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Ubiquitous connected things will require a multitude of energy harvesting solutions to extend their operational lifetime into near perpetuum, turning them into self-sustained fit-and-forget solutions embedded into the fabric of our lives. The uptake of energy harvesting will also help save on the cost of installing, changing and recycling billions or even trillions of coin cell batteries.

Energy Harvesting (EH) solutions need to further reduce cost on their way to widespread adoption, and printed electronics will certainly help. In fact, printed electronics is already impacting energy harvesting. Printed solar cells such as organic photovoltaics and dye-sensitized solar cells are suitable for indoor EH solutions. Printed devices are also making in-roads in other types of harvesters, including thermoelectric and vibrational. Additionally, power is a key need for printed electronics products which can utilize different forms of energy harvesting components.

Wearable technologies will spur on work on miniature and distributed sensors. Customers will demand energy harvesting solutions to make them long-lifetime hassle-free fit-and-forget solutions. Low-power electronic systems will be used in portable, mobile and low-power wearable devices. These will benefit from solutions already optimized for energy harvesting applications.

Energy harvesting transducers are often only a part of the puzzle. Increasingly, they are part of a picture that includes low-power electronics and energy storage devices. The hybrid approach reduces fear of total reliance on energy harvesting methods while prolonging the battery lifetime. Supercapacitors will form part of the energy management solution, enabling better energy capture, particularly when energy is released in short-lived pulses.