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Present a product 『Power generation tools』
I learned about "energy harvesting" while investigating whether it
would be possible to reduce power transmission costs with equipment
that can generate electricity in our daily lives.
Energy harvesting is a technology that "harvests" various forms of
low-density energy such as heat and vibration around us and converts
it into electrical energy. It has been found that relatively old
technologies, such as wristwatches and calculators that charge with
sunlight, are already widespread as products that utilize energy
harvesting technology.
This page introduces the types of energy harvesting and examples that
have already been commercialized.
Light power generation
Power harvesting technology that uses light energy as an energy source is called photovoltaic power generation, and is an energy harvesting technology that obtains power by harvesting light energy from lighting such as sunlight, incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, and LEDs. There are various materials for solar cells, such as silicon crystal solar cells, silicon amorphous solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, organic thin-film solar cells, CIS solar cells, and CIGS solar cells. The product using it is a mobile battery that can be charged with sunlight.
Large capacity mobile battery
"Portable solar power generator"
It may be able to supply the electricity for the smartphone you
use. It takes 140 hours to fully charge the battery with a solar
panel, and the iPhone can be charged 7 times. It can be charged
once a day. The price is about 3800 yen, but it takes more than 10
years to get the money because the electricity bill for one charge
of the smartphone is about 1 yen.
Vibration power generation
Energy harvesting that uses vibration energy as an energy source is called vibration power generation, and energy harvesting that obtains power by harvesting vibration energy generated by motors, engines, and other machines, and vibration energy generated by structures such as bridges and roads. (Energy harvesting) technology. Some power generation elements use piezoelectric elements (piezo elements), while others use electrostatic induction and electromagnetic induction.
Shoes that can generate electricity just by walking
At the University of Wisconsin, shoes that can generate
electricity just by walking were under development.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering "Tom Krupenkin" According to
the theory, the exercise of "walking" produces a total of 20W of
energy in shoes on both feet, which is a non-negligible amount of
energy, which can supply most mobile devices with the necessary
power.
⬇︎Source site
High-tech shoes that generate electricity just by walking
(external link: University of Wisconsin)
Thermoelectric power generation
Power generation technology that uses heat energy as an energy source is called thermoelectric power generation, and energy harvesting (energy harvesting) that obtains power by harvesting heat energy generated by motors, engines, and other machines, and heat energy generated from pipes in buildings and (Environmental power generation) technology. Temperature difference power generation using Seebeck elements (Pertier elements) is the mainstream.
Yamaha can use thermoelectric power generation to generate electricity from the thermal energy of exhaust gas, and is developing it as a module that can be used for cogeneration, power generation using geothermal heat and solar heat, as well as effective utilization of factory exhaust heat.
Electromagnetic wave power generation
Power generation technology that uses electromagnetic energy as an energy source is called electromagnetic power generation, and is an energy harvesting (environmental power generation) technology that harvests radio energy from televisions, radios, mobile phones, wireless LANs, etc. to obtain power. Uses a rectenna to convert radio energy into direct current. There is also magnetic field power generation that uses the leakage flux of the power line to generate power.
Others ・ Human power generation
Power generation by bicycle
Some companies have used crowdfunding to develop products that
generate electricity using bicycles.
You can step on the pedal of your bicycle to convert kinetic
energy into electrical energy, and you can create earth-friendly
green energy.
Hand-cranked radio
『Hand-cranked radio』As you often hear, it says that you turn it
120 to 140 times a minute, but the impression of those who
actually tried it is that it is difficult to turn and it makes you
tired.
Some of them do not have a waterproof function, so I thought it
was better to be careful when considering purchasing.
summary
As a result of my research, I thought that there are not many
products that match the price and performance so far.
The next page uses energy harvesting technology to think about the
future of self-power generation in our lives!
idea
collection