It is clear that the subject of energy harvesting - making small electronic and electric devices self-sufficient, usually for decades - is changing rapidly. It is and will remain primarily a consumer market in the value of expenditure on the devices. Most of that is and will remain photovoltaics that are increasingly printed.
However, applications in industry are now moving ahead rapidly. These call for a wider variety of technologies but still with thin films, including printing, being commonly employed. There is a major place for piezoelectrics and thermoelectrics for example. An example is the work on Automotive Thermoelectric Generators ATEGs creating electricity from engine and exhaust heat.
The forthcoming conference "Energy Harvesting and Storage" in Cambridge UK June 3-4, the speakers reflect these changes with many presentations on the different options in action, particularly in industry.
Speaker Yen Kheng of the National University of Singapore says, "The research on large scale renewable energy harnessing has been growing very aggressively due to several significant driving factors. Similarly, for small-scale energy harvesting, the research field is also growing tremendously. The main driving factor is the upcoming of pervasive computing - tiny devices into our daily life. Energy harvesting and storage are really the key solution to sustainable and portable energy supply. I am going to speak on energy harvesting in wireless sensor networks, with special focus on energy harvesting sources. In my demo session, I am planning to show a wireless sensor node using the new Texas Instruments chip running on both wind and solar energy harvesting. The sensor node is totally self-powered by the renewable energy source."
This mini version of wind power employs electrodynamics. IDTechEx forecasts that the market for industrial and healthcare applications of energy harvesting will be split by value as follows in 2019:
Industrial and healthcare market for energy harvesting devices in value in 2019 excluding electronics and storage
Source: IDTechEx report "Energy Harvesting and Storage 2009-2019"
Here come the users
It is a healthy sign that those attending include many potential customers for the technology such as Unilever the $55 billion Anglo Dutch consumer goods company, Schneider Electric the Euros 13 billion French electrical hardware company, De La Rue in banknotes and security products and services, London Bicycle Company, Essilor ophthalmology, Perkin Elmer in instrumentation and Decathlon Stores of France. These are in addition to the many users and potential users speaking on the first day including Rolls Royce Aeroengines.
For more attend Energy Harvesting and Storage Cambridge UK www.idtechex.com/eh and read "Energy Harvesting and Storage 2009-2019" obtainable through www.idtechex.com/ehj.
