ZigBee Green Power, introduced by the ZigBee Alliance, is an energy-harvesting, battery-free feature set designed to create a global, standard technology for self-powered devices. Without needing wires or batteries, according to the Alliance, these new devices are compatible with ZigBee and ZigBee PRO networks and can enable maintenance-free, environmentally friendly products.
Available to its members at the end of 2009, the ZigBee Green Power standard will feature a marketplace for deploying switches, sensors, and controllers suitable for harvested energy in residential, commercial, and industrial environments, says the Alliance. Designed to afford manufacturers increased flexibility, the group says its energy-harvesting ability will facilitate its product and solution designs.
Because of its compatibility with ZigBee and ZigBee PRO networks, the ZigBee Green Power standard will share some of its features, such as a physical radio based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Also included is a 2.4-GHz band that provides simple global operation, says the organization, and strong interference avoidance in noisy RF environments.
ZigBee Green Power’s mesh networking eases network setup and maintenance, features large coverage areas, and is reliable, according to the Alliance. In addition, the standard partakes in ZigBee’s security, independent certification, and open-standard environment.
“This new enhancement of the ZigBee standard demonstrates how such a dynamic ecosystem can bring innovation to the market,” says Frédéric Vaillant, vice president, Technology Innovation, at Schneider Electric. “Having energy harvesting devices connected seamlessly to standard ZigBee networks will provide our customers with maintenance-free and even more environment-conscious solutions.”
The ZigBee Alliance
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