Search results for " harvesting"
showing 10 items of 180 documents
Life Cycle Assessment applied to a new system for sea wave energy harvesting
2022
A new technology for wave energy harvesting is currently under development at the University of Palermo. The target is the exploitation of sea waves in the Mediterranean Sea, and small islands. The paper suggests an innovative technology for the wave energy harvesting in onshore areas. Indeed, the machine can be installed on existing infrastructures, like breakwaters of harbours. A small-scale prototype was already tested in laboratory. In this paper, a Life Cycle Assessment is performed to evaluate the environmental impacts of this technology, considering the potential energy production as functional unit.
A hybrid storage system for wireless sensor nodes powered with energy harvesting
2019
With the recent development of Internet of Things (IoT) and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), research and industry have been increasingly focusing on the opportumty of collecting the energy arising from the environment. The Energy Harvesting provides the possibility to supply devices which are placed out of reach or in hazardous spots, e.g. the Wireless Sensor Nodes. Among the different parts belonging to an Energy Harvesting system, the power management network represents a challenging topic. In this paper a Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS) usable for a WSN powered with Energy Harvesting, based on a battery-capacitor integration, is presented. The experimental results concerning the asse…
Strategies and Techniques for Powering Wireless Sensor Nodes through Energy Harvesting and Wireless Power Transfer
2019
The continuous development of internet of things (IoT) infrastructure and applications is paving the way for advanced and innovative ideas and solutions, some of which are pushing the limits of state-of-the-art technology. The increasing demand for Wireless Sensor Nodes (WSNs) able to collect and transmit data through wireless communication channels, while often positioned in locations that are difficult to access, is driving research into innovative solutions involving energy harvesting (EH) and wireless power transfer (WPT) to eventually allow battery-free sensor nodes. Due to the pervasiveness of radio frequency (RF) energy, RF EH and WPT are key technologies with the potential to power …
Solar pavements: A critical review
2021
Abstract Resilient, smart and sustainable: these are the keywords for the next generation of road infrastructures. As a renewable and environment-friendly energy harvesting pavement, the concept of a solar pavement has become one of the most researched new highway transportation infrastructures with a goal to transform the road system from the energy consumer to the energy provider, and eliminate or alleviate pollution from the source of energy. At present, the commercial technology through photovoltaic is limited by space installation requirements, which restricts its popularization and application. On the other hand, applying photovoltaic power generation technology to the pavement can pr…
Assemblies of semiconductor quantum dots and light-harvesting-complex II
2010
Abstract A novel hybrid system composed of fluorescent core/shell semiconductor quantum dots and the light harvesting complex II (LHCIIb), a membrane protein of higher plants, has been assembled. Experiments with different mutants show that hybrid formation can be mediated by a C-terminal His 6 tag attached to the protein as well as by positive charges of the first N-terminal amino acids of LHCIIb. Quenching of the quantum dot fluorescence upon binding of LHCIIb was partially attributed to energy transfer from the quantum dots to LHCIIb.
The green roofs for reduction in the load on rainwater drainage in highly urbanised areas
2021
AbstractRapid weather phenomena, particularly sudden and intense rainfall, have become a problem in urban areas in recent years. During heavy rainfall, urban rainwater drainage systems are unable to discharge huge amounts of runoff into collecting reservoirs, which usually results in local flooding. This paper presents attempts to forecast a reduction in the load on the rainwater drainage system through the implementation of green roofs in a case study covering two selected districts of Opole (Poland)—the Old Town and the City Centre. Model tests of extensive and intensive roofs were carried out, in order to determine the reduction of rainwater runoff from the roof surface for the site unde…
Innovative systems based on optical nanoantennas for energy harvesting application
The purpose of this study is to outline the main guidelines for the design of arrays of optical rectennas aiming to harvest energy and for the optimization of the power transfer to an external load. In particular, the novelty of this study consists in introducing the concept of the integrated design between the array of optical rectennas and the harvesting circuit able to exploit the available energy. The design of the array represents the crucial point in order to optimize the power transfer between the antenna and the load and can influence the rectenna design. On the other hand, the maximum power transfer to the load has to be obtained under matching conditions between the array and the …
Urban Stormwater Management, A Tool for Adapting to Climate Change: From Risk to Resource
2020
The effects of climate change on rainfall in the Mediterranean region are manifested in an overall decreasing trend, and greater irregularity in annual volumes and the city of Alicante is no exception. In addition, there has also been a spread of the urbanised area, which has led to an increase in the flood risk in urban areas (due to a greater runoff and the occupation of flood hazard areas) and drought events due to an increase in the water demand. In light of these new scenarios, the Mediterranean cities should design adaptation systems based on rainwater harvesting within the framework of a circular economy. This study analyses the integration of rainwater in flood and water demand mana…
Electromechanical characterization of a bimorph piezo for Energy Harvesting applications in road infrastructures
2012
Piezoelectric materials can be used as a means of transforming ambient vibrations into electrical energy that can be stored and used to power other devices. With the recent surge of micro scale devices, piezoelectric power generation can provide a convenient alternative to traditional power sources used to operate certain types of sensors/actuators, telemetry, and MEMS devices. However, the energy produced by these materials is, in many cases, far too small to directly power an electrical device. In the present study, piezoelectric devices will be investigated and experimentally tested to determine each of their abilities to transform ambient vibration into electrical energy. Tested piezoel…
An On-Demand Energy Requesting Scheme for Wireless Energy Harvesting Powered IoT Networks
2018
Energy harvesting (EH) delivers a unique technique for replenishing batteries in Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Equipped with an energy harvesting accessory, EH-enabled sensor nodes/IoT devices ...