- Forest-powered supercapacitors could replace batteries in IoT devices and sensors
- Swedish startup uses forest-derived lignin polymer to replace toxic metals
- S-Power offers fast charging, a long 8-10 year lifespan and other savings
Swedish startup Ligna Energy hopes its new S-Power technology can solve the unsustainable demand for batteries as demand for indoor environmental sensors, wearables and other IoT endpoints increases.
The company claims that an increasing number of these devices do not actually require built-in energy storage due to the fact that they consume minimal energy and can operate intermittently. Those that can harvest environmental energy, such as light, RF signals, vibrations and temperature differences, could be among the most suitable for this futuristic technology.
Ligna’s flagship S-Power 2S offers 1.2F capacitance, a 2.7V operating voltage, 0.5Ω equivalent series resistance and more than 250,000 charge cycles, but more importantly, this ultra-slim pouch cell is designed to be suitable for even the smallest cards and sensors.
IoT devices, such as environmental sensors, have increased the demand for batteries
According to the company, its latest S-Power technology is not only small enough to fit into places where conventional batteries would be too large, but it can also charge much faster and survive significantly more cycles.
Perfect for products that are expected to be deployed for years maintenance-free, Ligna believes this technology can save companies significant money in the long term. While a sensor might only cost a few dollars, sending a technician to physically change a battery can cost hundreds in logistics, even though the battery itself is relatively inexpensive.
With large deployments across supply networks, factories, agricultural environments, smart cities and more, the savings realized can be enormous.
The core differences come in how supercapacitors store energy compared to conventional batteries – electrostatically rather than chemically. This makes supercapacitors like the S-Power 2S better for short bursts of intermittent current, which in turn leads to much slower degradation and an extremely long life.
Natural polymers enable extreme ‘battery’ performance – will supercapacitors replace batteries?
Ligna’s technology is based on forest-derived materials – instead of metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel – which are seen as more sustainable and less environmentally toxic. Wood and plant-derived lignin is the core material here, said to be the second most abundant natural polymer on Earth after cellulose and responsible for how trees stand upright. It is also readily available as a by-product from industries such as papermaking.
“It’s a conventional supercapacitor in terms of electrical performance, but we’ve tried to optimize the material stack to remove a few unsightly materials and offer another alternative to our customers,” explained CEO John Söderström.
At the same time, research into energy harvesting technologies can adapt to these next-generation supercapacitors to further reduce the charging or replacement frequency.
By harvesting energy from indoor light, solar, radio, vibration and heat exchanges, energy dripping into the supercapacitor can drastically improve lifespan.
“When I started at Ligna five years ago, energy harvesting was not widespread in wireless electronics,” added Söderström. “What has happened since then is that light harvesters have increased efficiency to the point where the batteries can be removed even in low-light conditions.”
However, Ligna is calling for a major restructuring across the entire industry, noting that every single component must be optimized for the lowest possible quiescent current. What this means for the future is likely to be a new category of products, rather than supercapacitors that can be retrofitted into existing hardware.
The company is now targeting an eight- to 10-year lifespan for its ultra-thin supercapacitors, on its way to mass production, but not necessarily at the same price point as “some Chinese competitors.”
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