Fujitsu Researchers Harvest Energy from Light and Heat

Up until now, energy could only be derived from power plants and batteries. Thanks to work by Fujitsu Laboratories, replacement batteries and other costly power sources could someday be a thing of the past. Using a newly developed organic material that can act as a generator, researchers have discovered methods for harvesting energy from light and heat, among other ambient sources. Compared to the amount of energy collected from power plants, the yield from organic sources is miniscule; to achieve enough energy to power devices, Fujitsu is researching the effectiveness of combining energy from multiple sources (from both light and vibrations, for example).

In addition to cutting down costs and eliminating the need for electrical wiring, possible benefits of Fujitsu’s new hybrid energy include use in medical sensors as well as in weather monitoring systems installed in remote areas. The company hopes to begin implementing the technology in devices by 2015.