Dynamic response of a pendulum-driven energy harvester in the presence of noise

Abstract

This paper presents time- and frequency-domain analyses of a previously reported wave energy harvesting system in the presence of noise. The energy harvester comprises a pendulum that drives two DC generators connected electrically in series. A mechanical model of the wave energy harvester is developed and simulated in Matlab. The output voltage and output power of the energy harvester is evaluated and compared for two input signal types: a deterministic case and a stochastic case. The latter consists of a white noise random excitation source that is bounded in amplitude at a fixed standard deviation. Simulation results indicate that a stochastic input signal shows considerable influence on the output characteristics of the energy harvester. The simulation models developed in this paper can be used to complement the design of resonant frequency tuning electronics for energy harvesting systems. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.