Motorola recently received a patent for technology that recharges mobile-phone
batteries via solar cells embedded within the LCD display. The company admits
the idea isn’t new, but it seems to have solved the problem of getting
enough light to the solar cells to recharge the battery.
The solution involved switching from nematic crystals to cholesteric or polymer
disbursed materials. Motorola says it can eliminate the use of metallic reflectors
used in LCDs, which otherwise reduce the amount of light that could reach solar
cells. There’s no word on when they’ll be available in Motorola
products, though.
Several consumer electronics OEMs are looking closely at— and in some
cases, already designing with—bioplastics for use in product housings
for notebook PCs and mobile phones. Douglas Johnson, director of technology
policy and international affairs for the Consumer Electronics Association, says
that more than half (1.1 billion) of the 2 billion Energy Star purchases since
1992 (when the program was initiated) have been consumer electronics devices.
On another front, Ericsson said in April that it had improved the energy efficiency
of its 3G basestations by 35% during 2006. The company’s new software
upgrade, which introduced standby functionality for lower traffic periods, can
significantly decrease energy consumption and corresponding carbon-dioxide emissions.
Applying this feature to the entire installed base of Ericsson GSM basestations
could cut CO2 emissions by 1 million tons per year.
MAKING ROOM FOR LESS STUFF
The market is moving from desktop to laptop and even smaller notebook computers
and from cathode-ray-tube (CRT) to more energy-efficient flat- panel displays.
The miniaturization of smart phones and PDAs continues to reduce the amount
of materials used in these products.
Apple recently began promoting itself as a “Greener Apple,” with
CEO Steve Jobs announcing the phase-out of several toxic materials from Apple
products.
“In mid-2006, Apple became the first company in the computer industry
to completely eliminate CRTs,” says Jobs. “The effect has been
stunning—our first CRT-based iMac contained 484 grams of lead; our current
third-generation LCD-based iMac contains less than 1 gram of lead.”
Apple also plans to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays.
The company will stop using polyvinyl chloride and brominated flame retardants
in its products by the end of 2008. And, it promised to issue regular updates
of all efforts to become a greener company.
Despite these developments, the use of new materials is still an issue. As
Hewlett-Packard points out in the documentation on the materials it uses, “It
can be difficult to confirm claims for new materials because they may not have
been researched as thoroughly as existing materials.”
HP cites materials to replace PVC from wires and cables as an example (see
the figure). The company also says that thermoplastic rubber/elastomer
(TPR/TPE) and polyethylene-derived hybrid materials are emerging, even if they
haven’t yet been sufficiently developed for wide-scale use.