Study of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting System Based on PZT

Harvesting energy from ambient vibrations to convert it into electrical energy is possible using piezoelectric elements; the energy can be stored and used to bias low power electronic devices. A lead zirconium titanate cantilever is studied as a power generator to an energy harvesting system. The optimal performance is determined in terms of power output; two different configurations of the piezoelectric element were studied: series and parallel. The maximum output power produced by the piezoelectric system was 120 mW at the operating frequency of 40 Hz across a resistive load of 70 kΩ. The useful power was capable to bias some electronic devices.