Technology Transfer Department

Application sectors

Problem to solve

Many strategic sectors face the challenge of managing energy and resources sustainably while maintaining efficient system monitoring and control. In the contexts of energy and buildings, thermal and light energy flows are often lost without recovery, whereas sensors and electronic devices require a continuous and reliable power supply. The prevalent use of conventional materials limits the sustainability of electronic systems and contributes to increased electronic waste, with associated environmental impacts. Therefore, there is a need to develop innovative and integrated solutions based on eco-friendly materials and emerging technologies, capable of harvesting and storing energy for autonomous devices, supporting environmental monitoring networks, enhancing energy efficiency, indoor comfort, and system resilience, while fostering the circular economy and advancing the transition toward sustainable technologies

Description

The proposed technology integrates energy harvesting and storage systems with autonomous environmental monitoring devices, relying on eco-friendly materials and emerging technologies. The system captures thermal and light energy flows present in buildings, typically dissipated, converting them into electrical energy through emerging photovoltaic cells and low-gradient thermoelectric generators. The supercapacitors and selected sensors are fabricated using natural or waste-derived materials, significantly reducing the environmental impact of electronic devices and promoting a circular-economy approach. These elements enable stable storage of the harvested energy and continuous sensor operation even under fluctuating lighting conditions or thermal gradients. The energy platform combines indoor photovoltaic cells based on dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and perovskite solar cell (PSC) technologies, low-gradient thermoelectric generators, ultra-low-power electronics, and advanced energy-management systems. Together, these components capture energy from intermittent sources and optimally distribute it to the sensing modules. This innovation enables the design of distributed sensor networks within buildings, improving overall energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and system resilience. The use of sustainable materials and low-impact fabrication processes contributes to reducing electronic waste and supports the development of autonomous devices aligned with ecological transition goals

Research group involved