Energy Harvesting

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.

There has been varying levels of interest in different types of energy harvesters over the past few years. For powering small or mobile devices, photovoltaics dominate - they are widely produced, robust and relatively low cost.

The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) promises to redefine the way humans and machines interface and the way they interact with the world around them. Attributing a virtual signature to everyone and everything allows for new concepts of managing systems, optimizing processes and adding versatility to existing ways of exchanging information.

According to recent IDTechEx research on the topic of electrodynamic energy harvesting, almost 20 million devices will be sold in 2024 that will not be bicycle generators. Instead, they will be wireless switches, energy harvesters enabling wireless sensing in transport, industrial and building automation, devices that put the common alternator to work in market segments that there was previously no use for it.

The Japanese are working very hard on thermoelectric energy harvesting from tiny forms for use on hot running electronics components the 1.5 kW versions for use on furnace flues etc.

Thermoelectric, Piezoelectrics and Other Generators

Tablet and smart phone sales reached 116 million and 675 million units in 2012, exhibiting a year-to-year growth of 43 and 94%, respectively. In contrast, desktop sales have declined. The market message is clear: consumers are demanding fully portable devices. This translates into a large and growing market opportunity for energy storage devices.