Energy capture of time-varying energy sources by varying computational workload

1. A method of managing computational workload in a computerized system powered by an energy source, comprising:

adapting said computational workload at said computerized system according to a time-varying property of the power supplied by said energy source, wherein said power generated at said source is optimized;

powering said computerized system by said enemy source through a charge storage device;

varying, during adapting, said computational workload at said computerized system to deplete said charge storage device according to said time-varying property; and

obtaining, prior to said adapting, a maximum power point of said energy source;

wherein an optimal terminal voltage at said charge storage device and, in turn, an optimal voltage V MPP at an output of said energy source are determined; and

wherein said adapting comprises varying said computational workload according to said determined optimal voltage V MPP at said output of said energy source.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

monitoring said property, wherein adapting said computational workload is carried out according to said property as monitored.

3. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein time variations of said property are at least partly predetermined; and

wherein adapting said computational workload is at least partly carried out according to said time variations of said property as predetermined.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein adapting said computational workload comprises varying a rate of computation by varying at least one of:

a job scheduling at one or more processors of said computerized system;

a frequency f of execution at one or more processors while not modifying a voltage V dd at said one or more processors; and

a frequency f of execution at one or more processors and correspondingly adjusting a voltage V dd at said one or more processors, according to a relation wherein said voltage V dd is made optimal at said one or more processors as a function of a given frequency.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said time-varying property is a function of an optimal voltage V MPP at an output of said energy source.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said optimal voltage V MPP is determined according to a maximum power point of said energy source.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said adapting comprises:

comparing an optimal voltage V MPP with an actual voltage V s at an output of said energy source; and

varying said computational workload according to a result of said comparing.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said varying further comprises at least one of:

increasing a rate of computational workload, wherein said actual voltage V s is larger than said optimal voltage V MPP ; and

decreasing said rate of computational workload, wherein said actual voltage V s is smaller than said optimal voltage V MPP .

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:

said computerized system is powered by said energy source through a charge storage device and a voltage regulator; and

said adapting comprises varying said computational workload to affect a current drawn by said voltage regulator, to deplete said charge storage device according to said time-varying property of said energy source.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said energy source comprises a solar energy source.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said solar energy source further comprises a photovoltaic system.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving at said computerized system, from a remote computerized system, additional data to be computed; and

wherein said adapting comprises using said received additional data to vary said computational workload.

13. A computer program product for managing computational workload in a computerized system powered by an energy source, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable non-transient program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code configured to perform the step of:

adapting said computational workload at said computerized system according to a time-varying property of the power supplied by said energy source, wherein said power generated at said source is optimized;

powering said computerized system by said enemy source through a charge storage device;

varying, during adapting, said computational workload at said computerized system to deplete said charge storage device according to said time-varying property; and

obtaining, prior to said adapting, a maximum power point of said energy source;

wherein an optimal terminal voltage at said charge storage device and, in turn, an optimal voltage V MPP at an output of said energy source are determined;

and

wherein said adapting comprises varying said computational workload according to said determined optimal voltage V MPP at said output of said energy source.

14. A system for managing computational workload in a computerized system powered by an energy source, comprising:

means for adapting said computational workload at said computerized system according to a time-varying property of the power supplied by said energy source, wherein said power generated at said source is optimized;

a charge storage device, wherein said computerized system is powered by said enemy source through said charge storage device;

obtaining, prior to said adapting, a maximum power point of said energy source;

wherein an optimal terminal voltage at said charge storage device and, in turn, an optimal voltage V MPP at an output of said energy source are determined;

and

wherein said adapting comprises varying said computational workload according to said determined optimal voltage V MPP at said output of said energy source.