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The All in One of Energy Harvesting

How energy can be created from renewable sources is still a topic that causes awe and intrigue around communities and is often discussed in TED talks, professional seminars and corporate lectures.

It is at the peak of its popularity in terms of adoption and new innovation with announcements virtually on a weekly basis, if not daily.

The latest notable breakthrough is lead by Yang Bai, a researcher at the University of Oulu, Finland. His team recently discovered the power of perovskite material KBNNO to harvest energy from not one source, but three – sunlight, movement and heat. None of the three methods is a novelty nor unknown to a large audience but the genius of this innovation lies in its efficiency: never before has another material been capable of converting all three sources into energy at once.

The idea has been circulating within the profession for quite some time now, always faced with the problem of a bulky large design that wasn’t of any practical use for portable gadgets – which is the target of the tridimensional design. Items like torches, headlamps, manual sensors and miniscreens are pictured in the future to work without batteries but a limited energy supply would complicate this transition significantly. With the help of KBNNO the devices can be used outside through sunlight, inside through movement or in a meeting through heat.

Bai himself identifies his idea as a facilitator of other aspects in the science field. He says that “this discovery of KBNNO’s unique properties will push the development of the Internet of Things and smart cities, where power-consuming sensors and devices can be energy sustainable.”

Dashboard’s view on the topic is extremely positive – efficiency is key moving forward in the energy industry and the innovation represents all the values of the sector. As the research team have announced they are working to create a prototype within the next year we will be following the news closely.