore, the proposed energy harvester can power a thermometer-hygrometer after charging a 10 mF 25 V capacitor to 1.5 V～1.8 V.