press release

Fujikura Ltd. (Director, President and CEO Masahiko Ito), in collaboration with NGK Insulators, Ltd. and e-peas (Belgium), has developed a maintenance-free power supply that uses dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), an energy harvesting device, and has begun offering evaluation samples.

With the development of communication technologies such as 5G and LPWAN (Low-Power Wide-Area Network)*, the use of devices using IoT technology is becoming more widespread. However, when using conventional batteries as a driving power source, issues arise such as the need for battery maintenance such as inspect and replacement, which increases the effort and cost of operation and interrupts data collection.

To solve this problem, light energy harvesting technology that converts minute light energy from everyday life into electricity is effective. Light energy harvesting power supplies using this technology can only demonstrate high performance when they are designed by appropriately combining a highly efficient photovoltaic element such as the DSSC developed by our company with a voltage conversion IC and a storage element. However, because it takes time and effort to prepare these devices and design and manufacture the power supply circuit, there have been limited opportunities for customers to evaluate this type of power supply technology.

Therefore, we have collaborated with NGK Insulators, Ltd., a manufacturer of energy storage devices, and e-peas, a manufacturer of power supply ICs, to develop a thin, compact, maintenance-free power supply that integrates our DSSC with a voltage conversion IC and energy storage element, and stably outputs DC 3V. By replacing existing batteries with this power supply, it becomes possible to operate uninterrupted data communication for long periods of time without battery maintenance in IoT devices, and to implement more detailed, multi-point remote sensing.

We will continue to develop and provide IoT devices that incorporate devices that convert light energy, which has previously been difficult to utilize effectively, into electricity, and contribute to the realization of an environmentally friendly and comfortable society.

We have also set up a special website that contains information about our IoT solutions and this evaluation sample, so please take a look.
・IoT solution overview: https://eh-iot.fujikura.jp/
・Overview of this evaluation kit: https://dsc.fujikura.jp/

* LPWAN (Low-Power Wide-Area Network): Technology that enables long-distance, wide-area communications with low power consumption