Ushering in new standards for energy harvesters

Pioneering measurement technology that could help drive growth in one of the energy sector’s most exciting emerging areas is set to be rolled out across Europe early next year.

Currently under development by a team based at Slovenia’s Institute of Quality and Metrology (SIQ) the new system will enable researchers to accurately measure the output and efficiency of energy harvesters: small, low power devices that can be used to convert waste energy such as the heat or vibrations generated by operating machinery into electrical energy.

Energy harvesting is expected to be big business over the next decade. IDTechEx, an independent market researcher specialising in energy harvesting predicts that the value of the energy harvesting market will rise from $0.7 billion to over $5 billion by 2022. Whilst another recent report - authored by French analyst Yole Développement - claims that the use of harvesters to power wireless sensor networks in a host of building and industrial applications will drive a 51% increase in the market over the course of the next year.