Energy management in wireless sensor networks with energy-hungry sensors

Abstract

The energy problem in wireless sensor networks remains one of the major barriers preventing the complete exploitation of this technology. Sensor nodes are typically powered by batteries with a limited lifetime, and even when additional energy can be harvested from the external environment, it remains a limited resource to be consumed judiciously. Efficient energy management is thus a key requirement, with most strategies assuming that data acquisition consumes significantly less energy than data transmission. When this assumption does not hold, effective energy management strategies should include policies for an efficient use of energy-hungry sensors.