EU project developing plastic electronic wireless sensors for smart buildings

Phil Curry - 15 Dec 2011

A €25.7 million European project is developing retrofittable dye solar cell (DSC)-powered wireless sensors for smart buildings, which can be retro-fitted to monitor energy consumption in homes to improve carbon reduction figures, has attained funding.

The European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council (ENIAC) programme 'Energy for a Green Society' (ERG), aims to create wireless sensor networks to monitor and control energy consumption. It has received from the EU. The project will initially run for three years.

Irish DSC firm SolarPrint, one of the partners in the three-year initiative, has been working with OEMs on energy harvesting wireless sensors (see +Plastic Electronics 4.2).

SolarPrint director Roy Horgan suggests the ENIAC programme will allow suppliers in the smart buildings value chain to create a more comprehensive offering.

He states: 'The aim is to bring companies and research institutions together to collaborate on a problem, and get something done. There are multiple solutions, but by working together and sharing expertise, we can all get the same outcome.'

Retrofitting

The project will focus on design and research to achieve advances in the solar energy supply chain, with the aim being to achieve commercial applications around wireless sensor networks.

ENIAC could also aid the progress of DSC technology in other applications, according to Horgan.

He comments: 'SolarPrint will bring its expertise in the indoor lighting for photovoltaics to the project. We know how energy harvesting on DSCs with ambient lighting works and can help in the development of new materials to exploit this light source. Initially we are developing sensors, but the project could move on to look at energy harvesting systems for windows and so forth.'

And the EU funding for SolarPrint, as part of ENIAC, could catalyse the progress of DSC technology for other markets.

Says Horgan: 'Some companies cannot afford extensive research, while research centres look for expertise in the industry.

'As part of this project we are able to see just how others are interested in it, and it gives the market traction. It will help us, as it will others, for the future.'

The development of wireless sensors that can be retrofitted could significantly increase adoption rates and transform existing properties into smart buildings, contributing to European 2020 climate targets. Wireless sensors can be fitted quickly and at 70% of the cost of a wired system.

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