PowerMEMS: Energy Harvesting and Micro Power Generation

This lecture introduces PowerMEMS, focusing on micro energy harvesting and power generation. It covers various energy sources like thermal, vibrations, and RF, as well as different power storage solutions such as batteries and supercapacitors. The comparison between batteries and supercapacitors is discussed, highlighting the advantages and limitations of each. Alternative energy sources like solar cells, temperature gradients, acoustics, vibrations, wind, and even human body biomechanical power are explored. The lecture also delves into micro power devices, generators, and the origins of PowerMEMS, emphasizing the evolution of microsystems for power generation. Various energy harvesting approaches, power management techniques, and the potential of energy harvesters in smaller applications are also presented.