A comprehensive analysis on sizing of solar energy harvester elements for wireless sensor motes

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) have limited lifetime due to on board battery. The lifetime can be improved by energy harvesting solutions. In this paper the solar energy harvester requirements for TelosB mote has been analyzed and calculated. Photovoltaic (PV) panel and battery sizing requirements are calculated by assuming that the mote follows SMAC and TDMA-MAC schedule for image communication. The calculations are validated by comparing it with the parameters calculated from the real time current consumption measurement of the mote. Lifetime has been predicted with the physical design of energy harvester. The analysis confirms that the lifetime of the network can be increased to a greater extent, by proper sizing of the harvester and efficient utilization of the available energy.