Maxim Integrated MAX20361 solar harvester

Designers of space-constrained designs can now increase runtime with the MAX20361 single-/multi-cell solar harvester with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) from Maxim Integrated Products. The small solar harvester is suitable for space-constrained applications such as wearables and emerging Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Designers are often challenged with the trade-off between small size and long runtime for wearable and IoT applications. By enabling solar charging in these space-constrained products, the solar harvester can extend the runtime of those devices by providing a supplemental power source. For example, by harvesting 30 mW of solar power per day on a 300 mAh battery system that typically runs for three weeks, the user can extend that runtime by over 50%.

Compared to its closest competitor, the device is claimed to reduce solution size by at least half and to increase harvested energy with up to 5% better boost efficiency. Additional harvesting gains can be achieved through adaptive MPPT features, coupled with the integrated harvesting gauge for real-time indications of efficiency to optimise performance.