Energy harvesting happens through the BQ25504: a boost converter designed to acquire and manage micro or milliwatts generated from devices like a solar panel. I validated functionality with a small (~1.25” x 2”) solar panel with an open circuit rating of 3.4V and 2.2V maximum power point (V @pmpp) and a 470uF polarized capacitor rated for 6.3V.
I placed the probes on the capacitor to demonstrate charging via a solar panel through an energy harvesting chip. This is a simple setup for capturing solar energy.
Video showing a capacitor charging with a solar panel through an energy harvesting chip
The capacitor charges and discharges rapidly and although this video is sped up by 1000X you can see the functionality clearly.
Next up: I2C communication