Simulink model of an integrated rotary electrostatic energy harvester

In this paper, a wind based electrostatic energy harvester is proposed and evaluated. The harvester is constructed from small size wind turbine rotor blades, a rotary variable capacitor, an energy transfer unit, a timing control unit and a capacitance monitoring system. Power and energy analysis are carried out for both the charging and the harvesting phases. Simulation shows that a 50-550 pF rotary variable capacitor subjected to wind energy with a speed of 15 mph produces an average harvesting current of 0.87 mA, an average power of 2.46 mW and an energy gain of 153 μJ within a period of 147 ms.