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RAILCON ’26 · 4.7Original scientific paper

ENERGY HARVESTING TECHNOLOGIES FOR RAILWAY SENSOR SYSTEMS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BY APPLICATION AND DEPLOYMENT LOCATION

Vehicle and Infrastructure Maintenance15–16 October 2026 · Niš, Serbia

Authors

Anđela TONČEV1
iD0009-0006-9398-3940
Teodor ĐORĐEVIĆ2
iD0009-0009-9525-7549
Vukašin PAVLOVIĆ3
iD0000-0002-5090-9277
Aleksandra CVETKOVIĆ4
iD0000-0003-3737-7656
Miloš MILOŠEVIĆ5
iD0009-0004-8987-689X

Affiliations

  1. 1Faculty of Mechanical engineering, University of Niš, Aleksandra Medvedeva 14, andjela.toncev@masfak.ni.ac.rs
  2. 2Faculty of Mechanical engineering, University of Niš, Aleksandra Medvedeva 14, teodor.djordjevic@masfak.ni.ac.rs
  3. 3Faculty of Mechanical engineering, University of Niš, Aleksandra Medvedeva 14, vukasin.pavlovic@masfak.ni.ac.rs
  4. 4Faculty of Mechanical engineering, University of Niš, Aleksandra Medvedeva 14, aleksandra.cvetkovic@masfak.ni.ac.rs
  5. 5Faculty of Mechanical engineering, University of Niš, Aleksandra Medvedeva 14, milos.milosevic@masfak.ni.ac.rs
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RESEARCH OVERVIEW

Abstract

Supplying distributed railway sensor systems is challenging at remote and difficult-to-access locations where wired power is impractical and battery replacement increases maintenance requirements. This paper compares representative energy harvesting systems according to sensor application and deployment location. Piezoelectric, electromagnetic, photovoltaic, thermoelectric, magnetic-field and radiofrequency solutions are considered for different railway deployment locations. The systems are compared using reported power or energy output, operating conditions, sensor application and level of experimental validation. The results show that technology selection depends on source availability, installation constraints and sensor-node energy requirements, with some solutions enabling intermittent batteryless operation, while others supplement battery power or remain at the laboratory-validation stage. Efficient power management and energy storage, long-term field testing, and consistent reporting of energy performance are required for reliable assessment and wider railway deployment.

Keywords

railway sensor systemsenergy harvestingdeployment locationwireless sensor nodesautonomous power supply

Cite this paper

Anđela TONČEV, Teodor ĐORĐEVIĆ, Vukašin PAVLOVIĆ, Aleksandra CVETKOVIĆ, Miloš MILOŠEVIĆ. (2026). ENERGY HARVESTING TECHNOLOGIES FOR RAILWAY SENSOR SYSTEMS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BY APPLICATION AND DEPLOYMENT LOCATION. RAILCON ’26 — XXII International Scientific-Expert Conference on Railways, Niš, Serbia, pp. 105–108. https://doi.org/10.46793/railcon26.105T

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