Piezoelectric materials (PZT) can be used as mechanisms to transfer ambient vibrations into electrical energy that can be stored and used to power other devices. With the recent surge of micro scale devices, PZT power generation can provide a conventional alternative to traditional power sources used to operate certain types of sensors/actuators, telemetry, and MEMS devices. In this paper, the dynamics of piezoelectric materials for the use of power generation devices has been experimentally investigated. The objectives of this work are to estimate the amount of power that PZT can generate, and to identify the feasibility of the devices for real-world applications. The energy produced by the PZT was stored in two different ways. The first was in a capacitor that allows for immediate access to the stored energy, and the second method charged a nickel metal hydride battery. The power generated by the vibration of the piezoelectric is shown to be a maximum of 2 mW, and provide enough energy to charge a 40mAh button cell battery in one hour.
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