An EU-funded project makes it plain: batteries need to live longer than the Internet of things (IoT) devices they power. A position paper published by the project outlines the key actions to power IoT devices reliably and sustainably.
Up to 78 Million Batteries Discarded Daily by 2025, Researchers Warn
An EU-funded project, EnABLES, has highlighted a critical issue: by 2025, up to 78 million batteries powering Internet of Things (IoT) devices could be discarded daily. This prediction underscores the urgent need to extend battery lifespans to outlast the devices they power.
The Battery Waste Crisis
Overview: Researchers from EnABLES have warned that without improvements in battery technology, a significant environmental crisis looms. IoT devices, ranging from temperature sensors to smart bandages, rely heavily on batteries, which currently have shorter lifespans than the devices themselves.
Key Statistic: By 2025, approximately 78 million batteries could be discarded every day.
EnABLES’ Recommendations for Sustainable IoT Power
EnABLES’ position paper outlines several critical actions to improve battery longevity and sustainability:
- Energy Harvesting:
- Harvesting ambient energy from sources like light, heat, and vibration to extend battery life.
- Example: A small solar panel can power a temperature and humidity sensor indefinitely.
- Reducing Energy Consumption:
- Optimizing IoT device energy use to reduce the frequency of battery replacements.
- Power Autonomy:
- Developing batteries that can recharge sustainably, ensuring longer operational life for IoT devices.
Strategic Importance for Europe
Leadership in Technology: Dr. Giorgos Fagas from Tyndall National Institute emphasized Europe’s leadership in energy harvesting technologies, facilitated by the EnABLES European Research Infrastructure.
Sustainable IoT Infrastructure: The project aims to create a sustainable power infrastructure for IoT, maintaining Europe’s strategic advantage.
The Path to Battery Power Autonomy
Innovations: EnABLES promotes advancements in harvesting ambient energies and reducing IoT sensor energy consumption. These efforts are crucial for developing self-recharging batteries.
Economic and Environmental Impact: Extending battery life reduces economic costs and environmental impact, minimizing the need for manufacturing and disposing of millions of batteries daily.
Collaborative Efforts for Sustainability
Cross-Disciplinary Approach: Mike Hayes of Tyndall highlighted the need for a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to achieve IoT sustainability. This involves early product design considerations, stakeholder education, and industry cooperation.
Conclusion
The EnABLES project demonstrates the necessity of addressing the IoT battery lifespan issue to prevent a massive environmental crisis. By focusing on energy harvesting and reducing consumption, we can move towards a more sustainable future for IoT technology.
For more information, please visit the EnABLES project website.
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.
For more information, please visit e-peas’ website at https://e-peas.com.
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