Form factor is becoming a major driver shaping innovation and transforming the energy storage industry globally.

The event Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Forum consisted a conference with about 70 delegates and a small display area for a few organisations. Here we give some details of the presentations that particularly caught our attention.

Graphene electrodes are one of the best prospects for enabling supercapacitors and superbatteries to take up to half of the lithium-ion battery market in 15 years - amounting to tens of billions of dollars yearly.

In recent years that interest has increased regarding new applications of power generation through thermoelectric harvesting. IDTechEx research forecasts that the market for thermoelectric energy harvesters will continue to grow and reach over $950 million by 2024.

A new kid on the block has broken into the smart windows and glass industry - and this time it's not a glass manufacturer!

Overall, 2014 is expected to be a great year for the supercapacitor industry. Based on 2013 industry results, IDTechEx confirms its outlook for a 30% CAGR External Link in the next 10 years. The supercapacitor market will reach a value of $6 billion in 2024.

So far, there is very little true e-textile in production - that is, textiles with electronic and/or electric functionality based on weavable e-fibers. That is now changing.

IDTechEx's Supercapacitor Europe 2014 conference brought together the best of supercapacitor developments in the region and internationally in Berlin on 1-2 April last week.

IDTechEx Research's new report "Wearable Technology 2014-2024: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts" comprehensively covers wearable technology and concentrates on wearable electronics and electrics, which will remain over 99% of the business.

SiC devices will be widely designed into electric vehicles from 2014 and GaN from 2018. With manufacturers currently designing vehicles to be launched onto the market in 2018, it is predicted that by this date GaN semiconductors will attain price parity with silicon devices. This will make the technology attractive as a replacement for silicon for use in the power electronics in both pure electric and hybrid vehicles.

Delegates from 23 countries will converge in Berlin on 1-2 April at Energy Harvesting & Storage - Europe's leading event on the topic. The event features end users across multiple verticals presenting and attending to discuss their key energy harvesting needs.

IDTechEx's Supercapacitor Europe 2014 conference is bringing the best of supercapacitor developments in the region and internationally to Berlin on 1-2 April.

The worldwide interest in waste heat recovery continues to grow, with a wide range of applications ranging from small harvesters integrated into wireless sensor networks all the way to larger harvesters such as the ones that can potentially be integrated into cars.

The Internet of Things is dead. It should be the Internet of Everything. No, wait - what does that really mean?

The supercapacitor industry closed last year (2013) with a continued double-digit growth. According to Maxwell Technologies' executives, China has been the main source of growth. New announcements confirm what IDTechEx has stated in recent years: the supercapacitor and the battery industry are the same.

The total market value for electric unmanned aerial vehicles will reach over one Billion dollars by 2023 according to findings in the new IDTechEx report, "Electric Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) 2013-2023"

The 5th IDTechEx Energy Harvesting & Storage and Internet of Things & Wireless Sensor Networks awards ceremony was held on Wednesday, 20 November, during the opening keynote session of the annual conference that brings together developers, integrators and end-users of these emerging technologies.

Next week the IDTechEx Energy Harvesting & USA 2013 event (www.EnergyHarvestingUSA.com ) will open in Santa Clara, CA - Nov 20-21.

IDTechEx is forecasting that the total market for energy harvesting devices will rise to $2.6 billion in 2024.

The term the Internet of Things was conceived when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology set up the Auto ID Center in 1998.