Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS
Energy Harvesting
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Fraunhofer IIS investigates and develops microelectronic circuits, energy converters and systems for using energy from the environment.

Energy Harvesting: Small source – Big impact

We use renewable energy sources from the environment to supply small electronic consumers.

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Energy Harvesting - Self-powered energy supply

The technology Energy Harvesting

In the field of Energy Harvesting, we investigate and develop technologies and systems for using energy from the environment to power small electronic consumers.

Energy Harvesting eliminates the need for cables to power or recharge batteries in mobile devices. Vibrations on equipment, machinery or structures or temperature differences between pipes, radiators or valves and the environment can be used to generate electrical energy. This electrical energy can be used directly to power small electronic systems.

How does Energy Harvesting work?

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Our developer explains how Energy Harvesting works.

Learn more about our Energy Harvesting solutions from our developer, such as the BlueTEG, a thermoelectrically powered wireless sensor, or a vibration transducer that uses vibration and mechanical energy. The ENTRAS module, a energy self-powered tracking system uses these energy harvesting solutions to enable a consistent and energy-efficient localization of goods, people and animals. The battery can be recharged during operation and costly battery changes are no longer necessary.

System Architecture

An energy harvesting system typically consists of an energy transducer, a power management system and an energy storage unit. This is used to supply any electronic components, but above all radio transmitters, sensors or actuators, with energy.

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Energy Transducer

Various types of converters that convert ambient energy into electrical energy have become popular in recent years. The choice of converter depends on the specific application and the available ambient energy:

  • Solar cells: Convert light into electrical energy.
  • Thermoelectric generators: Utilise temperature differences to generate electricity.
  • Kinetic converters: Use movements and vibrations to generate energy.

Power Management

The power management unit adapts the generated electrical energy to the requirements of the application device or storage element. This often includes voltage adjustment or rectification and filtering of pulse currents. Techniques such as Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) can be used to maximise efficiency.

Energy Storage

An energy storage element - battery or capacitor - is normally required to store the variable and not always available energy. It collects the available energy to supply the application device even when there is no ambient energy available.

Radio module, Sensors and Actuators

Depending on the application and the sensors or actuators used, different communication principles and standards can be used. Typical sensors measure temperature, light, gas, acceleration or humidity. Applications with actuators include door locks or heating valves. Particular attention should be paid to power consumption, which can be minimised through appropriate power management.

Advantages of Energy Harvesting

No Installation or Maintenance Effort

Avoid the installation and maintenance challenges of wireless sensors by using energy harvesting to eliminate power cables, batteries and recharging.

Long Lifetime

Benefit from a continuous power supply that enables unlimited operating and standby times, ideal for use in hard-to-reach and remote locations.

Robust

With energy harvesting and capacitors instead of batteries, your systems can be operated in a much wider temperature range.

Types of Energy Harvesting

There are different ways to gain electrical energy from the environment:

 

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Thermoelectric power supply

In thermoelectric energy generation, the temperature difference between a warm or cold object and its environment is used to generate electrical energy. This uses the so-called Seebeck effect.

Thermoelectric power Supply
 

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Mechanical power supply

Mechanical motion, pressure or vibration can be converted into electrical voltages with piezoelectric or inductive generators. For example, existing vibrations on machines or motors can be used to supply small electronic devices with energy.

Mechanical power supply

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Energy production via photovoltaic

Photovoltaics are the direct conversion of sunlight into electrical energy with solar cells. In addition to the energy supply of households with solar systems, even small sensors can be supplied with solar energy. The existing light is thus used to gain electrical energy for small consumers.

Our Service Portfolio

We currently offer the following services for the realisation of energy supplies:

R&D-Projects

We develop customised solutions for your applications. 

Technical Consulting

We will advise and support you with your individual requests relating to energy harvesting and self-powered wireless sensors.

Licensing

The results of previous projects can be customised specifically to your applications and requirements. These can be used and distributed via licence agreements.

Evaluation of Systems and Components

In our labs, we use a wide range of measurement technology to characterise energy converters, energy storage devices and electronic circuits.

Feasibility and Technology Studies

We analyse your application and use multiphysical simulation tools to develop and evaluate possible solutions for a self-powered energy supply or a self-sufficient wireless sensor.

Prototypes for Energy Harvesting and Power Management

We offer prototypes with a wide range of specifications from previous projects.

Application Areas

Our energy harvesting solutions offer a wide range of possible applications that increase your innovative strength and efficiency:

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Condition Monitoring

Self-powered sensors offer a low-cost and low-installation option for monitoring the status of any technical systems and installations and providing timely warnings in the event of faults, malfunctions or damage. 

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Structural Health Monitoring

Wireless sensors with a self-sufficient power supply can also monitor large areas of extensive structures such as bridges or buildings with little installation effort and evaluate their stability and functionality. 

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Home Automation

Energy self-sufficient sensors or actuators monitor and control any functions in the building such as air conditioning, shading, ventilation and lighting. This can significantly reduce a building's energy requirements. 

Logistics and Transport

Self-sufficient position sensors determine the current location of your goods, merchandise or vehicles and enable precise planning.

Our cooperation projects in the subject Energy Harvesting

 

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Ambient IoT

Ambient IoT is a new class of wireless IoT communication that uses energy from the environment. Energy harvesting eliminates the need for cables to supply power or recharging batteries in mobile devices.

Ambient IoT

LoLiPoP-IoT

Long-lasting, self-sufficient power supplies for wireless sensors in IoT applications are the aim of the Chips JU project LoLiPoP IoT. Such sensor systems are used in applications such as Industry 4.0, Smart Mobility or Smart City. They ensure the longest operating times and lifetimes with the lowest maintenance and installation costs.

LoLiPoP-IoT
 

© Fraunhofer IIS

Smart screw connection Q-Bo®

The Q-Bo® intelligent bolted joint enables wireless, self-powered monitoring of the preload force with the aid of a retrofittable sensor system for DIN bolts.

Q-Bo®
 

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GreenICT

Sustainable IoT technologies for an environmentally friendly and connected future is the goal of GreenICT@FMD, a research initiative of several German research institutes. They are working together on methods, benchmarks and solutions for the resource and energy efficiency of current and future generations of sensor systems, IoT and mobile communications.

Sustainable ICT-Systems
 

© Fraunhofer IIS, EnABLES

EnABLES

In the EU project EnABLES (European Infrastructure Powering the IoT), a funding project within the framework of the »Horizon 2020« program, ten renowned European research institutes are cooperating – including Fraunhofer IIS, Fraunhofer IMS, IMEC, CEA and KIT under the direction of the Tyndall National Institute. The institutes and universities work in the field of sustainable micro-energy solutions for IoT applications. EnABLES' vision is to eliminate the need for a battery change by developing Energy Harvesting solutions or finding ways to reduce device power consumption.

EnABLES

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Handbook of Energy Harvesting power supplies and applications

Dr. Peter Spies, Markus Pollak und Dr. Loreto Mateu; ISBN-13: 978-9814241861
Verlag: Pan Stanford Publishing Pte Ltd

»This is an ideal book for those wanting to learn more about wireless energy harvesting in general. Its main focus is on power supply design for energy harvesting applications of wireless sensors. It contains a wealth of information that can be used to design energy harvesting circuits and to create ideas for new circuit topologies.« – IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine

Publications

Barth, Stephan; Nizard, Harry; Bartzsch, Hagen; Göller, Julia; Spies, Peter (2022): AlScN-Dünnschichten auf Metallsubstraten für Energy Harvesting Anwendungen, in: 2022 Energieautonome Sensorsysteme (EASS), pp. 62-64.

Pollak, Markus; Kiziroglou, Michail; Wright, Steven; Spies, Peter (2021): Cold-Starting Switched-Inductor Bipolar Power Management for Dynamic Thermoelectric Harvesting, in: 2021 IEEE 20th International Conference on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications (PowerMEMS), pp. 116-119.

Becker, Thomas; Kiziroglou, Michail; et al. (2021): Energy harvesting for a green internet of things: PSMA white paper, in: 2021 PSMA White Paper, PSMA Energy Harvesting Technical Committee, pp. 1-66.

Pozo, Borja; Araujo, José Ángel; Zessin, Henrik; Mateu, Loreto; Garate, José Ignacio; Spies, Peter (2020): Mini Wind Harvester and a Low Power Three-Phase AC/DC Converter to Power IoT Devices: Analysis, Simulation, Test and Design, in: 2020 Appl. Sci., pp. 1-45.

Kementh, Ferdinand; Gemeinhardt, Anja; Pollak, Markus; Spies, Peter (2020): Maintenance-free MIOTY LPWAN enabled by Energy Harvesting, in: 2020 Embedded World Conference., pp. 1-4.

Tobola, Andreas; Leutheuser, Heike; Pollak, Markus; Spies, Peter; Hofmann, Crhistian; Weigand, Christian; Eskofier, Bjoern; Fischer, Georg (2018): Self-Powered Multiparameter Health Sensor, in: 2018 IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, pp. 15-22.

Zessin, Henrik; Spies, Peter; Mateu, Loreto (2016): Power density improvement of the power conditioning circuit for combined piezoelectric and electrodynamic generators, in: 2016 16th International Conference on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications (PowerMEMS 2016), pp. 1-4.

Nilsson, Erik; Mateu, Loreto; Spies, Peter; Hagström, Bengt (2014): Energy Harvesting from Piezoelectric Textile Fibers, in: 2014 Procedia Engineering, pp. 1569-1572.

Zessin, Henrik; Mateu, Loreto; Spies, Peter (2014): Modeling of hybrid piezoelectrodynamic generators, in: 2014 Energy Harvesting and Systems, pp. 217-222.

Mayordomo, Iker; Mateu, Loreto; Roth, Maximilian; Sobirai, Dirk; Köhler, Alexander; Spies, Peter; Münch, Ulli (2014): An Evaluation of Energy Harvesting for Smart UHF RFID Tags, in: 2014 Smart SysTech, European Conference on Smart Objects, Systems and Technologies, pp. 1-8.

Mayordomo, Iker; Dräger, Tobias; Spies, Peter; Bernhard, Josef; Pflaum, Alexander (2013): An Overview of Technical Challenges and Advances of InductiveWireless Power Transmission, in: 2013 Proceedings of the IEEE, pp. 1302-1311.

Mateu, Loreto; Lühmann, Lars; Zessin, Henrik; Spies, Peter (2013): Modified parallel SSHI AC-DC converter for piezoelectric energy harvesting power supplies, in: 2011 IEEE 33rd International Telecommunications Energy Conference (INTELEC), pp. 1-7.