Energy harvesting for the life-cycle of structures and infrastructures: State of art, recent trends and future developments

In the upward trend of renewable energy growth, several proposals have been made concerning energy harvesting devices in structures and infrastructures. The objective, concerning higher power extraction, is to supply power to auxiliary systems (e.g. road lights or information panels, in the case of transportation infrastructures). This paper deals with the state of art, the recent trends and the future developments in energy harvesting for structures and infrastructures. Particular focus is given to the definition of a broader framework of energy extraction for such systems. Finally, a survey takes place for the possible research issues and synergies among different research sectors, and some points for discussion are provided for the life-cycle analysis of such systems.