Insight
InComEss project focuses on the development of polymer-based efficient smart materials with energy harvesting and storage capabilities in a cost-efficient manner for widening the implementation of IoT. The project will contribute to the European goals of CO2 emissions reduction by developing recyclable new energy harvesting and storage devices while minimizing the hazardous waste.
Concept
InComEss seeks to develop next generation of smart materials capable of harvesting mechanical energy and waste heat, generating, and storing electric energy with the aim of powering wireless sensor nodes (WSN) in different scenarios (building, automotive and aeronautic) for data monitoring through an IoT gateway. In this sense, eco-friendly lead-free piezoelectric materials and polymer-based thermoelectric materials have been developed to construct a piezoelectric and thermoelectric generator/harvester. While as energy storage component, cost-effective screen-printed monolithic supercapacitors were researched and fabricated.
An advanced power conditioning circuit was also engineered for maximizing the energy transfer from the energy generators/harvesters to the energy storage devices and for feeding WSN by developing wireless communication protocols with low energy consumption.
Goals
InComEss targets to develop high-performance piezoelectric, thermoelectric materials/harvesters comparable with the commercial existing solutions (based on lead and rare earth elements) and to fabricate supercapacitors with energy densities similar to those shown by the batteries. The developed eco-friendly energy harvesting systems will allow to reduce the manufacturing costs and overall materials compared to the current employed solutions by using highly recyclable polymers and cost-effective processing routes while helping to decrease the Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.
About InComEss project
InComEss is a 48-month research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 862597 with €6,967,226.25 in funding. The Project Consortium is made of 18 partners from 10 different European countries. The project is coordinated by AIMEN Technology Centre set in O Porriño (Spain) which is also involved in the research activities of developing polymer-based piezoelectric and thermoelectric materials and wireless sensor communication for reduced energy consumption.
Website: www.incomess-project.com