HARVESTING BLACKBODY RADIATION: A WIDEBAND RECTENNA APPROACH FOR LOW-POWER ENERGY HARVESTING
Loading...
Authors
Alfaro-Carcoba, Rodolfo
Issue Date
2025
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Blackbody Energy Harvesting , Rectenna
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the feasibility of harvesting electrical energy from blackbody radiation using rectennas. Blackbody radiation, commonly perceived as low-power thermal noise, is an energy source emitted by all objects in the universe. By aggregating this radiation over a wide frequency bandwidth, it may be possible to generate sufficient power to activate a rectifying Schottky diode, resulting in the conversion of heat radiation into usable DC electricity. To achieve this, we have looked into what it would take to design a wideband rectenna system. The rectenna system is capable of converting heat radiation into DC electricity by combining the use of an antenna and a high frequency rectifier. The antenna serves the purpose of converting the electromagnetic radiation, in this case heat noise, into an AC electric signal. This signal then goes into a Schottky diode rectifier and converts the AC signal into usable DC electricity. This wideband rectenna system would theoretically be able to harvest the heat energy across a broad frequency spectrum. Given the inherently low power density of blackbody radiation, special consideration is given to minimizing losses, improving bandwidth, and enhancing the gain of the system.
To validate the theoretical framework, multiple rectennas have been fabricated using the Dragonfly IV printer recently acquired by UNR. These rectennas were initially fabricated in segments, the rectifier component and the antenna component. Multiple measurements were performed to observe the rectification and performance of the various rectifiers printed. The performance, characteristics, and gain of the printed antennas were also measured and tested.
Ultimately, this dissertation demonstrates that while blackbody radiation presents unique challenges due to its low power density, strategic bandwidth aggregation and rectifier optimization can theoretically enable effective energy conversion. Experimental results provide insight into the potential for rectennas to serve as passive energy harvesting solutions, expanding the scope of wireless power generation in low-energy environments.