By Frank Schmidt, CTO and Co-Founder, EnOcean Harvesting energy
from the environment is not new: Wind and water have served as
energy sources for hundreds of years. Yet a wireless device
capable of operating from ambient energy sources has only
recently been achievable. Such a device is ideal for use in the
sensor and control market. Principal energy sources are kinetic
energy, light, and heat. Harvesting these sources is critical
for achieving adequate energy to maintain a practical
communications range for a wireless device. Of course, power
consumption may not be constant, and some deviceslike kinetic
harvesting switchesdo not operate over long periods. Fast,
reliable transmission protocols are therefore vital. Although
energy may be freely available, extracting it from the
environment is not trivial. Incredibly efficient micro-energy
converters are needed to supply power to wireless sensors,
switches, and controls. They are required to take advantage of
energy harvested in the following ways: Linear motio