Optimized Routing approaches for Enhanced Performance in Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) enhanced with energy harvesting (EH) capabilities, known as EH-WSNs, offer a sustainable approach to prolonging network lifetime by allowing sensor nodes to recharge from ambient energy sources. However, the fluctuating nature of harvested energy and the diverse energy capacities of nodes introduce significant routing challenges. This study analyzes four advanced routing algorithms—Energy Harvesting Routing (EHR), Energy Harvesting Probabilistic Routing Protocol (EH-PRP), Greedy Strategy for Energy-Efficient Routing Algorithm (GSEERA), and Self-Adaptive Greedy Routing with Energy Harvesting (SAGREH). These protocols are evaluated based on performance metrics such as average energy consumption, energy variance, end-to-end delay, packet delivery ratio, and hop count, under different node densities and initial energy conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that each routing strategy uniquely influences energy efficiency and network reliability. The findings contribute to the development of adaptive, energy-aware routing mechanisms that can enhance the stability and longevity of EH-WSNs across diverse operating scenarios.