  We consider the problem of decentralized hypothesis testing in a network of
energy harvesting sensors, where sensors make noisy observations of a
phenomenon and send quantized information about the phenomenon towards a fusion
center. The fusion center makes a decision about the present hypothesis using
the aggregate received data during a time interval. We explicitly consider a
scenario under which the messages are sent through parallel access channels
towards the fusion center. To avoid limited lifetime issues, we assume each
sensor is capable of harvesting all the energy it needs for the communication
from the environment. Each sensor has an energy buffer (battery) to save its
harvested energy for use in other time intervals. Our key contribution is to
formulate the problem of decentralized detection in a sensor network with
energy harvesting devices. Our analysis is based on a queuing-theoretic model
for the battery and we propose a sensor decision design method by considering
long term energy management at the sensors. We show how the performance of the
system changes for different battery capacities. We then numerically show how
our findings can be used in the design of sensor networks with energy
harvesting sensors.
