4
Battery-Free Deseign: Key Enablers
In order to eliminate batteries from the device, there are various technologies that will be
key in changing the design of these devices, such as following:
Energy Harvesting Techniques:
Photovoltaic: effective for outdoor applications with consistent light.
Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) : effective for indoor applications with little light
Thermal: Utilizes temperature differentials (e.g., industrial settings).
RF: Captures ambient radio frequency energy based on electro-magnetic waves.
Piezoelectric and vibration: Converts mechanical stress into energy.
Ultra-Low-Power Electronics:
Microcontrollers designed for minimal power draw
Power management ICs that optimize energy collection and usage.
Energy Storage Alternatives:
Supercapacitors: providing high cycle life, fast charge/discharge.
Thin-film batteries: solid-state options with better environmental profiles or printed
organic cells (e.g. Dracula Technologies' LAYER Vault).
When device makers of LoRaWAN sensors or trackers manage to select the proper mix
of components as per above, a truly autonomous device can be created that maximizes
value for the customer. Having eliminated the batteries from the original design will be a
major step forward in terms of creating real customer benefits.
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WHITEPAPER
From all above listed energy harvesting sources,
the adoption of light for most of IoT use cases
makes sense, since in most situations there is
enough ambient light available, if not direct
sunlight. There are nowadays very good
performing Organic Photovoltaic (OPV)
producers that allow for power being generated
at lowest LUX level, like France-based Dracula
Technologies. Even in very dark rooms with like
5Lux light intensity it can harvest enough to
power up a LoRaWAN device, which makes
OPV powered IoT devices viable and robust.
