Summary
Energy harvesting has been “emerging” for several years, but the technology is now poised to break out commercially, driven by developments in areas that are, themselves, emerging applications. The market got its initial acceptance in wireless building automation and control, with deployments in Europe. These opportunities spread to North America, where home automation and control technologies were added to the mix. Wireless sensor mesh networks provided challenges that energy harvesting could meet, particularly where battery use was limited or problematic. Energy efficiency, the Smart Grid, radio frequency ID, and thin-film batteries all helped to advance energy harvesting solutions.
The question now is whether energy harvesting will remain a niche application or enable emerging applications such as wireless medical devices, environmental monitoring, and tire pressure sensing. Demand can be measured by the kind and amount of products that are introduced for emerging applications. This was true for digital power management and control, which started with IC makers and moved into ac-dc and dc-dc converters. Pricing is always a critical crossover point, as well. Digital pricing had to reach parity with analog pricing.
Darnell Group has been following the energy harvesting market for more years than other analyst firms. In 2005, we recognized the potential of this technology to both capitalize on, and transform, the small but growing wireless sensor market. After working with a number of North American and European companies, this current report is the third edition of our Energy Harvesting report series. Darnell also identified key industry issues and players, and brought them together with the international nanoPower Forum (nPF). Now heading into its fourth year, nPF will be held in May, 2010. This experience provides unique and useful insight into a market that is ready to break out of its emerging status.
Evidence exists that the “crossover” from the “Introduction” phase to the “Growth” phase will take place in the 2009/10 timeframe. This is based on product introductions from EnOcean that started in 2002. By 2005, the second generation of products was introduced and other companies were offering new products, as well. In 2006, Electronica featured many European companies that had first generation products, while EnOcean was already on the second generation. In November, 2009, the EnOcean Alliance publicized their energy harvesting standard, which presently contains 50 equipment profiles supporting the development of a variety of solutions for building automation. The size of the installations is increasing, and third-generation products have appeared in 2009.
As noted above, the appearance of third-generation products often signals the crossover into the Growth phase. Based on the timeline and company activity of the EnOcean Alliance members, energy harvesting is poised for commercial adoption, with market share increasing. The time it will spend in the Growth phase is hard to predict at this point, but this phase is marked by rapid acceleration in sales and significant gains in market share, overall. It will present a good opportunity for makers of energy harvesting solutions.
Darnell has identified the following drivers for ultra-low-power:
• Bi-directionality, including data rates and range.
• Network security, primarily data integrity.
• Real time monitoring.
• Environmental regulations.
• Remote communication with “host” system.
• Proliferation of sensor mesh networks.
The global economic crisis has affected sales of wireless sensor devices, but companies are still seeing opportunities during the downturn. Companies like Cypress Semiconductor, austriamicrosystems and Future Electronics were interviewed on this subject, and the general consensus was that the trend toward “more intelligent machines” would continue, with more – not less – sensing functionality built into devices. For example, the number of cars being sold might decline, but the number of sensors inside each car is rising.
Some sectors are being affected more than others, according to these companies, particularly with the decline in new housing starts and other commercial construction. In a downturn, companies focus on efficiency and cost saving. Where they are able to do so, they will invest in systems that lead to more automation and greater efficiency, which in turn will lead to continued growth in the sensor market. Motion control, automotive and security systems were cited, in particular.
A 2009 ON World survey of 76 facility managers and IT directors found that 21% are currently using wireless sensors, and 32% are planning to implement wireless sensor network (WSN) solutions within the next two years. WSN markets currently gaining traction include hospitality, healthcare, data centers, lighting control, energy management systems, and “large open spaces” in manufacturing, warehousing and parking garages. The labor costs and set-up problems associated with wiring and changing batteries give WSNs powered by energy harvesting a distinct advantage.
Energy harvesting is being deployed, particularly in building automation sensor applications. Overall, however, it is still in the development stages. Industry players indicate multiple energy harvesting technologies will most likely be required, since each technology has its own set of advantages and trade-offs, depending on the application. Energy storage appropriate to energy harvesting is also critical, and such solutions – like thin-film batteries and supercapacitors – are now being introduced. As a result, wide-scale adoption is likely to require partnerships that include sensor manufacturers, ultra-low-power electronics manufacturers and energy harvesting makers.
Power requirements of some portable devices can “overlap” with energy harvesting solutions, creating incremental markets. For example, a two-way Bluetooth earpiece device requires too much power for energy harvesting in active mode. In sleep mode, however, the power requirements are low enough that energy harvesting could be used. Determining the “load profile” of the device is critical to these overlapping applications. Data rates and range are important, and they have already determined the early adopters of energy harvesting technology. Future adoption is expected in areas such as medical applications.
New energy harvesting “subsystems,” such as Infinite Power Solutions’ INFINERGY™ system, is a solid-state design that will simplify integration. Batteries were the weak spot in wireless sensor applications, and – until thin-film batteries – their packaging was antithetical to longevity. But thin-film batteries are small and can now be integrated into the wireless sensor system – and theoretically last the life of the system. This also provides customers with energy storage choices: traditional batteries; supercapacitors; or thin-film battery energy harvesting.
Just as wireless sensor networks have created opportunities for energy harvesting and thin-film battery technologies, the latter are driving demand for innovative materials and packaging. In order to allow large-scale manufacturing and market penetration, low-cost yet high-value solutions are needed, such as increased integration. Such solutions simplify design and are expected to lead to economies of scale and reduced costs, which are critical to the adoption of any new, emerging technology. Companies are addressing this need, sometimes directly; but oftentimes the developments come from related fields that could find application in ultra-low-power wireless applications.
Energy harvesting devices are still currently priced according to the perceived benefit of not having to change or rely on batteries. Therefore, energy harvesting devices inevitably cost more than batteries at a time in their development where demand and, in some cases technology, are insufficiently developed to drive mass production. Still, what will ultimately drive the sales of energy harvesting devices is the cost of copper versus silicon. Copper wiring is expensive. Silicon is cheap, and wireless technologies invariably rely on silicon, not copper. “Cutting the cord” is not just a matter of convenience; it is a less costly solution.
Energy harvesting is still on the cusp of its crossover from Introduction to Growth. This transition will provide companies with significant sales and “branding” opportunities.
Report Descrption
Topics covered include:
• Commercialization Status
• Application Trends
• Power Levels
• Energy Storage Trends
• Energy Harvesting Technologies
• Packaging and Materials
• Value Proposition and Cost Analysis
• Standards Update
• nanoPower Forum: A Review of Key Developments
Energy harvesting has been “emerging” for several years, but the technology is now poised to break out commercially, driven by developments in areas that are, themselves, emerging applications. The market got its initial acceptance in wireless building automation and control, with deployments in Europe. These opportunities spread to North America, where home automation and control technologies were added to the mix. Wireless sensor mesh networks provided challenges that energy harvesting could meet, particularly where battery use was limited or problematic. Energy efficiency, the Smart Grid, radio frequency ID, and thin-film batteries all helped to advance energy harvesting solutions.
Darnell has identified the following drivers for ultra-low-power:
• Bi-directionality, including data rates and range.
• Network security, primarily data integrity.
• Real time monitoring.
• Environmental regulations.
• Remote communication with “host” system.
• Proliferation of sensor mesh networks.
Evidence exists that the “crossover” from the “Introduction” phase to the “Growth” phase will take place in the 2009/10 timeframe. The appearance of third-generation products often signals the crossover into the Growth phase. Based on the timeline and company activity of EnOcean Alliance members and over 200 other organizations and companies, energy harvesting is poised for commercial adoption, with market share increasing. The time it will spend in the Growth phase is hard to predict at this point, but this phase is marked by rapid acceleration in sales and significant gains in market share, overall. It will present a good opportunity for makers of energy harvesting solutions.