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July 02, 2014

Mobile Devices May Power Themselves with Ambient Energy Collectors

It may be hard to believe, but every day, we're exposed to energy just by existing. The planet exists in its own magnetic field, and other forms of energy are also on hand ranging from thermal energy to the simple mechanical energy of everyday movement. But trying to get this energy sufficiently concentrated to actually power a device has proven rather difficult, until a recent report from Infinergia Consulting suggested that it may be more likely than ever before.

Infinergia Consulting focuses on clean electricity, and its new report, titled “Sub-watt thermoelectric energy harvesting: industry and market analysis”, shows off how this previously untapped and widely available energy source may well prove to be a power source for millions of new devices. More specifically, the report addresses the idea of “low-power thermoelectric generators” as a means to replace the disposable battery.

With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept comes a huge array of new, small devices intended to serve a variety of purposes in everything from tracking moisture levels in a house's basement to tracking the location of a shipment in progress. But with all these new devices comes a need to provide power to same—after all, few devices work without some kind of power source—and that's what's got groups like Infinergia Consulting interested in the wider market. With reports suggesting that the total number of IoT devices in the field will exceed 20 million by just 2020, it's clear that there's a need for a simpler way to power such devices, and the idea of sub-watt thermoelectric energy harvesting may be just that idea.

The report breaks down the market into four key segments, specifically, Consumer, Infrastructure & Building, Industry & Professionals, and Transportation. Within these four segments include a variety of applications, and from there, the report considers both the means to generate power and the means to store the power generated for later use.

The idea of generating power from ambient energy sources is, admittedly, an idea that's very tempting in nature. If sufficient energy could be gathered up from taking advantage of thermal variations—like the difference between air and ground temperatures—or from even the Earth's own electromagnetic field, it's an idea that has to be worth looking into. But by like token, it's also something of a dangerous idea, at least so it seems. Without sufficient consideration, the long-term ramifications of tapping into the Earth's electromagnetic field and the like could pose some serious potential harm in ways we haven't even considered. But if it's proven to work, and work well, we may well not only have the next means to power the various sensors and such involved in the IoT, but also the next potential power source for things like smartphones, tablets, and even wearable mobile devices and beyond.

Only time will tell just how well such energy harvesting methods work; and just how far these methods can go in terms of powering the next generation of devices. But if the methods in question work as well as some project, then we could well be looking at a major change in the way we all live and work.




Edited by Maurice Nagle


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