D20.8 - A Control Architecture for Maximum Energy Extraction from Impulsive Sources

Extracting energy from impulsive electromechanical sources—such as pavement energy harvesters, wave-energy converters, and ultrasound transducers—poses unique challenges for the power electronics interface due to their short, unpredictable bursts of power. Conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms, as used in wind energy systems, are designed for comparatively slower source dynamics and are not well suited for such transient-rich inputs. In impulsive sources, usable energy is available only for a fraction of each generated ac waveform period, demanding rapid and adaptive control. This work presents a control framework that maximizes captured energy from unpredictable impulsive sources by dynamically optimizing generator loading. The approach is experimentally validated on a setup emulating a pavement energy harvester, comprising an electromagnetic generator, a two-stage power conversion system (ac–dc rectifier followed by a dc–dc converter), and a 12 V battery charging circuit.