Development of an Ocean Wave Energy Harvester using an Array of Flexible Piezoelectric Sensors

Abstract

The ocean offers vast opportunities for unprecedented energy harvesting where most studies had concentrated on large scale energy harvesting from the ocean waves. However, there were minimal studies on low-scale energy harvesting. This study focuses on ambient, low-scale energy harvesting which theoretically can be used to power low energy consumption electrical appliances. The inherent characteristic of piezoelectric materials which can convert mechanical energy to electrical energy has created an alternative to generate energy from renewable sources including ocean waves. Initially, this study started with preliminary work which consisted of the development and testing of a lab scale piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH-1) which was tested along the beach area of Kuala Nerus, east coast of Malaysia. Results from PEH-1 had shown that the high tide produced more power level compared to low tide experiments. The findings from the first phase of this study served as a foundation study towards the development of an upscaled version of the PEH-1 in relation of mechanical and electronics, which was termed as PEH-2. Testing for PEH-2 was conducted in the coastal area of Pulau Bidong Laut, Kuala Nerus. Results from the second part of the study had shown that approximately almost 80% of the power harvested correlated linearly with wind speed, however after reaching 0.7W the peak dips down which was probably due to the instability of PEH-2 to be used in harsh open seas environment. This study had shown the feasibility of utilizing piezoelectric material to harvest low-scale power, however, several in-house modifications needed to be made for it to be fully functionable.