Aeroacoustics-driven jet-stream wind energy harvester induced by jet-edge-resonator

Wind energy harvesting has attracted attention for the past few decades as a potential solution to supply sustainable power for wireless sensors network (WSN). In this paper, we reported an aeroacoustics-driven piezoelectric energy generator (APEG) without moving parts to scavenge wind energy. Aeroacoustics principle, a complex Multiphysics process including the coupling among physics fields of fluid, solid, acoustics and electricity, was used for converting wind energy to mechanical energy applied on the APEG. At 79.6 m/s jet velocity, the APEG delivers high closed-circuit current (4.7 mA) at 1.5 kΩ, open-circuit voltage (12.9 V), and large average output power (15.5 mW). This result was further validated by powering up different commercial electronic devices. Moreover, the complex aeroacoustics principle was studied both experimentally and theoretically. The velocity distribution of flow field and stress distribution of piezoelectric unit were simulated and analyzed. The proposed APEG with simple structure, small volume and high performance is promising for supplying sustainable power for WSN at harsh environment such as high-speed aircrafts.