5. Conclusion and outlook

Electrostatic mechanical energy recovery systems have been enjoying a boom since the early 2000s, with numerous prototypes being produced in research laboratories. The integration of electrets has made it possible to overcome the problem of the initial charge and also to simplify the associated electronics.

Although these structures offer many advantages in terms of integration and power density, no systems are currently on the market, unlike piezoelectric and electromagnetic systems. The main reason is that the electrostatic principle is only of interest in small dimensions. At present, however, the energy requirements of applications (~ 1 mW) are not yet fully in line with what can be provided by a microsource of energy (a few tens of microwatts), and it is therefore simpler to develop macroscopic piezoelectric or electromagnetic solutions. However, fully integrated...