A broad band energy harvesting system to harvest energy from a structure
and associated methods are provided. The system includes a structure
carrying a plurality of environmentally produced vibration frequencies
extending over a frequency range and an energy harvesting apparatus
positioned in vibration receiving communication with the structure to
harvest energy from the structure. Each energy harvesting apparatus
includes broadly tuned energy harvesting generators having relatively low
quality factor and corresponding relatively wide bandwidth. The energy
harvesting generators collectively provide energy harvesting over
multiple modes to thereby provide energy harvesting over a substantial
portion of the frequency range. Each energy harvesting generator can
include a cantilevered beam connected to a common backbone comprised of a
resilient material configured to transfer energy between adjacent
generators to further enhance energy harvesting.