Nonequilibrium potential for linear energy harvester and work relationships.

Abstract

In this work, we present an analytical study of a linear kinetic energy harvester driven by Gaussian noise through a nonequilibrium potential (NEP) approach. Taking advantage of the NEP, we conduct a statistical and thermodynamic analysis that reveals the stationary probability distribution function and its moments, offering insight into the harvester's stochastic behavior. Additionally, we make use of the energy landscape approach to visualize the implications of connecting a high load resistor, highlighting its impact on performance. Our findings also include generalized formulations of the Clausius inequality and Jarzynski equation, which we verify numerically.