Evaluation of High-Efficiency Energy Harvester
The European Commission warns that by 2025, 78 million batteries could be discarded daily due to the short lifespan of IoT device power solutions. While most IoT devices have a lifespan exceeding 10 years, their batteries often last just two years or less, leading to frequent replacements. This not only generates significant environmental waste but also increases maintenance costs and downtime.
FLEXWAVE recognizes this challenge and highlights how high-efficiency energy harvesting could be the key to addressing it. To demonstrate the potential of this technology, FLEXWAVE conducted an extreme test on Solar-Navi, the world’s smallest solar GPS tracker.
On Nov. 21, FLEXWAVE deliberately drained Solar-Navi’s battery to 3.0V, disabling GPS functionality and reducing the device to energy harvesting mode. The tracker was placed on the rooftop of FLEXWAVE’s headquarters, exposed solely to natural sunlight. By the next afternoon, Nov. 22, the battery voltage reached 3.6V, enabling GPS functionality to resume.
For the next 20 days, Solar-Navi sustained operations entirely on sunlight, continuously tracking and recharging its 1800mAh battery. By December 11, the battery reached 100% capacity, generating 1,949 uninterrupted GPS location records during this period. This real-world test validated the efficiency and reliability of FLEXWAVE’s energy harvester.
Bridging Sustainability, Net-Zero Technology, and Smart Cities
FLEXWAVE’s test demonstrates the potential of energy harvesting to drive the integration of environmental sustainability, net-zero technology, and smart city development:
- Reducing Battery Waste: High-efficiency energy harvesting extends device lifespans, drastically reducing the environmental burden of battery manufacturing and disposal. This aligns with global sustainability goals by curbing the alarming levels of battery waste.
- Minimizing Maintenance Costs: Autonomous power solutions eliminate the need for frequent battery replacements, significantly cutting maintenance costs and ensuring seamless operations in remote IoT deployments.
- Ensuring Operational Resilience: Continuous, self-sustaining power enables uninterrupted functionality for critical IoT applications, unlocking transformative potential in areas such as healthcare and environmental monitoring.
Conclusion
The Solar-Navi’s success demonstrates the transformative potential of FLEXWAVE’s high-efficiency energy harvesting solutions.
By addressing global concerns such as battery waste, operational costs, and power reliability, FLEXWAVE is paving the way for sustainable, autonomous smart devices. These innovations not only align with environmental and technological goals but also contribute to building smarter, greener cities for a sustainable future.
