Fujitsu Laboratories had developed a new hybrid harvesting energy device

Alternative energy sources are clean and green but generate less energy compared to fossil fuels. The scientists are trying to use different sources of alternative energy at the same place and same time to generate power.

Attempts are being made to combine two forms of external alternative energy sources such as light and heat or light and vibration to generate external energy so that enough energy can be collected for practical use.

Fujitsu Laboratories have now succeeded in using hybrid alternative energy sources to generate power. They want to provide this technology for commercial use by the year 2015 and now are working extensively in this regard to generate electricity both from heat and light. Energy harvesting is the procedure used in accumulating alternative energy from the environment. Later on, that energy is transformed into electricity. Fujitsu is not doing something innovative but is creating a new hybrid energy harvesting device made by organic materials. The new technology is showing promise to convert alternative energy from the environment to electricity at lower cost. The device from Fujitsu Laboratories is just a one-piece and catches energy from the most common form of alternative energy available for large scale use.

An organic material of high efficiency that can generate power from both photovoltaic and thermoelectric mode has been developed by Fujitsu Laboratories. This organic material can make power both from heat in thermoelectric mode and indoor lighting in photovoltaic mode. The production cost is very low because of the organic materials and the processing costs are very low too. The device can be made to work as a thermoelectric generator or photovoltaic cell by changing the electrical circuit connecting P-type and N-type semiconductors.

Advantages of the technology:

– it enables the use of alternative energy and sensors in the areas, where till now it was forbidden. It can now power medical sensing technology and sensor networks. It can sensor those monitors without any battery or electric wire that are used to check conditions like, heartbeats, body temperature and blood pressure;

– it is a very efficient way of gathering energy from external sources and it helps to get energy from two different sources by using one device;

– the device works with the help of both heat and light, it will continue to work if one of these energy sources remains unavailable  and it can work in remote areas and can help to forecast environmental conditions.

For Fujitsu Laboratories, combining two different sources of generating energy to produce power is just the beginning. They want to make this technology more efficient so the hybrid equipment can be made to work better.

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