the potential for harvesting energy from the movement of trees运动的潜在收获能源的树木.pdfVIP

Sensors 2011, 11, 9275-9299; doi:10.3390/s111009275 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 /journal/sensors Article The Potential for Harvesting Energy from the Movement of Trees Scott McGarry and Chris Knight * Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), P.O. Box 330, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia; E-Mail: scott.mcgarry@csiro.au * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: chris.knight@csiro.au; Tel.: +61-2-4960-6049. Received: 23 July 2011; in revised form: 1 September 2011 / Accepted: 27 September 2011 / Published: 28 September 2011 Abstract: Over the last decade, wireless devices have decreased in size and power requirements. These devices generally use batteries as a power source but can employ additional means of power, such as solar, thermal or wind energy. However, sensor networks are often deployed in conditions of minimal lighting and thermal gradient such as densely wooded environments, where even normal wind energy harvesting is limited. In these cases a possible source of energy is from the motion of the trees themselves. We investigated the amount of energy and power available from the motion of a tree in a sheltered position, during Beaufort 4 winds. We measured the work performed by the tree to lift a mass, we measured horizontal acceleration of free movement, and we determined the angular deflection of the movemen