A new type distributed benthic microbial fuel cell (MFC) (DBMFC) consisting of 18 MFC arrays was developed to enhance the robustness and stability of the power source for subsea sensor networks. A power management system (PMS) was integrated into the DBMFC system to boost the power output for two temperature sensors. The PMS was specifically designed with 18 charge pumps capable of simultaneously harvesting energy from 6 MFC units (18 anodes total) in the DBMFC system. The pilot scale DBMFC (total sediment volume: 1 m(3)) with continuous ocean water supply showed that the power outputs of individual MFC units were affected by the organic carbon and nitrogen contents in the sediment pore water. The MFC units with higher power output resulted in faster charging/discharging rate of the PMS supercapacitor. Manual disconnection of anodes from the PMS was conducted to simulate the anode malfunction caused by bioturbation. Fewer functional anodes (e.g. 12 out of 18 anodes were disconnected) slowed the charging/discharging rate of the PMS supercapacitor but still supported the PMS to regularly power two sensors. This scale-up DBMFC/PMS/sensor study demonstrated that multiple MFC units with multiple PMS substantially enhanced the stability and-robustness of power supply to subsea sensors. Published by Elsevier B.V.