Energy harvesting is otherwise known as power harvesting or energy scavenging. It is the use of ambient energy to power small electronic or electrical devices. That means solar cells on satellites, heat powered sensors buried in engines, vibration harvesting for helicopter electronics and the wind- up radio or lantern. However, there are also several more esoteric options.

 

Energy harvesting has reached a tipping point. This is because the necessary lower power electronics and more efficient energy gathering and storage are now sufficiently affordable, reliable and longer lived for a huge number of applications to be practicable. From wind-up laptops for Africa to the wireless light switch working from the power of your finger, these things are either available or imminently available. And photovoltaics, long used in aerospace, has come down-market, even to road furniture but it has much further to go even to disposable solar film and even solar paint. The first solar powered watches and phones have appeared. Some new photovoltaic technologies are printed reel to reel at low cost, the resulting film working off heat as well as light. For example, Sony is commercialising flexible solar cells for indoor use.

 

However, there are further mountains to climb from self powered wireless sensors monitoring forest fires, pollution spillages and even inside the human body and in the concrete of buildings. These applications will become commonplace one day. Even devices with maintenance-free life of hundreds of years can now be envisaged. Meanwhile, bionic man containing maintenance free, self-powered devices for his lifetime is an objective for the next few years.

For the first time, this unique report looks at the global situation. It particularly focuses on 200 organisations in 22 countries, the distribution being as shown below.

 

 

How do these things work? Which technologies have the most potential now and in the future? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Which countries have the most active programs and why? What are the leading universities, developers, manufacturers and other players up to? What alliances exist? What are the timelines for success? All these questions and more are answered in this report.

 

First prepared in late 2008/ early 2009, is the fruit of global visits, literature searches and interviews by technically qualified IDTechEx staff. IDTechEx stages the largest conferences in three continents on Printed Electronics and the only major conferences on Real Time Locating Systems/Wireless Sensor Networks and Photovoltaics beyond Conventional Silicon, plus a major RFID conference. These and its widespread technical and marketing consultancy business provides unique insight into what is happening and about to happen. IDTechEx has offices in the USA, UK, Germany, Poland and New Zealand and is setting up an office in Japan. Its staff speak many languages, travel intensively and are well placed to see the future.

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