Powering smart buildings sustainably: how energy harvesting is replacing batteries in IoT

This article originally appeared in the April'25 magazine issue of Electronic Specifier Design – see ES's Magazine Archives for more featured publications.

Energy harvesting is poised to transform the way we power IoT devices and eliminate the need for disposable batteries altogether.

A sustainable alternative for a battery-heavy market

Energy harvesting enables electronic systems to capture and convert ambient energy from their surroundings – light, vibration, heat – into usable electricity. For smart buildings and homes, where sensors and actuators are ubiquitous, this approach presents a compelling alternative to traditional power sources.

e-peas has developed a range of power management ICs that make energy harvesting not only feasible, but scalable and cost-effective. These devices allow developers to replace or reduce the use of primary batteries in applications like presence detectors, CO₂ monitors, wireless remote controls, and energy sensors.

The company’s Ambient Energy Manager (AEM) family of PMICs lies at the heart of this shift, offering the ability to efficiently capture and manage energy from photovoltaic, thermoelectric, piezoelectric or RF sources. This eliminates the need for frequent battery replacements, cutting both maintenance costs and environmental impact.

Why energy harvesting, and why now?

The push toward energy autonomy is gaining traction not just from a sustainability standpoint, but also due to mounting regulatory pressure. The EU’s EnABLES programme has been vocal about the need for energy harvesting in IoT, advocating that batteries should "outlive the IoT devices they power." This sentiment reflects growing concern among governments, manufacturers, and consumers alike about the environmental footprint of IoT deployment.

From a commercial perspective, the maintenance burden of replacing thousands, or even millions, of batteries in large-scale smart building systems is becoming unsustainable. Facility managers and OEMs are actively seeking alternatives that offer long-term cost savings and compliance with emerging regulations.

Dual-source and ultra-efficient energy management

To meet these demands, e-peas has developed both single- and dual-source energy harvesting ICs capable of extracting power from more than one ambient source. A standout example is the AEM13920, a dual-source PMIC designed to handle two energy inputs simultaneously, such as combining solar with vibration-based harvesting, to improve reliability and energy availability in low-power applications.

Other PMICs in the portfolio, like the AEM00920 and AEM10920, are optimised for photovoltaic energy harvesting and integrate high-efficiency boost and buck converters along with direct charging of energy storage elements. This makes them ideal for compact applications such as door sensors, motion detectors, and air quality monitors, devices that are typically installed in hard-to-reach locations where battery replacement is costly and inconvenient.

Real-world applications in smart environments

The versatility of e-peas' energy harvesting ICs allows for integration across a broad spectrum of smart building applications. Presence detectors powered by ambient light, CO₂ sensors that never need a battery swap, and door-open sensors fuelled by environmental energy are no longer theoretical, they’re in use today.

Even more demanding use cases such as wireless keyboards, electronic shelf labels, and LoRaWAN or MIOTY-based end node sensors are being addressed with this technology. By leveraging low-power communication protocols like BLE 5.4 and 802.15.4, developers can further reduce energy consumption and extend system life.

e-peas also collaborates closely with system-on-chip (SoC) vendors to provide complete, optimised solutions for various communication standards, ensuring seamless integration into modern IoT architectures.

Simplify development with miniature evaluation kits

To accelerate adoption and reduce design complexity, e-peas offers miniature evaluation kits (EVKs) across its product range. These kits give developers a hands-on opportunity to explore how energy harvesting can be incorporated into their existing designs. With minimal footprint and simplified power architecture, the EVKs provide a tangible path to upgrading products from battery-dependent to battery-free.

The emphasis is on creating ultra-efficient systems with the smallest possible bill of materials and form factor, key requirements for mass deployment in space- and cost-sensitive environments like smart homes and commercial buildings.

The path forward: cleaner, leaner IoT

As IoT continues to expand, energy harvesting is emerging as a critical enabler for sustainable growth. The shift away from battery-reliant designs is not only a technological evolution but an environmental and economic imperative.

e-peas’ power management innovations, built on over 15 years of research and backed by a growing ecosystem of partners, are providing OEMs with the tools to develop reliable, autonomous systems that meet both current performance demands and future regulatory expectations.

With proven applications across a diverse range of smart home and building technologies, energy harvesting is no longer a niche solution, it’s a practical, scalable strategy for powering the next generation of intelligent devices.