TY - JOUR N2 - The present work focuses on a first study for a piezoelectric harvesting system, finalized to the obtaining of electrical energy from the kinetic energy of rainy precipitation, a renewable energy source not really considered until now. The system, after the realization, can be collocated on the roof of an house, configuring a “Piezo Roof Harvesting System”. After presenting a state of art of the harvesting systems from environmental energy, linked to vibrations, using piezoelectric structures, and of piezoelectric harvesting systems functioning with rain, the authors propose an analysis of the fundamental features of rainy precipitations for the definition of the harvesting system. Then, four key patterns for the realization of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system are discussed and analysed, arriving to the choice of a cantilever beam scheme, in which the piezoelectric material works in 31 mode. An electro-mechanical model for the simulation of performance of the unit for the energetic conversion, composed of three blocks, is proposed. The model is used for a simulation campaign to perform the final choice of the more suitable piezoelectric unit, available on the market, which will be adopted for the realization of the “Piezo Roof Harvesting System”. L1 - http://journals.pan.pl/Content/104241/PDF/ame-2017-0016.pdf L2 - http://journals.pan.pl/Content/104241 PY - 2017 IS - No 2 EP - 282 DO - 10.1515/meceng-2017-0016 KW - energy harvesting KW - rain KW - piezoelectric material KW - renewable energy KW - mechanical vibration A1 - di Leo, Romeo A1 - Viscardi, Massimo A1 - Tuccinardi, Francesco Paolo A1 - Visone, Michele PB - Polish Academy of Sciences, Committee on Machine Building VL - vol. 64 DA - 2017 T1 - Numerical modelling of a piezo roof harvesting system: the right component selection SP - 257 UR - http://journals.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/104241 T2 - Archive of Mechanical Engineering ER -