A review of piezoelectric energy harvesting tiles: Available designs and future perspective

Piezoelectric energy harvesting has played a vital role in powering several engineering devices and systems, where conventional power supply is either not possible or not desirable. Another perspective for piezoelectric energy is its utilization as a non-conventional clean energy source, harnessing the ambient mechanical vibrations. With the increasing global population and developing infrastructure, the load from human footsteps can be a source of significant amount of freely available mechanical vibration energy. The piezoelectric tiles are aimed at harnessing this otherwise wasted energy with minimum interference to the regular activities. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the technologies and methodologies that have been implemented in the literature. A comprehensive discussion on the various designs and mechanisms utilized in piezoelectric energy harvesting tiles is provided. Electrical circuits, which are crucial for successfully extracting the electrical energy from piezoelectric harvesters in usable form, are also discussed in detail. The feasibility aspects, from economic and energy perspectives, are also presented critically. Lastly, the challenges in the successful implementation of the piezoelectric tiles and their possible solutions are presented.