EM characterization of a patch antenna with thermo-electric generator and Solar Cell for hybrid Energy Harvesting

The design and the radiation performance of a novel hybrid Energy Harvesting (EH) and wireless communication system based on a quarter-wave patch antenna with integrated modules for EH applications are documented in this paper. A Thermo-Electric Generator (TEG) and a Solar Cell (SC) are used in order to harvest concurrently thermal and solar energy providing a hybrid EH system. The antenna, with the harvesting modules stacked on it, operates in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) frequency band 2.4-2.48 GHz showing a reflection coefficient below the -10 dB and a maximum gain of about 2.6 dB. The antenna can be used for wireless communication or, alternatively, to perform Electro-Magnetic (EM) energy scavenging by mounting a voltage rectifier at its terminals.

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