Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

2-14-2014

Abstract

Combining different energy harvesting devices to optimize output power is crucial to the achievement of sustainable energy. This thesis focuses on the design, simulation and fabrication of a broadband Planar Inverted-F Antenna (PIFA) constructed for energy harvesting and its integration with a solar cell. An assessment of available ambient RF energy was performed by surveying power density levels from 700MHz to 18GHz. The measured spectrum was then used to determine the bandwidth for our rectifying antenna. The PIFA design was chosen for its small size and low profile, in order to limit the area covering the solar panel. The purpose of this antenna is to harvest power during the times that solar energy is unavailable. The thorough analysis, design and fabrication specifics of the antenna and its integration with the solar panel are discussed in detail. Future work involving the implementation of a PIFA array to optimize the amount of energy harvested is also presented.

Keywords

Rectenna, PIFA, Energy Harvesting, solar

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Electrical Engineering

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Schamilouglu, Edl

Second Committee Member

Tawk, Youssef

Third Committee Member

Barbin, Silvio

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