Today, we have a staggering number of options open to us when it comes to powering our homes and businesses. There has never been so much choice available, especially in terms of mobile power solutions. However, as technology continues to evolve, so too does the energy industry.
Here, we’ll look at the kinds of changes we can expect to see within the energy sector over the next 20 years. How might mobile energy solutions change and what types of power are likely to emerge as technology advances?
Improvements within battery power
Battery power is by far one of the most common types of energy used in mobile solutions. Scientists are constantly looking into ways to improve battery power and since its introduction, it has already undergone a lot of developments; particularly lithium-ion batteries.
Over the next 20 years, it’s unlikely that any major developments will occur within battery power. However, what is likely is that current battery systems will become more efficient. Researchers from across the globe are already looking into improving both battery conductivity and battery efficiency. So, we will see some changes, but likely nothing overly significant.
Energy harvesting
Perhaps one of the more exciting potential developments we may see within mobile energy, is energy harvesting. When you look at the battery power of mobile devices and smart watches for example, you’ll quickly see that there’s plenty of room for improvement. These smaller mobile devices run out of charge extremely quickly and it’s a problem some experts believe could be fixed with energy harvesting.
With energy harvesting, you could potentially gather enough electric charge through activities such as power walking, to charge up a mobile device. There is also work being done to develop energy-charging fabric. This could be used on the back of mobile devices to charge them up as they are inside your pocket. It all sounds very futuristic, but researchers are currently working on these types of energy harvesting solutions. Given how quickly technology can develop, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that energy harvesting could be used to power mobile devices within the next 20 years.
Micro Generators
Portable generators have been readily available for many years now, but over the next 20 years it’s likely they’ll get much smaller. While generators such as the ones offered by companies like SGS, will likely always remain popular, in some situations micro generators could become a new, more beneficial solution. It’s thought that many of these tiny generators would work via energy harvesting. There is still a long way to go before these types of generators can be brought to market. However, it’s a development to watch out for in the next 20 years.
As you can see, there are some developments in the pipeline which will likely revolutionise the mobile energy sector over the next 20 years. However, only time will tell whether there will be any major developments witnessed.