A Hybrid Harvesting Method for Multiple Marine Renewable Energy Sources Based on Microthermoelectric Generator and Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Abstract

Harvesting wind and solar energy in marine environments to power marine sensors has become a hot research topic. Herein, a marine hybrid energy gathering method based on codoped microthermoelectric generator (MTEG) and charge-enhanced triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is proposed. A prototype based on this method is designed. It consists of an MTEG unit made from codoped Bi₂Te₃-based thermoelectric materials and a TENG unit equipped with a charge density enhancement circuit. This prototype can simultaneously harvest solar energy and wind energy in marine environments to power marine sensors. The prototype can generate a voltage output of 72 V and a power output of 90.5 μW under experimental conditions featuring a wind velocity of 5 m s⁻¹ and a temperature difference of 50 K. This results in a harvesting energy density of 9 W m⁻³. Based on experiments, the feasibility of the hybrid energy gathering method presented herein is verified, offering a new approach for powering marine sensors.