Reimagining the Capture of Light : Innovations in Light Energy Harvesting for a Battery-Free Future

The pursuit of a more resource-efficient society is driving digitalization, leading to a rapidly growing need for connected sensors. These sensors typically rely on batteries, necessitating costly maintenance to replace them every few years and contributing to a significant negative environmental impact. By harnessing ambient light, the lifespan of batteries can be extended, and in many cases, make them obsolete. While this concept is straightforward in principle, this new technology comes with integration challenges. With this in mind, a vertically integrated light energy harvesting platform based on state-of-the-art hybrid electronics circumvents many challenges associated with integration complexity and creates a plug & play solution, dubbed the self-charging battery.