Energy harvesting approaches in IoT scenarios with very low ambient energy

The feasibility of multi-source energy harvesting in Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios with low and intermittent ambient energy is addressed. As a relevant case study, application to a smart cargo container system is analysed. The most relevant features of the main energy sources available in this target application are identified, and various transducers adapted to such sources are evaluated. Measurement results indicate that combined piezoelectric and thermoelectric generation inside cargo containers can significantly extend the battery lifetime of IoT end nodes embedded in such containers.