FURI | Spring 2019

Energy Harvesting: Capacitor Design

Mankind has an unsustainable impact on planet Earth. It is necessary to develop alternative energy sources. The goal is to develop a more durable supercapacitor that can harvest high-voltage electrostatic discharge (i.e. lightning) and store the energy as a resource. It can also be used with surge protection devices to capture grounded discharge. The researcher chose zirconium as electrodes and Teflon as an insulator. Accounting for the charge type and rate are a significant challenge. Capacitor construction and in-lab tests are scheduled to be conducted late February throughout March.