LEDs as Cost Effective Energy Harvesters for IoT Sensor Nodes (Energy Harvesting and Storage Europe 2015)

The cost of energy harvesters is an obstacle to the dream of achieving energy autonomy for IoT sensors. In some cases, LEDs can be used as cost effective harvesters. In this talk, we present some results of the work we are doing to power wireless embedded systems with LEDs.

Prof. Marcel Meli is lecturer and Head of the Wireless System Group at the Institute of Embedded Systems, ZHAW, Winterthur, Switzerland. After studies in electrical engineering, he worked on the development of embedded systems and in the semiconductor industry. He has been involved in teaching and research for more than 15 years. His research interests are in low power wireless embedded systems, including microprocessors, wireless communications and energy harvesting. He a frequent speaker at events related to low power embedded systems and the author or co-author of several patents. He holds a PhD degree from the University of Wales, Great Britain.

The ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences is one of the leading universities of applied sciences in Switzerland. Teaching, research, continuing education and other services are both scientifically-based and practice-oriented.

As one of the leading Engineering Faculties in Switzerland, the ZHAW School of Engineering emphasises topics which will be relevant in the future. Distributed systems embedded in processes, also called Cyber-Physical-Systems (CPS), as well as industrial communications solutions, form the core competencies of the Institute of Embedded Systems (InES). Thanks to their networking between themselves and the Internet, these systems make up the Internet of Things, which is increasingly pervading all spheres of life. Our mission is developing products, implementing projects, transferring innovative solutions into practice and research.