Industrial Adoption of Energy Harvesting: Challenges and Opportunities

The Energy Harvesting Committee of the Power Supply Manufacturers Association (PSMA) recently published a white paper on Energy Harvesting (EH) for a green internet of things (IoT) [1]. In that paper, the potential for converting ambient energy into electrical energy to enable green power supplies of IoT key components, such as autonomous sensor nodes is evaluated. The white paper provides an overview of energy harvesting, ranging from state-of-art technology research, through barriers in developing commercial off-the-shelf products, to a critical assessment of several EH powered wireless sensor case studies. Issues in cost-benefit and life-cycle impacts are identified. For these issues, a concerted strategy in research and technology is recommended, incorporating disruptive industrial product developments, and innovations to ensure that the advantages of EH are utilized in widespread future IoT deployment. Building on the findings of that work, this article provides a brief overview of key innovation and emerging research needs in order to increase the suitability and readiness of energy harvesting technology for industrial applications.