From the Editor: Utilizing Energy Harvesting to Power IoT Devices

September 1, 2021 by Ashok Bindra

The Internet of Things (IoT) is growing rapidly and so also the need to power electronic devices that enable IoT. Concurrently, the emerging 5G network is further improving the performance of connected devices to further drive the growth of IoT in emerging applications. Billions of connected devices must be powered reliably. Collectively, the load on utility power will be huge. Although, batteries would have been the clear choice, battery life today is limited to about two years or less, and devices operate for >10 years. In other words, replacing batteries multiple times during the life span of an IoT device is not practical. Thanks to energy harvesting (EH) advances, connected IoT devices/ sensors are now harnessing the power of clean and renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, thermal, RF and vibration to name a few, to create self-powered IoT devices.

For more about this article see link below.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9536519

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IEEE Power Electronics Magazine publishes peer-reviewed articles related to power electronics and its applications which encompass the effective use of electronic components, application of control theory and circuit design techniques, and the development of analytical tools used in efficient and effective energy conversion, control, utilization, and conditioning of electric power. The IEEE Power Electronics Magazine is limited to the field of interest of the IEEE Power Electronics Society. Topics also include publication of new trend technologies that are being pursued by industry, design practices and case studies, significant amount of state of the art surveys tutorials, and non-technical contributions: news about society activities, interviews, and historical articles.

APEC Organizers, Vendors
Take Virtual Route to Reveal Latest Trends in Power Technologies and Products

A cancelled conference taps alternate methods to disseminate cutting-edge information

With the growing concerns of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, the IEEE Power Electronics Society/Industrial Applications Society (PELS/IAS) and Power Supply Manufacturers Association-sponsored 2020 Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC 2020) in New Orleans, Louisiana, was cancelled for the safety of the attendees. While it was a difficult decision, the health, safety, and welfare of the community was paramount for the organizers and sponsors of the 15–19 March 2020 conference. Although this was the first such cancellation in APEC’s 35-year history, the organizers were quick to offer a virtual conference to those registered. In addition, peer-reviewed papers accepted by the conference committee were submitted to IEEE Xplore and are available to all.

Despite the challenges and adversities of COVID-19, the organizers worked diligently to virtually bring the conference and its presentations to the registered community via the APEC 2020 app and the eventScribe web portal. As a result, I was given a password (access key) to access the site and view a variety of the sessions. Before I go through the conference papers and sessions, I would like to take the opportunity to mention the vendors who promptly called IEEE Power Electronics Magazine and presented the latest trends in technologies and products online. The unbelievable situation created by the COVID-19 outbreak did not deter the vendors and emerging companies from taking their latest advances and developments to editors and reporters via phone and virtual meetings and booths. As a result, I was lucky to talk to a variety of power semiconductor companies, passive component suppliers, and power electronics experts, including marketing analysts, and gather the latest advances in power electronics technology.