Towards a Green and Self-Powered Internet of Things Using Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a revolutionizing technology which aims to create an ecosystem of connected objects and embedded devices and provide ubiquitous connectivity between trillions of not only smart devices but also simple sensors and actuators. Although recent advancements in miniaturization of devices with higher computational capabilities and ultra-low power communication technologies have enabled the vast deployment of sensors and actuators everywhere, such an evolution calls for fundamental changes in hardware design, software, network architecture, data analytics, data storage, and power sources. A large portion of the IoT devices cannot be powered by batteries only anymore, as they will be installed in hard to reach areas and regular battery replacement and maintenance are infeasible. A viable solution is to scavenge and harvest energy from the environment and then provide enough energy to the devices to perform their operations. This will significantly increase the device life time and eliminate the need for the battery as an energy source. This survey aims at providing a comprehensive study on energy harvesting techniques as alternative and promising solutions to power the IoT devices. We present the main design challenges of the IoT devices in terms of energy and power and provide design considerations for a successful implementation of self-powered the IoT devices. We then specifically focus on piezoelectric energy harvesting as one of the most promising solutions to power the IoT devices and present the main challenges and research directions. We also shed lights on the hybrid energy harvesting for the IoT and security challenges of energy harvesting enabled the IoT systems.