November 9, 2018 – EnOcean, the developer of energy harvesting technology, is introducing the "Battery-free by EnOcean" seal. In the future, this seal will highlight maintenance-free and flexible switch solutions that do not require any batteries or wires. As of now, product manufacturers can use the seal to promote their battery-free, wireless switches integrating EnOcean’s energy harvesting technology for wireless standards in the sub-1 GHz and 2.4 GHz range. This move will raise consumer awareness of switches based on the EnOcean technology, which gain their energy from motion solely.
Some of the first providers who can apply the new “Battery-free by EnOcean” seal to highlight their products’ special feature are the Friends of Hue Switch partners of Signify, an EnOcean partner in the area of Zigbee-based wireless solutions. As part of the Friends of Hue program, Busch-Jaeger (ABB), Feller, Illumra, Niko and Vimar currently, or in the near future, offer smart switches based on EnOcean’s self-powered technology, which can be used to control Philips Hue lights via Zigbee.
EnOcean uses the energy harvesting principle, in which energy is obtained from the surroundings for supplying power for wireless sensors or switches. Thereby energy converters convert motion, light or temperature differences into electrical energy.
Using energy harvesting technology in the Philips Hue Tap since 2014, Signify’s Friends of Hue partners will use the energy harvesting technology by EnOcean for their Friends of Hue smart switch products, the first of which are officially on the market from November 1st 2018. Available in a variety of colors and styles, the Friends of Hue Switches thus blend into any home environment. The current Friends of Hue partners include leading lighting control manufacturers, such as Busch-Jaeger (ABB), Feller, Illumra, Niko and Vimar.
The "Battery-free by EnOcean" seal identifies battery-free products such as wireless switch solutions based on the EnOcean technology. If a product meets the necessary criteria, the manufacturer can use this energy harvesting seal as an identifying mark on the product packaging, in marketing or technical materials as well as on the product's website.