Marlow Industries Launches Green Power Alternative for Commercial Wireless Applications

Thermal Energy Harvesting Enables Wireless Sensor Deployment; Eliminates Need for Batteries, Significantly Reducing Costs


DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - Sep 26, 2011) - Marlow Industries, the world leader in high performance quality thermoelectric technology, today launched the EverGen series, a complete range of thermoelectric-based energy harvesting devices, offering customers a low-cost, zero-maintenance power solution for wireless sensor applications.

Existing energy solutions for sensor networks require customers to rely on expensive wired systems or short-lived batteries. Marlow's thermal energy harvesters power wireless sensors without a battery, reducing maintenance and replacement costs. Marlow is currently working with customers across multiple industries to build energy harvesting devices for existing wireless sensor applications as well as to transition wired applications to wireless.

"Marlow's R&D efforts have focused on the specific needs voiced by our customers," said Stefan Ikelman, market manager, power generators and contract R&D for Marlow Industries. "Marlow's new thermal energy harvesting products will enable customers to realize significant savings in costs and time whether they are maintaining existing wireless sensors or deploying new ones."

By converting small degrees of temperature difference into milliwatts of electrical power, Marlow's line of thermoelectric energy harvesting solutions can perpetually power wireless sensors for the lifetime of the application. This green innovation offers a solid-state, reliable energy source for sensors, actuators, valve solenoids and other small devices by recycling wasted heat.

With new building codes requiring sophisticated lighting, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems (HVAC), "smart" designs are key to moderating usage. By integrating Marlow's thermoelectric energy harvesters, builders will have a cost-effective and green alternative that will relieve resources spent powering these devices.

Marlow offers three energy harvesting solutions today, with additional products planned, to suit a wide range of environmental conditions, including:

  • EverGen Liquid-to-Air: harvests the thermal energy between a higher temperature fluid stream and ambient air via natural convection for conversion to electrical power.
  • EverGen Liquid-to-Liquid: harvests the thermal energy between a higher temperature fluid stream and lower temperature fluid stream for conversion to electrical power.
  • EverGen Solid-to-Air: harvests the thermal energy between a higher temperature solid surface and ambient air via natural convection for conversion to electrical power.

"Thermal energy offers a green alternative for powering smart devices," said Barry Nickerson, general manager, Marlow Industries. "As the world's largest thermoelectric manufacturer, Marlow has committed its engineering resources in collaboration with our customers to transform this emerging alternative energy market into a mainstream application."

Marlow EverGen thermoelectric energy harvesters are now currently available to the general market. For more information visit the company's website: http://www.marlow.com.

About Marlow Industries, Inc. | A subsidiary of II-VI Incorporated

High quality, high performance, thermoelectric solutions at industry competitive prices -- Marlow Industries, a subsidiary of II-VI incorporated, is the world leader in quality thermoelectric technology. Marlow Industries develops and manufactures thermoelectric modules (TEMs) and subsystems for the aerospace, defense, medical, commercial, industrial, automotive, consumer gaming, telecommunications and power generation markets. Marlow is actively involved in numerous other R&D programs to advance the state of the art in both thermoelectric cooling and power generation. Marlow is Telcordia and ISO 9001:2008 compliant and a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winning company.

About II-VI Incorporated (NASDAQ: IIVI)

II-VI Incorporated, the worldwide leader in crystal growth technology, is a vertically-integrated manufacturing company that creates and markets products for diversified markets including industrial manufacturing, military and aerospace, high-power electronics and telecommunications, and thermoelectronics applications. Headquartered in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, with manufacturing, sales, and distribution facilities worldwide, the Company produces numerous crystalline compounds including zinc selenide for infrared laser optics, silicon carbide for high-power electronic and microwave applications, and bismuth telluride for thermoelectric coolers.