![]() ![]() What are the applications? What are the viable designs? What is the order of magnitude of the power output? What are the challenges in such developments? In this survey article, we review the harvesting of ocean energy using piezoelectric materials. The design makes use of the camshaft gear mechanism to induce oscillations on the piezoelectric patches, and hence generates power. The mill consists of piezoelectric bimorph cantilevers that are arranged along its circumference. ( 2005), for example, developed a piezoelectric windmill to extract the energy from wind currents. Recent research, however, is directed to media that have prevalent fluctuations themselves. The scavenging devices are traditionally embedded in a vibrating host structure that can endure substantial excitations. Power harvesting through piezoelectricity (Erturk and Inman 2011) is emerging as one of the most important ambient-energy scavenging methods. Further, they have the favorable ability of directly converting applied strain energy into electric energy, and producing power at voltage levels that can be easily conditioned (Nechibvute et al. Also, piezoelectric materials can be easily integrated into a system, having no moving parts, thus not requiring frequent maintenance. ![]() They also have energy generation density that is three times higher (Priya 2007). Piezoelectric transducers, being smaller and lighter, are usually favored over the other means. It is kinetic energy that can be converted into electric energy using piezoelectric, electromagnetic, or electrostatic principles. 2012), vibrational energy is the most attractive one because of its abundance and easy accessibility. Although such power sources provide only a small amount of power, they can be vital in many applications, particularly those involving self-powered devices.Īmong the different types of available ambient-energy sources explained in (Nechibvute et al. Such ambient energy, if captured and transformed into useful electrical energy, can power nearby electronic equipment. They are in the surroundings, such as vibrating machines, shock absorbers, and flow turbulence (Priya 2007). In fact, it is expected that by 2040 (Institute For Energy Research 2012), the share of the fossil fuels will decrease by 4 % along with a 4 % increase in renewable-energy shares.īesides the large-scale energy sources, smaller-scale energy sources that would end up being wasted and unused are abundant. Extensive research is continually being conducted to enhance the feasibility and usage of these large-scale efforts. The low percentage in renewable-energy sources is associated with the high cost of extraction technologies and the unavailability of the resources during all times of the year. Further, while many of the land-based technologies are maturing, those involved in the marine environment are just emerging. 1, Footnote 1 in the USA as an example, only 9 % of the energy consumption in 2012 was attributed to renewable sources (Energy Worldnet 2013). These include wind turbines, photovoltaic power plants, geothermal power stations, among others. Many large-scale technologies have been developed over the years to capture renewable energy. The challenges ahead and the outlook for success in this area are outlined. Various harvesting techniques in an ocean environment are categorized and compared. Significant research projects on ocean-energy extraction through the use of these materials are then described and discussed with special scrutiny on the viability of proposed designs and their experimental or numerical validation. A brief discussion on the selection of the piezoelectric materials for different ocean-engineering applications is presented. This article overviews recent development on the application of the piezoelectric processes to the ocean field and provides a building block for future research work of ocean engineers who are interested in such possibilities. Ideas of using the piezoelectric effect as a power take-off mechanism for ocean energy emerged in the 1970s and are still at a developing stage. They have been employed in mediums frequently undergoing vibrations, allowing harnessing of power at a small scale. ![]() Piezoelectric materials directly convert strain energy into electric energy and vice versa and are commonly used in sensing and actuating applications. ![]()
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