Trends
Electronic Military & Defense Annual Resource, 5th Edition
41
the ambient environment and then
converted into usable electrical
power can be used in a wide
variety of applications. Energy
harvesting is an obvious solution
to power with battery-dependent
wireless devices, and developers
are being challenged to create
sustainable, cost-effective, and
environmentally friendly harvesting
technologies for various low- to
mid-power applications.
The Physics Behind The 3 Ps
Photovoltaic
Photovoltaic (PV) technology
converts solar energy into
direct current electricity using
semiconducting materials. It has
the potential to provide energy
for advanced military and
defense electronics applications,
filling a niche through distinct
environmental advantages over
conventional electricity generation
technologies. The operation of
photovoltaic systems does not
produce noise, toxic gas emissions,
or greenhouse gases, making it the
most popular harvesting technology
currently used by the U.S. military.
Organic photovoltaics (OPVs)
also are able to generate clean,
green energy to power military
electronics, and they are considered
superior to conventional silicon
solar cells in cost, weight, longevity,
operation life cycle, flexibility,
processing speed, and thermal
budget. Based on these values,
advances in OPV technology will
enable them not only to replace
existing PV technologies but also to
enable new technologies, such as
printed electronics, organic LEDs
(OLEDs), or flexible sensors —
Reliability
isn't an
option – it's a
requirement.
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Figure 3: A brief illustration of the physics behind OPVs