INDUSTRY ARTICLE
IMPORTANT FACTORS AND KEY INFORMATION
Whilst the potential benefits are exciting, there are important factors to consider. Renewable energy producers and engineers looking to incorporate energy harvesting technology within their operations face a major challenge. At present there is no agreed set of measurement standards accurately predicting the amount of ‘wasted energy’ on offer within different operational environments to ‘feed’ energy harvesting devices and power sensor networks.
Without this key information, developers are unable to provide meaningful product specifications for devices, and markets like wind energy are forced to buy the products and conduct their own trials – often at great expense and time.
METROLOGY FOR ENERGY HARVESTING PROJECT
It is in this context that the Metrology for Energy Harvesting project was set up last year. Made up of seven European national measurement institutes (NMIs) including the UK’s National Physical Laboratory, it aims to develop ‘traceable’ (back to national standards) measurement methods that reduce duplication and accelerate innovation and competitiveness in energy harvesting. Already the project has developed measuring systems for quantifying the electric potential within piezoelectric harvesting devices being looked at by wind energy producers.
INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT
Key to the project’s success is its engagement with industry. The technology characterised through the Metrology for Energy Harvesting project must reflect what industry wants and this requires input from companies to find out the issues they currently have, and how the project can address them. Already after only one year, we have had support from over 25 companies across Europe involved in construction, the automotive industry, transport, mobile communications, and sensors and instrumentation.
a Thermoelectric Generator that can be used to harvest thermal energy to produce electrical power
Prof Markys Cain, Knowledge Leader at NPL, one of seven European measurement institutes involved in delivering this project.
Metrology for Energy Harvesting project
http://emrp-metrology-for-energy-
harvesting.blogspot.com
One of the NPL labs involved in our project – the piece of kit in the foreground is an ultra-high vacuum atomic force microscope that can be used to analyse electrical and thermal transport on the nanoscale.
Stretching or squeezing piezoelectric materials produce electric charge
WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY
With wind energy, a leading application of energy harvesting technology, it’s vital that manufacturers and managers of wind turbines have a reliable way to predict power output of harvesters in real world situations. By supporting the Metrology for Energy Harvesting Project, the wind energy industry can help bring forward the application of these tiny devices into their day to day operations and build the case for wind power as a reliable option for our energy future.
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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