Every aspect of efficient energy exploitation – its generation, conservation and storage - can benefit from the application of semiconductor technology, Mike Polacek, senior vice president of business development at National Semiconductor, told the Globalpress Summit Conference in Santa Cruz yesterday.
Solar power can now be generated for an unsubsidised cost of 15-20cents per kilowatt hour, said Polacek, however solar panels operate with a ‘de-rate factor’ which means they only operate at 77% of their theoretical capability because of factors like clouds, dirt, obstructions and the miss-match of array sizes.
Only 15 of arrays perform at over 85% of their efficiency, according to Polacek, with most at 77%.
Applying ICs to this problem can save half the 23% of the energy which is lost as a result of the de-rate factor, claimed Polacek, and can also deliver both a 5-20% improvement in overall array performance, and a minimum 9% improvement over the life of the array, he claimed.
On the energy conservation side of the equation, Polacek says ICs can address the main problem which is that buildings use 39% of all energy consumed, and 71% of all the electricity used.
LED driver ICs can cut this usage by 50%, said Polacek, by allowing lights to adjust for purpose – high for working, low for having dinner.
Self-regulating, power-efficient, consumer goods, smart meters and smart grids can substantially reduce the wastage of power from buildings, he argued.
For helping to store electricity, ICs can provide active balancing of individual cells within a battery, said Polacek. If cells use energy asymmetrically, the battery gives out when the weakest cell is exhausted, he said.
By using IC technology to balance the cells so that they deplete symmetrically, 25-35 per cent of the total amount of electricity used in charging batteries can be saved, said Polacek.