Texas Instruments Named Runner-Up in Prestigious 2012 WSJ Technology Innovation Awards for Energy Harvesting Chip

Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) announced that its bq25504 intelligent energy harvesting and power management solution for ultra-low power applications has been selected in the 2012 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards as runner-up in the Energy category. The award recognizes TI for its ground-breaking approach to ambient energy extraction.

The bq25504 is the industry’s most efficient “boost charger” integrated circuit for nano power energy harvesting applications. The device manages microwatts to milliwatts of power generated from a variety of sources such as solar, thermal electric, electromagnetic and even vibration energy. By increasing the usable harvested energy by 30% to 70% over alternative products, it enables battery-free power for wireless sensor networks, monitoring systems and portable electronics.

The availability of sources from which energy harvesters extract power can often be sporadic. Because the bq25504 manages power from its environment, it makes certain constant power is available when needed for critical applications like the monitoring of infrastructure and buildings. These types of sensory networks rely on the bq25504’s energy storage to handle any peak currents that cannot directly come from the main power source.

“Imagine a world where you don’t have to worry about charging your phone because it constantly charges itself from ambient energy, including body motion, light and temperature differences. From low power to no power, TI is opening the door to new capabilities that were not feasible with traditional battery powered systems,” said Ahmad Bahai, chief technology officer of TI’s Analog business and director of TI’s Kilby Labs. “The bq25504 is just one example of how we’re harvesting energy to enable a battery-free world and greener future, and we are honored to be a part of the prestigious Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards program, which recognizes the best of the best in technology.”