Energy-Harvesting Solution Enables Battery-Free IoT
Dracula Technologies recently unveiled its LAYER V2.0, the next generation of its organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology. By delivering a 30% increase in overall performance compared to the previous generation, the OPV addresses the demand for more efficient, compact, and sustainable power sources for connected devices.
LAYER V2.0 brings higher power output to the same surface area, or equivalent performance from a smaller module footprint. It ultimately provides greater design freedom while reducing size, cost, and reliance on disposable batteries.
Durable and sustainable energy generation is available to a range of IoT and smart sensor applications across industrial and consumer markets. The performance improvement in LAYER V2.0 is driven by a new generation of proprietary OPV ink, engineered to combine enhanced light absorption with higher conversion efficiency.
Printed on a substrate using an inkjet printer that supports custom cell shapes and configurations at a volume scale, the solution offers improved operation in low-light or intermittent-light environments, such as warehouses or storage areas.
The latest product incorporates multiple design and manufacturing enhancements, such as copper busbars being replaced with fine screen-printed silver busbars. A new decorative top coating further enhances aesthetics, allowing OEMs to select finishes adapted to their product design. The coating's greater robustness includes improved protection against scratches in applications where the product may be exposed to impacts or mechanical stress.
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About the Author
Alix Paultre
Editor-at-Large, Microwaves & RF
Alix is Editor-at-Large for Microwaves & RF.
An Army veteran, Alix Paultre was a signals intelligence soldier on the East/West German border in the early ‘80s, and eventually wound up helping launch and run a publication on consumer electronics for the U.S. military stationed in Europe. Alix first began in this industry in 1998 at Electronic Products magazine, and since then has worked for a variety of publications, most recently as Editor-in-Chief of Power Systems Design.
Alix currently lives in Wiesbaden, Germany.