Energy harvesting systems, which convert ambient energy to useable electrical energy, offer an attractive alternative to battery power for portable devices.  Using a variety of energy sources including electromagnetic radiation, thermal energy, kinetic energy, and mechanical energy, energy harvesting technology is already powering a range of consumer products, such as laptops and mobile phones.  According to a recent report from Navigant Research, worldwide revenue from energy harvesting systems will grow from $283 million in 2014 to nearly $375 million in 2020.

“The idea of mobile devices that charge themselves continuously, without intervention, access to electrical outlets, or unwieldy cords, has been prevalent among both developers and users for some time,” says Eric Woods, research director with Navigant Research.  “This is the future of mobile devices – and the technology to make it happen has arrived.”

Another important application for energy harvesting is pervasive sensor networks, where thousands of sensors monitor all measurable commodities, in real time.  These devices diligently work to provide important information about temperature, humidity, security, machine health, structural health, and much more.  As an alternative technology to power these networks, energy harvesting offers several advantages over conventional power supplies, according to the report, and developers are quickly becoming familiar with how to implement this technology into ever more innovative applications.

The report, “Energy Harvesting”, analyzes existing and emerging energy harvesting technologies in depth, looking at nine end-use consumer and industrial application segments and the four most successful transduction methods for converting ambient energy. Key industry players are profiled and global market forecasts, segmented by application, technology, and world region, extend through 2020. The report also includes extensive technology segmentation that shows key implementation strategies for the most common energy harvesting technologies operating in portable, pervasive, and autonomous systems.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.

About Navigant Research

Navigant Research, the dedicated research arm of Navigant, provides market research and benchmarking services for rapidly changing and often highly regulated industries.  In the energy sector, Navigant Research focuses on in-depth analysis and reporting about global clean technology markets.  The team’s research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of the Smart Energy, Smart Transportation, Smart Utilities, and Smart Buildings sectors.