Towards perpetual sensors: improved sustainability of battery-less IoT devices and photovoltaic power sub-systems through implementation of circular economy compatible designs and business models

Lightricity is an environmental impact focused company, aiming to eliminate the need for battery proliferation in many applications of IoT which threaten to add billions to trillions of batteries to environmental waste and huge cost and carbon footprint of battery-change activity. These scalability challenges are reducing the potential benefits of IoT. We address the battery challenge with our patented indoor-photovoltaic technology that is up to 6x more efficient than competing technologies and proprietary power management architectures that enable entirely battery-free devices and product form factors that work at light levels not previously possible. There are many applications of IoT, including for delivering sustainability and circular economy approaches for business, that can be enabled by our solution to the battery challenge. However, in doing so we still drive deployment of large numbers of electronic devices; albeit ones much more sustainable than battery-powered equivalents.

To further optimise sustainability, we will review our existing products' BOM for assessment of sustainability and potential degradations/failure mechanisms (identifying first points of failure) and improve sustainability by exploring the feasibility of innovating technically at the power block and overall device level. Introducing circular economy options for extended device longevity, reuse, recycle and repair/upgrade will include modular design considerations that balance cost, practicality and benefit by enabling easy removal of components and subsystems. Additionally, significant miniaturisation could drive lower packaging, various scarce metals usage and other component content. Miniaturisation also makes overall tracking devices small enough for wider application on packaging/goods from cradle to grave in our customers circular economy optimised product lifecycles themselves. For customer convenience and value we will also investigate circular economy business model options that leverage and promote reusable components/subsystems.