I’m here at the Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C. If you ask any student to point to the silicon content in their house they will immediately point to their solar array. Very few will point to the dozens of inverters, power supplies, TV’s, computers, ipods, horizontal axis washers, LED lights, or other items that are powered or controlled with tiny semiconductor chips. These chips are also silicon based devices working to make, move, and use energy more efficiently.
Make Energy
The houses here are fully solar powered. Silicon is still the primary material in PV panels and a silicon based chip is responsible for managing the electrical conversions from DC to AC and synchronizing power with the electric grid.
Move Energy
As more distributed renewable energy systems are tied into the electric grid the need for grid modernization becomes critical. A few terms gaining prominence are smart meter, smart grid, and smart garage. The “smart” is provided by silicon chips managing the flow and reporting of energy use and providing consumers, both large and small, real-time information on energy use and cost. These systems enable optimization of the entire electric network.
Use Energy
And finally there is the efficient use of power. Efficiency is the fastest and most cost-effective solution we have to reducing our collective energy use. Silicon chips are making power supplies more efficient, driving the CFL and LED lighting systems, and operating variable speed drives to optimize motor efficiency. There are dozens of these devices in each decathlon house.
Texas Instruments designs and builds billions of chips each year. These devices, which take less than 0.2 kWh to design and manufacture hold the potential to save billions of kWh each year by more efficiently making, moving, and using energy. Semiconductor and Solar PV are different silicon based industries with a common goal – a more sustainable society.
Paul Westbrook
Sustainable Development Manager, SMTS, LEED AP
Original publication date: 10/14/2009
