by Brianna Crandall — November 20, 2015—Energy harvesting (EH) has tremendous market potential as it is a key enabling technology for low-power, maintenance-free electronic devices, according to recent analysis from Frost & Sullivan. In the low-power application space, EH technologies based on solar, thermal and mechanical energies are expected to prove most promising.
Since elimination of batteries is the primary benefit of EH, these technologies are an inclusive part of the trend towards greater energy efficiency. Application sectors that will benefit from EH include automotive, utility, industrial, military and aerospace, building automation, environment and healthcare.
The analysis finds that sustainability, the ability to remain productive and function actively for a long time, will boost the adoption of EH technologies across multiple industries. Furthermore, better quality EH systems with improved power density will enhance revenues from product lines.
As the power density of micro EH technology is currently not very high, it is used to enhance battery life rather than as the sole power source. While technological advances have made it possible to harvest various ambient energy sources, end users still cannot support high power consuming devices with EH technologies.
Frost & Sullivan TechVision Research Analyst Sitanshu Shastri notes:
With the rising application scope of EH technologies, new types of EH devices with advanced functionalities will emerge. Moreover, research work in several areas such as the nano-scale manipulation of devices and nano-material will open the door for higher efficiency in EH.
Countries will quickly implement regulatory and fiscal policies to ensure the wide-scale integration of effective EH technologies, which will help minimize carbon emissions and maximize energy efficiency, predicts the report. Integration activities and the increased accessibility of high-end products will facilitate the growth of intelligent, green EH technologies.
However, the high initial cost of energy harvesting technology will be a major obstacle to adoption, points out the report. Although EH solutions offer a robust return on investment (ROI) in the range of five to eight years, it is often difficult for end users to understand and calculate this figure. Thus, end users end up making a superficial comparison of EH solutions with cheaper batteries.
It will take some time for EH technologies to achieve widespread adoption, as the battery market is quite established and education is required to change the end-user mindset. Further, EH power systems need to store energy, as sources of energy are not always available. For instance, solar power is unavailable at night, and there is no vibration when a motor is at rest.
Shastri adds:
Despite these challenges, several products have been commercialized, and off-the-shelf EH devices are already available. These new devices will gain traction with the decreasing cost of energy storage techniques for EH such as thin film batteries and super capacitors.
Available for purchase from Frost & Sullivan, Energy Harvesting Innovations Disrupting Key Applications (Technical Insights) provides an overview of key innovations in EH and identifies promising technologies such as thermoelectric and piezoelectric, along with their benefits and challenges. It also offers insights on funding and patent trends as well as the implications of innovations and future applications.
The report is part of Frost & Sullivan’s TechVision subscription, which identifies and evaluates the most valuable emerging and disruptive technologies enabling products with near-term potential.
