Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 07 July 2008 15:16
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 3
Japanese electronics powerhouse Sharp is showcasing its “Zero Emission
House” with one of the highlights being a low power consumption
prototype 26-inch LCD TV. If desired, it can fully powered by a
similarly sized solar panel connected to a battery system that stores
the electricity generated by the sun, giving you power even if “off the
grid”. Cool!
During the G8 Summit/Hokkaido Toyako Summit in Japan, being held now (July 7 to 9, 2008), Sharp Corporation is demonstrating its green credentials in an “environmental showcase” that demonstrates advances in solar cell technology, low power consumption TVs and solar powered lighting.
Not just energy saving but energy creating is the solar cell part of the equation, with Sharp claiming to be a world leader in solar cell technology.
Australia should be a leader in this space given our clever country credentials and endless sun, but if Australia isn’t smart enough to take advantage of the free energy potential of the Sun to be a leader in its own right, then thank goodness someone else is doing it because the world needs efficient solar power.
We need it whether the ‘global warming crisis’ is real as some scientists claim or a ‘scam’ as other scientists claim. That’s because either way, alternate sources of energy are a fantastic idea and with every new advance in solar cell technology the efficiency grows ever higher, thus delivering ever more power.
More information on Sharp’s Eco-Showcase can be
seen online and it’s well worth the look to see what they’re up to even though I will go through the major exhibits here.
First up is a new 26-inch “low power consumption” prototype LCD TV, using around one quarter of the power and one-third the annual energy usage of a 28-inch CRT TV which has nearly the same screen area.
Compared with existing LCD TVs, as opposed to CRT TVs, this new model uses “about one-third the power and has around one-half the annual energy consumption.”
Sharp aren’t the first company to introduce low power consumption flat panel TVs – Panasonic recently introduced its own prototype that uses half the power while delivering the same brightness as a fully powered model, and I’m sure the world’s other screen manufacturers are all working on similar advances.
What’s next in the “Zero Emissions House” exhibit? Please read on to page 2.
