David Savastano, Editor07.18.23
In our daily lives, the operation of numerous devices typically relies on batteries. Nevertheless, there is a notable push to minimize their usage as they eventually end up in the waste stream. As companies introduce more and more new products like sensors and others, the need to decrease or completely eliminate the dependency on batteries has become very important.
To meet this need companies are working up solutions to powering their products. This is particularly tricky for products that are used indoors, as very few companies have specialized in generating solar energy from ambient lighting.
Epishine is one such company that has successfully developed indoor solar modules, using roll-to-roll printed organic photovoltaics (OPV) to harvest ambient light in indoor settings. Recognizing the potential, MClimate, a leading smart building company partnered with Epishine to create the CO2 Display LoRaWAN®. The wireless carbon dioxide (CO2) display is powered by Epishine's indoor solar cell technology replacing the necessity for batteries, highlighting that organic solar cells not only eliminate waste but also the need for maintenance.
"At MClimate, we are dedicated to create smart building solutions that are sustainable, effective and easy to use, making the CO2 Display LoRaWAN a testament to our commitment," said Violeta Mitsova, co-founder and CCO at MClimate. "By effectively addressing connectivity challenges in buildings using LoRaWAN technology and at the same time incorporating Epishine's solar cells we developed a device that remove the need for battery replacements, can endure up to 14 days without light, and requires no additional maintenance. This empowers end users to monitor air quality and take timely actions based on the displayed metrics while allowing property owners to offer more environmentally friendly assets.”
MClimate’s story begins in 2012 when the CEO, Lyubomir Yanchev, then still an active programmer, took part in an open-source project with a focus on developing innovative solutions with the idea of creating a voice assistant for home automation. Following the market research and the mentor's advice he reshaped his initial intentions and launched smart hardware and software solutions for the monitoring and control of air conditioners.
The project had significant success and led to the establishment of the MClimate company, attracting investors and extending its product line to various new WiFi smart home products. However, recognizing how overcrowded and ineffective the B2C market for IoT devices is, Yanchev decided that the core business needs to take a shift.
With the emergence of the LoRaWAN technology and the joining of Violeta Mitsova as a co-founder to lead the strategic business development, MClimate officially pivoted towards smart buildings for B2B/ B2B2C and OEM business for large corporations, allowing it to make an impact on a larger scale and focusing on sustainability measures for end customers. As part of this strategy, MClimate has put tremendous efforts into understanding and incorporating the latest technology trends, creating joint partnerships, and developing products that serve the market’s needs.
A few years later, MClimate is a big manufacturer and an important key player in the LoRaWAN IoT devices insustry. The company sets new trends for the entire sector by introducing both innovative devices and actuators, rather than simply focusing on sensors.
Dimova observed that in addition, the device has an organic solar panel for light harvesting making it fully self-sufficient, removing the need for maintenance and battery waste.
“The CO2 display has NDIR CO2 sensor with detection range of 400- 5000ppm with ABC calibration enabled by default, a PIR sensor for motion detection with an excellent range and a LUX sensor,” said Dimova. “Using other reliable sensors, the MClimate CO2 Display LoRaWAN gives authentic readings of the room temperature and humidity. The device is equipped with 2.9" e-ink display that offers a quick glance at the target temperature, measured temperature, humidity and other conditions.”
The device sends an uplink when it detects movement. The data from the CO2 Display can be used in any LoRaWAN compatible system, including building management systems to control demand-based ventilation.
MClimate's commitment to help companies improve sustainability measures fits perfectly with the Epishine's printed OPV technology.
“Many IoT devices rely on batteries with limited energy life, requiring maintenance and eventual replacement,” said Dimova. “MClimate revolutionizes this with Epishine's integrated solar cells, offering a smart IoT device that eliminates the need for battery replacement, operates without light for 14 days, and requires zero maintenance.”
In addition to eliminating the need for batteries, Dimova pointed to a number of important advantages of using indoor solar cell technology for its CO2 display.
“Even though LoRaWAN is offering a long battery life (seven-plus years for the normal CO2 display), the market's preference for CO2 readings, particularly in schools, public buildings, hotels, and offices, calls for maintenance-free devices with complete autonomy to ensure uninterrupted operations and readings,” said Dimova. “In addition, reducing waste and CO2 footprint is in line with all corporate strategies for sustainability, and we deeply care about offering sustainable devices meeting end customer goals in this regard.”
Dimova noted that a lot of technical effort has been invested in the development of the CO2 display.
“MClimate had to rigorously test Epishine’s product and conduct a big number of tests on the field to establish what is the amount of power generated in various locations,” Dimova observed. “Another challenge was combining the Epishine’s product with alternative power sources, primarily as a back-up plan. The CO2 Display has a USB-C and slots for batteries, which bring extra assurance in the end-customer.”
Dimova added that future solar products of MClimate may not have options for batteries or external charging, as Epishine’s cell has proved to be sufficient to power the device and there’s no need for a back-up plan anymore.
MClimate’s CO2 Display LoRaWAN is commercially available and could be purchased on MClimate’s website. For larger projects or specific requirements, MClimate’s sales team can be contacted through the provided form.
“You can enhance indoor environment control and energy efficiency by integrating the CO2 Display with other MClimate devices such as the Vicki Smart Radiator Thermostat LoRaWAN and the Wireless Thermostat LoRaWAN (also solar powered),” Dimova added. “We offer as well a comprehensive MClimate Enterprise software, a centralized management platform that provides live data, device control, historical trend analysis, and detailed reports.”
The feedback from clients that already have the CO2 display has been excellent.
“The device stands out with its sleek design and a wide range of features allowing for versatile use cases in buildings,” Dimova said. “It is praised for both robustness and price competitiveness compared to other CO2 displays – it is the only battery-free CO2 display and the cheapest device within a range of EU manufacturers. Aiming to meet tight public budgets and promote air quality which is not always seen as a ‘must have’, the device is also addressing end customers who are failing to see the return on investment immediately.”
To meet this need companies are working up solutions to powering their products. This is particularly tricky for products that are used indoors, as very few companies have specialized in generating solar energy from ambient lighting.
Epishine is one such company that has successfully developed indoor solar modules, using roll-to-roll printed organic photovoltaics (OPV) to harvest ambient light in indoor settings. Recognizing the potential, MClimate, a leading smart building company partnered with Epishine to create the CO2 Display LoRaWAN®. The wireless carbon dioxide (CO2) display is powered by Epishine's indoor solar cell technology replacing the necessity for batteries, highlighting that organic solar cells not only eliminate waste but also the need for maintenance.
"At MClimate, we are dedicated to create smart building solutions that are sustainable, effective and easy to use, making the CO2 Display LoRaWAN a testament to our commitment," said Violeta Mitsova, co-founder and CCO at MClimate. "By effectively addressing connectivity challenges in buildings using LoRaWAN technology and at the same time incorporating Epishine's solar cells we developed a device that remove the need for battery replacements, can endure up to 14 days without light, and requires no additional maintenance. This empowers end users to monitor air quality and take timely actions based on the displayed metrics while allowing property owners to offer more environmentally friendly assets.”
History of MClimate
According to Mirena Dimova, chief marketing officer at MClimate, the CO2 Display LoRaWAN fits perfectly with the company's history of innovation.MClimate’s story begins in 2012 when the CEO, Lyubomir Yanchev, then still an active programmer, took part in an open-source project with a focus on developing innovative solutions with the idea of creating a voice assistant for home automation. Following the market research and the mentor's advice he reshaped his initial intentions and launched smart hardware and software solutions for the monitoring and control of air conditioners.
The project had significant success and led to the establishment of the MClimate company, attracting investors and extending its product line to various new WiFi smart home products. However, recognizing how overcrowded and ineffective the B2C market for IoT devices is, Yanchev decided that the core business needs to take a shift.
With the emergence of the LoRaWAN technology and the joining of Violeta Mitsova as a co-founder to lead the strategic business development, MClimate officially pivoted towards smart buildings for B2B/ B2B2C and OEM business for large corporations, allowing it to make an impact on a larger scale and focusing on sustainability measures for end customers. As part of this strategy, MClimate has put tremendous efforts into understanding and incorporating the latest technology trends, creating joint partnerships, and developing products that serve the market’s needs.
A few years later, MClimate is a big manufacturer and an important key player in the LoRaWAN IoT devices insustry. The company sets new trends for the entire sector by introducing both innovative devices and actuators, rather than simply focusing on sensors.
The MClimate CO2 Display LoRaWAN
This brings us to the MClimate CO2 Display LoRaWAN, which leverages the power of light harvesting and LoRaWAN technology that is a Low Power, Wide Area (LPWA) networking protocol designed to wirelessly connect battery operated “things” to the internet. LoRaWAN network devices can operate in a range up to 15 km, which is the highest possible range on the IoT market and use the least battery power compared to other networks such as NB-IoT, Wi-Fi, 5G and etc.Dimova observed that in addition, the device has an organic solar panel for light harvesting making it fully self-sufficient, removing the need for maintenance and battery waste.
“The CO2 display has NDIR CO2 sensor with detection range of 400- 5000ppm with ABC calibration enabled by default, a PIR sensor for motion detection with an excellent range and a LUX sensor,” said Dimova. “Using other reliable sensors, the MClimate CO2 Display LoRaWAN gives authentic readings of the room temperature and humidity. The device is equipped with 2.9" e-ink display that offers a quick glance at the target temperature, measured temperature, humidity and other conditions.”
The device sends an uplink when it detects movement. The data from the CO2 Display can be used in any LoRaWAN compatible system, including building management systems to control demand-based ventilation.
MClimate's commitment to help companies improve sustainability measures fits perfectly with the Epishine's printed OPV technology.
“Many IoT devices rely on batteries with limited energy life, requiring maintenance and eventual replacement,” said Dimova. “MClimate revolutionizes this with Epishine's integrated solar cells, offering a smart IoT device that eliminates the need for battery replacement, operates without light for 14 days, and requires zero maintenance.”
In addition to eliminating the need for batteries, Dimova pointed to a number of important advantages of using indoor solar cell technology for its CO2 display.
“Even though LoRaWAN is offering a long battery life (seven-plus years for the normal CO2 display), the market's preference for CO2 readings, particularly in schools, public buildings, hotels, and offices, calls for maintenance-free devices with complete autonomy to ensure uninterrupted operations and readings,” said Dimova. “In addition, reducing waste and CO2 footprint is in line with all corporate strategies for sustainability, and we deeply care about offering sustainable devices meeting end customer goals in this regard.”
Dimova noted that a lot of technical effort has been invested in the development of the CO2 display.
“MClimate had to rigorously test Epishine’s product and conduct a big number of tests on the field to establish what is the amount of power generated in various locations,” Dimova observed. “Another challenge was combining the Epishine’s product with alternative power sources, primarily as a back-up plan. The CO2 Display has a USB-C and slots for batteries, which bring extra assurance in the end-customer.”
Dimova added that future solar products of MClimate may not have options for batteries or external charging, as Epishine’s cell has proved to be sufficient to power the device and there’s no need for a back-up plan anymore.
MClimate’s CO2 Display LoRaWAN is commercially available and could be purchased on MClimate’s website. For larger projects or specific requirements, MClimate’s sales team can be contacted through the provided form.
“You can enhance indoor environment control and energy efficiency by integrating the CO2 Display with other MClimate devices such as the Vicki Smart Radiator Thermostat LoRaWAN and the Wireless Thermostat LoRaWAN (also solar powered),” Dimova added. “We offer as well a comprehensive MClimate Enterprise software, a centralized management platform that provides live data, device control, historical trend analysis, and detailed reports.”
The feedback from clients that already have the CO2 display has been excellent.
“The device stands out with its sleek design and a wide range of features allowing for versatile use cases in buildings,” Dimova said. “It is praised for both robustness and price competitiveness compared to other CO2 displays – it is the only battery-free CO2 display and the cheapest device within a range of EU manufacturers. Aiming to meet tight public budgets and promote air quality which is not always seen as a ‘must have’, the device is also addressing end customers who are failing to see the return on investment immediately.”
