A Self‐Regulated Piezoelectric Wind Energy Harvesting Device Driven by Combined Centrifugal and Gravitational Effects

Abstract

Abstract

A self‐regulating piezoelectric wind energy harvester (CSG‐PEH) is proposed to address the low efficiency, narrow operating range, and limited durability of conventional piezoelectric wind energy harvesters (PWEHs). The device incorporates a centrifugal spring mechanism (CSM), in which centrifugal force and elastic force are coupled to achieve adaptive mechanical regulation under varying wind speeds. By introducing an inclined configuration, the system is further coupled with the gravitational field, which reduces the maximum deformation and bending stress of the single‐sided piezoelectric beam, thereby improving structural durability. Meanwhile, gravity assists in offsetting part of the spring preload and friction, effectively lowering the start‐up wind speed and enhancing low‐speed performance. The key structural parameters, including magnet spacing and spring wire diameter, are systematically optimized through theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and experimental validation. Experimental results demonstrate that the optimized CSG‐PEH achieves a peak‐to‐peak output voltage of 22.56 V and a maximum effective power of 1.539 mW at an 80 kΩ load resistance. These results indicate that the proposed design provides a promising approach for improving energy harvesting performance and enabling reliable power supply for low‐power microelectronic devices in wind energy applications.