Overview

Introducing the Trifecta Energy Harvesting System: a patent-pending, fully additively manufactured platform revolutionizing energy capture by efficiently collecting electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical energy within a single, flexible printed architecture. By seamlessly combining these functions into a thin, conformal structure, the system replaces separate, bulky energy harvesters, enabling unprecedentedly low-cost production and widespread deployment on diverse surfaces due to its additive manufacturing.

What Problem Does It Solve?

Traditional energy harvesters are bulky, rigid, and designed for single-mode operation. They are costly, resource-intensive, and struggle to deliver continuous power in challenging environments such as shade, nighttime, or under vibration and stray electromagnetic fields. This design overcomes those barriers by providing around-the-clock energy harvesting in a flexible, bendable format that adheres easily to many surfaces.

Benefits

• Ensures around-the-clock energy capture from multiple sources
• Conforms to curved, flexible, or irregular surfaces
• Enables fast, low-labor peel-and-stick installation
• Enables on-demand, decentralized production for local energy independence
• Drives global sustainability, resilience, and clean energy initiatives

How It Works

Using additive manufacturing methods such as inkjet or electrohydrodynamic (EHD) deposition, the system builds up functional components that include:

• High-efficiency solar harvesting components
• Ferroelectret- and quantum-dot-containing components for infrared, thermal, ambient electromagnetic, and quasi-piezoelectric energy harvesting
• Integrated asymmetrically-doped carbon nanotube networks for broadband energy collection and efficient charge routing
• Photonic conversion layers to downconvert UV and enhance infrared and visible light utilization
• Optional co-printed solid-state energy storage elements such as capacitors or batteries
• Protective, lifespan-increasing components
• In-situ charging, curing, and sintering processes help maximize performance and structural durability

Novelty and Market Advantage

No current technology combines solar, thermal, electromagnetic, and mechanical energy harvesting in a single printed, lightweight form. This system eliminates the need for separate modules and complex wiring, making installation faster and simpler. Its fully co-printed architecture allows rapid production and customization at local or regional facilities, supporting sustainability and minimizing shipping waste. Thanks to its continuous, multimodal energy harvesting, the system's combined around-the-clock energy output is comparable or superior to current state-of-the-art energy harvesting solutions, yet delivered at a significantly lower cost.

Applications

Potential uses are vast and include residential and commercial rooftops, solar farms, vehicles and trailers, off-grid shelters, humanitarian relief deployments, smart lighting and signage, security cameras, industrial and agricultural monitoring, wearable and textile-based systems, smart tags, and BLE beacons.

Manufacturing and Costs

Additive printing techniques greatly reduce production waste and support regional customization using common feedstocks. By eliminating traditional frames and separate modules, the system dramatically reduces both production and installation complexity and costs, achieving reliable multimodal energy harvesting with performance comparable or superior to current products at a significantly cheaper price point.

Serving the Public Good

This innovation improves quality of life by delivering reliable, continuous power for critical devices, improving public safety, and supporting local jobs. It expands energy equity, strengthens climate resilience, and brings affordable, sustainable power to communities worldwide, including remote or underserved areas, creating a path to smarter and more resilient energy systems for all.