Fujikura, NGK Insulators, and e-peas Co-operatively Release an Energy Harvesting Power Module Kit for Maintenance-Free IoT Device Developments

What May Occur in IoT Device’s Future?

The future of IoT devices looks promising, particularly with the rapid advancements in network communication, exemplified by the evolution of 5G and LPWAN (Low-Power Wide-Area Network). However, a significant challenge remains: the cost and practicality of battery replacement. As IoT device deployment becomes more widespread, the expenses associated with battery exchange can hinder its full potential, limiting the expansion into various applications. Energy harvesting technology offers a solution to this issue, making maintenance-free IoT devices a reality.

The Solution That Makes the Future Realistic

Energy harvesting technology emerges as a viable solution to this issue. This technology can generate electricity from the tiny amounts of energy present in our environment. Efficient utilization of this energy requires voltage conversion and storage, as harvested energy is typically minimal and not consistently available. To address these challenges, Fujikura, NGK Insulators, and e-peas have collaborated to create an easy-to-use energy harvesting demo kit. This kit features Fujikura’s dye-sensitized solar cell, NGK Insulators’ EnerCera® battery, and e-peas’ power management IC. IoT device manufacturers can easily replace conventional batteries with this demo kit to determine its suitability for their devices.

Benefits of Using This Demo Kit

Fujikura’s dye-sensitized solar cell is optimized to generate electricity across a wide range of illuminance levels, making it functional in various conditions such as sunlight, shade, bad weather, and indoors. The power management IC from e-peas is designed specifically for energy harvesting power sources, providing highly efficient DC-DC conversion from the tiny harvested energy to the IoT device’s required input voltage.

NGK Insulator’s EnerCera® battery is an ultra-small, ultra-thin, high-performance battery ideal for operating integrated circuits (ICs), sensors, and wireless communication systems. This battery is part of the semi solid-state* rechargeable battery series incorporating NGK’s proprietary crystal-oriented ceramic electrodes, offering high heat resistance and power capacity in an ultra-compact profile.

Technical Specifications

AEM10941 e-peas/Fujikura/NGK Energy Harvesting Module

• Output voltage: 3V
• Dimensions: 44 x 85 mm
• Battery capacity: 100mWh (27mAh)
• Solar power generation: 165μW under white LED 200lx

Features of Each Product

Fujikura Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

• High power generation under various lighting conditions: sunlight, shade, bad weather, and indoors.
• Wide temperature range: -30 to 60 degrees Celsius.
• Generates power from scattered light, negating the need for direct orientation towards the light source.
• Operates effectively even with partial shadowing, avoiding issues common to series-connected solar cells.
• Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

NGK Insulators’ EnerCera® Battery

• Ultra-thin, high-heat-resistance, and high-power lithium-ion rechargeable batteries tailored for IoT devices.
• Capacity 50 to 100% higher than conventional rechargeable batteries, reducing the charging cycle by two-thirds to half.
• Low internal resistance, making it ideal for wireless communication applications such as BLE, LPWA, and cellular applications with power consumption in the tens to hundreds of milliamps range.

e-peas’ Power Management IC

• AEM10941: An integrated energy management circuit extracting DC power from up to 7-cell solar panels.
• Stores energy in a rechargeable element and supplies the system with two independent regulated voltages.
• Facilitates efficient energy extraction from photovoltaic harvesters, storing energy and supplying your system with regulated voltages.

How to Get the Demo Kit?

To purchase the kit, please send a request to sales@e-peas.com

Full Company Details:

e-peas SA

• Address: Rue Fond Cattelain 1 b. 4, 1435 Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium
• Phone: +32 10 77 12 30
• Email: sales@e-peas.com
• VAT: BE0506 674 451

Fujikura Ltd.

• Address: 1-5-1, Kiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8512, Japan
• Email: ask-dsc@jp.fujikura.com

NGK Insulators, LTD.

• Address: 2-56 Suda-cho, Mizuho, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8530, Japan
• Email: enercera-sales@ngk.co.jp

About Fujikura

Since its founding in 1885, Fujikura has researched, developed, and manufactured wires and cables, giving rise to numerous “Tsunagu” (connecting) technologies along the way. The company has used these technologies to consistently deliver highly reliable products to customers operating in the realms of energy, telecommunications, electronics, and automotive components, thus contributing to development in Japan, and other countries and regions around the world. We have developed DSSC by leveraging the technologies cultivated over the 135-year history.

Website: https://www.fujikura.co.jp/eng/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fujikura-ltd-/mycompany/

About NGK Insulators

NGK Insulators (NGK) is a leading company in the field of ceramics. Since its foundation in 1919, NGK has used its unique ceramic technology to provide numerous ground-breaking products that solve social issues. Today, NGK is active in more than 20 countries worldwide, with business foci including mobility, energy, IT and industry.

As one of the largest manufacturers of ceramic substrates for automotive catalytic converters, NGK is actively reducing the strain on our global environment. Furthermore, NGK’s products include the energy storage system “NAS” battery, in addition to the compact, thin and high-energy-density lithium-ion rechargeable “EnerCera” battery line, vital tools for sustainable energy infrastructure.

Through providing innovative, high-quality products, NGK is committed to contributing to our society. In order to create a future where people can coexist with nature, we will continue to develop and provide products that support social infrastructure while preserving the environment.

Website: https://enercera.ngk-insulators.com/en/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ngk-insulators/

About e-peas

e-peas develops and markets disruptive ultra-low power semiconductor technology. This enables industrial and IoT wireless product designers to substantially extend battery lifespans and eliminate the heavy call-out costs of replacing batteries, without in any way compromising on reliability. Relying on 15 years of research and patented intellectual property, the company’s products increase the amount of harvested energy and drastically reduce the energy consumption of all power consuming blocks within wireless sensor nodes. Headquartered in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium, with additional offices in Switzerland and the USA, e-peas offers a portfolio of energy harvesting power management interface ICs, microcontrollers and sensor solutions.

Website: www.e-peas.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/e-peas

Twitter: https://twitter.com/epeas_news

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/epeas