New solutions powered by the internet of things (IoT) offer massive potential for data collection. With the right sensors, businesses can gather new types of real-time information on business processes, machines, and other equipment.
The technology can be especially valuable in remote areas where maintaining wired sensors may not be practical. However, powering these devices can be difficult. Conventional energy solutions ” like rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries ” can sometimes be impractical or cost-prohibitive.
Ambient energy ” drawn from sources like wind, solar radiation, or even humidity ” could help make IoT devices and data collection solutions much easier to power and maintain.
Why IoT End-Users Want Ambient Power Solutions
Often, energy solutions that would be effective for conventional sensors aren’t practical for certain IoT devices. Imagine, for example, an IoT sensor used to monitor a remote oil pipeline for leaks, or a device that monitors soil moisture levels in a particular area of a field.
Unlike a sensor for a machine or a vehicle sensor that’s part of a telematics system, there’s not necessarily an obvious power source to use for this IoT sensor.
It may be possible to power these devices with a wired connection. This approach can often be expensive and impractical, however, and could limit the flexibility that wireless IoT sensors offer end-users. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can sometimes offer a solution without limiting the flexibility of a sensor.
However, in situations where an organization needs a large number of devices ” for example, hundreds of ultrasonic sensors to cover miles of pipeline ” maintenance of these batteries would be both cost-prohibitive and impractical, especially if many sensors are in remote and difficult-to-access locations.
Ambient power technology includes components that allow IoT devices to draw energy from ambient power sources, light solar radiation, motion, thermal energy, or even from the telecommunications networks that IoT devices use to connect to the internet. The development of low-energy IoT technology ” like low-energy Bluetooth (BLE) ” has also reduced the energy draw of many modern IoT sensors.
This technology makes it possible to power IoT devices with minimal maintenance and energy storage investments. Ambient energy solutions could make certain applications of IoT more practical and enable large IoT fleets that are much cheaper to operate.
As the IoT market expands rapidly, finding ways to make these solutions effective could help enable a wider range of IoT applications.
Potential Ambient Energy Solutions for IoT
Of potential ambient energy solutions, a handful has emerged as the most practical.
Using Renewable Energy to Power IoT Devices
The most obvious solution to the IoT power source problem is solar energy. Solar panel technology has advanced to the point where even the most widely available consumer solar panels can maintain the efficiency of around 20%, up from a peak theoretical efficiency of around 15% just 10 years ago.
Innovations in solar panel technology ” like the use of perovskite coatings in new silicon cells ” could improve the efficiency of these panels further and make them an even better fit for IoT devices.
There are drawbacks to using solar energy that could make the power source impractical, however. Dust, dirt, debris, and moisture can all significantly impair the function of solar panels. This means regular maintenance may still be required to keep the panels producing enough energy for attached sensors.
Drawing Power From the Magnetic Field
More consistent power sources could provide energy with less risk of the interruption or loss of efficiency that dirt and dust can pose for solar panels.
Researchers are also investigating the possibility of using energy from magnetic fields produced by other electronic devices to power IoT sensors.
The solution uses two components: a magnetostrictive material that converts energy from magnetic fields into vibrations, and a piezoelectric material that converts those vibrations into energy. The combination enables the solution to turn magnetism into an electrical current.
This approach could be used to power devices in smart homes and smart factories, two settings where a large number of other devices would be producing magnetic fields.
Drawing Power From 5G
Some early experimental designs have also suggested it’s possible for IoT devices to draw power directly from wireless signals ” allowing them to use the same networks with which they connect to the internet for power. A team of researchers from Kyushu University found that microwaves radiated from broadcasting and telecommunication could enable a batteryless infrastructure for powering IoT sensors.
The researchers intended the solution to be used for infrastructure monitoring. The technology could likely be useful in any area with the right availability and strength of wireless telecommunication signals.
Other Potential Energy Sources
Researchers have also investigated the use of ambient humidity to power sensors. In some cases, it’s possible for a protein-nanowire generator to generate a sustained electric field of as much as half a volt using humidity ” not a significant amount of energy, but enough to power simple IoT sensors.
In situations where businesses use rudimentary sensors that don’t draw too much power, these low-voltage energy sources could be effective.
Other ambient energy sources ” like heat from factory machinery or light in an office building ” could also provide just enough energy to keep IoT sensors running.
Like the ambient power solution that uses magnetic fields from other devices to power IoT sensors, these approaches could be especially useful for businesses that need to monitor the environment or business processes in a large facility with a large amount of existing machinery and electronics.
How New Ambient Energy Solutions Could Power the IoT
Ambient energy sources ” like humidity, solar radiation, and microwaves from telecommunication signals ” could all help make IoT technology easier to implement.
As new technology helps reduce the power consumption of IoT sensors, ambient power sources ” even when they produce only a small amount of energy ” could help businesses power the next generation of IoT sensor fleets.
