A Modular Discrete-Event Simulation Framework for Energy Harvesting IoT Networks

Abstract

The growing deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has increased interest in energy harvesting as a mechanism to support long-term operation under constrained energy conditions. In such systems, the interaction between energy availability, traffic generation, communication scheduling, and network behavior affects system operation and performance. Studying these interactions requires simulation environments capable of representing energy harvesting processes together with node operation and communication dynamics. This paper presents a modular discrete-event simulation framework for the analysis of energy harvesting IoT networks. The framework models energy sources, storage elements, traffic generation, scheduling policies, and wireless communication within a unified architecture. Simulation scenarios are specified through external configuration files, enabling heterogeneous nodes and network conditions to be evaluated without modification of the core simulation code. The framework also records detailed energy and network metrics to support post-processing and performance analysis. An example simulation scenario is presented to illustrate how the framework can be used to study the behavior of IoT nodes operating under different energy harvesting conditions.