subject: Energy Harvesting Technologies & Energy Storage: Worldwide Forecasts, Third Edition --- Aarkstore [print this page] Topics Covered Include Topics Covered Include
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World and Regional Unit Sales Forecasts
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Assumptions and Methodology
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Application Segment Analysis
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Microbattery Analysis
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Energy Harvesting Analysis
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Ultra Capacitor Discussion
The growth of energy harvesting technologies parallels the growth of wireless sensor network (WSN) and wireless control systems in general. Such systems have had a slow but steady evolution, and there are currently hundreds of vendors in the WSN market. The market is set to take off, but at a slower pace than expected. The majority of sensors installed in the world are still wired, and some industry analysts project that over the next ten years, WSN will constitute no more than 10% of the wireless sensors that are sold. Challenges include rival standards and large numbers of competitors. Some reports indicate that the sector is ripe for consolidation.
Still, energy harvesting has emerged onto the power electronics scene and has offered increased revenue to companies that got in on the ground floor. Energy harvesting is an opportunistic technology that is being implemented in niche segments that have environmental challenges. It is similar to digital power in that it has broad application, making it more a solution than an enabler. If taken cumulatively over each year of the forecast period, worldwide unit sales of energy harvesting nodes will result in 630.5 million units being sold between 2010 and 2015.
Initially, ultra-low power was an ideal match for wireless sensor mesh networks, primarily in building and residential automation and control. That is still the case, although the problems associated with such implementations persist. For example, the presence of heavy machinery in factory automation applications can interrupt wireless signals. This, combined with the importance of getting dependable, detailed machine data, has convinced many customers that (for now at least) wired solutions are best. The conservatism in factory automation has also inhibited the adoption of wireless communications networks, which includes sensors, operator terminals, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), remote IO, drives and wireless access points.
In spite of this, an increasing number of companies are beginning to experiment with wireless products that have been specifically designed and ruggedized for use in a factory environment. Will this lead to a bigger market for ultra-low power devices, or will the wait-and-see attitude prevail? So far, the market for energy harvesting nodes has been very consistent as far as applications are concerned. Building Automation has led the way in terms of wireless implementations that can benefit from an energy harvesting solution. This will continue over the next five years, with radio frequency ID (RFID) applications gaining traction, as well. RFID is a very different market than the other energy harvesting segments included in this report, however. Its characteristics are sufficiently unique to warrant a forecast both with RFID and without it.
A big change has been in batteries. Primary batteries are still used occasionally as back-up power in energy harvesting applications, but new technologies, such as thin-film rechargeable batteries, have pretty much taken over the market. Even though primary batteries will see declining growth rates in nearly all applications, a few segments are expected to use primary batteries with energy harvesting. The reasons for this are discussed, along with the potential market size. Ultra-thin batteries are optimized for these applications, and they co-exist peacefully with energy harvesting solutions. STMicroelectronics has even signed a licensing deal with Front Edge Technology to gain access to the latters ultra-thin lithium battery technology. A pure energy harvesting solution (i.e. one without batteries) is still elusive, however, and such implementations make up less than 10% of most applications.
