Sustainability in IoT is a hot issue. Ligna Energy’s recyclable, non-toxic supercapacitors make for a great way to reduce harmful e-waste, but how effective are they at storing energy? Let’s find out!
In ipXchange’s second interview with Ligna Energy at Embedded World 2024, Eamon and John discuss the use of Ligna Energy’s sustainable supercapacitor technology in devices that are powered by pre-delivered RF energy. For this interview, we’ll mainly be discussing a sensing smartcard reference design, so learn more about what makes Ligna Energy’s supercapacitors so sustainable in our first interview.
Additionally, if you want a great introduction to the world of RF energy harvesting and wireless power transmission, check out our joint ipXperience with AirfFuel Alliance and Atmosic for more information.
As John explains, this smartcard was made in collaboration with Sophisti. The aim was to be able to wirelessly charge the device from a smartphone and then show things on the built-in display based on the orientation of an accelerometer. While this functionality still requires some tweaking, the supercapacitor was easy enough to charge from a phone to power the device.
Ligna Energy used an NXP energy management IC for the purpose of this energy harvesting build, but ipXchange offers solutions from our friends at e-peas if you’re looking to do something similar to this reference design.
The key takeaway from this interview is that Ligna Energy’s devices can be easily charged using ambient sources of energy. By also being sustainable, recyclable, and environmentally safe, these supercapacitors can be responsibly integrated into disposable IoT devices like smart tracking labels and short-lived sensors.
There are still logistical and regulatory challenges to seeing mass deployment of longer-distance RF energy harvesting devices, but Ligna Energy’s various energy storage solutions work well with other harvesting technologies. Learn more by following the link to the board page below, where you can apply to evaluate Ligna Energy’s technology for use in a commercial project.
Keep designing!