Michael Kanellos, Editor in Chief of GREENTECH MEDIA

The Green Electronics Revolution
Do green electronics matter?

Globally, electronics only account for a fraction of total power and energy consumption. In commercial buildings in the U.S., computers consume 4 percent of the energy, about as much as refrigerators, according to the Department of Energy. In U.S. homes, computers account for one percent of energy and TVs and other electronics account for another 8 percent. Even combined, they account for less than air conditioning.

But electronics makers have already figured out pathways to improve those figures with better power supplies, new types of memories and hardware/software system that can dynamically control lights and air conditioners. Light emitting diodes, the chips that will replace conventional lightbulbs, are also coming down rapidly in price.

Australia, California, Canada and other places have also begun to implement energy reduction targets. As a result, green electronics will likely be one of the most active green markets in the next few years.

The market is already responding. In TVs, for instance, environmentally friendliness has become the new battle ground for set manufacturers. Panasonic says it will reduce the power consumption in its plasma TVs by two thirds by 2010 or 2011, according to Toshihiro Sakamoto, president of Panasonic's AVC Networks Group.

Power reduction will come in two ways. One, Panasonic will reduce the number of components in plasmas, which need more components than LCD TV. Two, Panasonic will try to direct more of the light coming from the light source to the screen itself. Doubling the luminance halves the electricity required to paint images on the screen, he said.

LCD makers are also pushing power. Sharp has created a sub-1 inch Aquos LCD TVs consume 20 to 26 percent less power than previous models. The 65-inch slim Aquos can run on 294 kilowatt hours/year. Slimmer sets also mean fewer raw materials, said Sharp, Hitachi and others.

Another power trick: Inserting hard drives into TVs instead of relying on a separate DVR cuts power by 12 percent. Sharp additionally has two experimental TVs that run on solar power. One, a prototype 26-inch LCD TV, consumes only 40 watts of power, less power than a conventional light bulb requires.

The push for OLEDs, of course, will continue as well.

In many ways, the advent of green electronics dovetails into work already taking place in Japan. For over four decades, Japan has implemented some of the most comprehensive energy efficiency policies on the planet, including 1974's Project Sunshine, which made the nation a major producer and consumer of greentech. The country is home to large solar manufacturers like Sharp and Kyocera and three of the automakers at the forefront of hybrids and electric cars: Toyota, Honda and Nissan.

Modular homes are well established too and have now begun to gain notice in the states. Some have hypothesized that Japanese contractors could begin to export some of their design techniques to Europe.

TVs and PCs are small in the overall power scheme, but this could be the start of something big.

Profile of Micheal Kanellos,
Michael Kanellos is the Editor in Chief at Greentech Media, where he covers emerging technologies and companies in the green world. Prior to joining the company in 2008, he worked for CNET Network's News.com for eleven years. Among other jobs at CNET, he launched the company's push into clean technology. He has appeared on NPR, CBS, CNBC, Fox News and other media outlets and has spoken at CES, the Japan Business Strategy Summit, Ceatec, the Irish Software Association, Stanford, U.C. Berkeley, the Flash Memory Summit and Clean Energy Venture Summit. A graduate of Cornell University and the University of California (Hastings), he has worked as an attorney.

GREENTECH MEDIA Editor in Chief , Michael Kanellos

Founded in 2007, Greentech Media is a fully integrated online-media company comprised of cutting-edge news, in-depth market research, and focused industry events in the growing world of green.

Our editors aim to make Greentech Media the go-to source for independent and insightful news on solar, smart grids, green electronics, green buildings, and the policy decisions and financial trends that impact how energy gets produced and consumed. Our research team is adept at creating technology -and trend-focused research that help industry players clearly define greentech market segments, predict technology winners and analyze startup and incumbent players in the market. Greentech Media also is partnering with premier industry organizations to get the right information to the market at the right time.