Optimal Energy Allocation for Energy Harvesting Transmitters With Hybrid Energy Storage and Processing Cost

Abstract

We consider data transmission with an energy harvesting transmitter that has hybrid energy storage with a perfect super-capacitor (SC) and an inefficient battery. The SC has finite storage space while the battery has unlimited space. The transmitter can choose to store the harvested energy in the SC or in the battery. The energy is drained from the SC and the battery simultaneously. In this setting, we consider throughput optimal offline energy allocation problem over a point-to-point channel. In contrast to previous works, the hybrid energy storage model with finite and unlimited storage capacities imposes a generalized set of constraints on the transmission policy. As such, we show that the solution generalizes that for a single battery and is found by a sequential application of the directional water-filling algorithm. Next, we consider offline throughput maximization in the presence of an additive time-linear processing cost in the transmitter's circuitry. In this case, the transmitter has to additionally decide on the portions of the processing cost to be drained from the SC and the battery. Despite this additional complexity, we show that the solution is obtained by a sequential application of a directional glue pouring algorithm, parallel to the costless processing case. Finally, we provide numerical illustrations for optimal policies and performance comparisons with some heuristic online policies.