EnerBee: Motion-Based Energy Harvester that will replace Batteries
2015. No more rechargeable batteries or, worst, disposable ones. Now we will reload electronic devices with the motion…
EnerBee is developing energy harvesting modules to permanently replace those kind of batteries with the only power of human or mechanical motion.
Founded in 2014, EnerBee is an industrial startup based in France and specialized in motion-based energy harvesters. The company is the result of a 5-year R&D collaboration including Grenoble’s world-class scientific institutes: Grenoble INP, CEA LETI, CNRS and Université Joseph Fourier. EnerBee’s energy harvesting technology has been highly recognized in 2014 and 2015, including multiple domestic and international awards. One of the last was the EDF Pulse 2015 Award, which they won together with other two innovative technologies.
According to EnerBee website, every year over 30 billion coin cell batteries are sold in the world. EnerBee is developing energy harvesting modules to permanently replace those kind of batteries with the only power of human or mechanical motion. These devices combine a patented electrical micro generator and a storage unit at the same time. Incorporating it into any product, they are able to supply a small amount of power in order to make the product operate.
Enerbee is able to:
- Harvest energy from motion at any speed. It is a developing motion based generators. Their energy harvesters combine piezoelectricity and magnetism in order to generate electricity from motion nearly any speed. Whether the device is a smart watch (using fast, irregular body motion) as well as a smart water meter (powered by mild fluid flow). Those generators are seamlessly replacing batteries and provide device with energy autonomy.
- Power energy for wireless smart devices. EnerBee devices, in fact, harvest energy whether the motion is fast or slow, regular or irregular, rotation, translation or acceleration and mechanically linked or inertial. This makes this kind of solutions suitable for many applications including smart devices, industrial sensors, logistics, etc.
Local energy generation via ambient motion presents huge cost savings in many areas. Complex power feed lines for sensors and other building automation devices can be avoided, reducing initial construction and future upgrade costs. Enerbee technology eliminates the cost and waste disposal of batteries, but the true savings are realized by avoiding the maintenance costs of stocking multiple battery types, tracking battery life, and the labor to find and install batteries in deeply embedded or remote systems.