New Industry Products

SolarPrint Launches Energy Harvesting Technology for Low-Power Wireless Sensor Applications

January 11, 2011 by Jeff Shepard

SolarPrint, a photovoltaic (PV) energy technology developer, announced that it is expanding the possibilities of next-generation energy harvesting for wireless sensors with the launch of its dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC) technology. SolarPrint states that its DSSC technology, which is integrated into wireless sensors to improve harvesting efficiencies of commercial applications, pushes the boundaries of existing PV solutions and increases the power output performance of indoor PV solutions dramatically.

Energy harvesting technologies, where energy is derived from external sources such as ambient or diffused light and then captured and stored, are an increasingly common focus for energy efficiency management systems, but the capabilities of current solar solutions being used within wireless sensors have reached their performance ceiling. SolarPrint states that its technology enables higher functionality and offers the ability to scale more power-hungry wireless solutions such as multi sensors, than has heretofore been possible with existing solar technology. Wireless sensors deployed throughout a building can monitor everything from humidity and temperature to air quality and lighting levels.

"The future of energy management within the built environment lies with the next generation of wireless sensors which can harvest and store energy without the need for wires," said Dr. Mazhar Bari, CEO and co-founder of SolarPrint. "Our technology takes energy harvesting to the next level, converting even the lowest levels of light in an indoor space into energy. Our solution will propel energy technologies further than ever, with the potential to profoundly save on energy costs."

SolarPrint’s technology, which mimics photosynthesis, is tuned to harness ambient or diffused light regardless of the incident angle, enabling it to produce a higher power output than other PV technologies. When applied to commercial applications, SolarPrint’s technology can reduce the size of the sensor or increase the power available to the sensor by up to 15%, with the potential to exceed this level of performance.