Power Management Electronics for Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting Systems

The presented paper gives an overview of basic principles and recent trends in power management electronics for thermoelectric energy harvesting. Energy harvesting systems are a modern way how to feed the autonomous devices on-site using ambient energy. The ambient energy in the case of thermoelectric generators is represented by temperature gradients. Different temperatures are applied to the hot and cold sides of thermoelectric module which generates the thermoelectric voltage on its terminals. This effect is called the Seebeck Effect. Thermoelectric generators have recently been found as a promising way for powering the autonomous sensors. This application is particularly promising utilizing a higher integration by the MEMS or NEMS technology. Power management electronics is an essential part of any energy harvesting system. It utilizes a connection between the energy harvester and powered application. The main tasks for power management electronics also include the maximum power point tracking (MPPT), power conditioning, interconnection with accumulator and selfdiagnostics. The presented paper shows the general requirements, principles and system-level considerations in the design and development of power management electronics for the thermoelectric generator. The presented principles are subsequently applied on the real case study.