General Summary of HE4T Project Interviews

The HE4T project's WP1.1 aimed to map industrial needs for energy harvesting (EH) across various regions. Three key insights emerged from the interviews conducted in different Nordic locations.

Common Themes

• Interest and Challenges:

a. Interest in EH: Companies in diverse sectors expressed interest in EH technologies, recognizing potential applications in monitoring, sensor measurement, and remote areas.

b. Challenges: Despite interest, companies acknowledged challenges, including the immaturity of EH approaches, unreliability for certain applications, and limitations in replacing traditional power sources.

• Diverse Industrial Sectors:

a. Norway: Companies in Norway, ranging from heavy industry sensor development to anti-icing solution providers and bridge maintenance, demonstrated common interest in exploring EH applications.

b. Finland: Interviews in Northern Finland included sensor system manufacturers and large industrial companies. EH was seen as having the potential to increase product lifetimes, but challenges were highlighted, especially due to the harsh northern climate affecting EH technologies.

c. Sweden: Companies in Northern Sweden, mainly technology suppliers for process, energy, and mining industries, expressed interest in EH. The focus was on using vibration and solar energy for electronic systems, despite concerns about technology maturity.

• Strategic Considerations:

a. Generic Needs: Companies in Western Finland emphasized the importance of generic EH solutions, focusing on cost-effectiveness, retrofitting, and energy autonomy. Collaboration between companies and research organizations was deemed crucial.

b. Customer Demand: Companies in Northern Sweden believed EH and self-sufficient systems could become essential in the future, primarily driven by customer demand for reliable, environmentally friendly, and competitive solutions.

Innovative Solutions and Future Outlook

• Potential Applications: The potential applications discussed included developing sensor modules for humidity, temperature, and corrosion monitoring inside buildings, as well as effective low-power communication protocols for EH nodes.
• Geographical Challenges: Geographical challenges, such as the lack of public telecom infrastructure and difficult physical environments, prompted consideration of innovative solutions. In Norway, a survey on communication and networking solutions using drones and EH for IoT nodes was proposed to overcome infrastructure limitations.

Conclusion

The surveyed companies believed in the potential of EH and self-sufficient electronic systems, anticipating increased importance in the future. However, the maturity of technology, customer demand, and overcoming challenges associated with geographical and environmental constraints remain critical factors in developing commercially viable EH solutions.