TI helping to solve one of today’s most important technology problems
Texas Instruments is working to create technologies that help customers save energy and extend battery life and has been an active voice on energy management in the marketplace of ideas and research.
Thirty years ago, consumers and businesses used only a dozen or more power-hungry electronics in the home and office. Today, large-panel digital TVs, cell phones, game consoles and other items demand more electricity than ever before. Adding to the situation, more than half of the electricity consumed in America is used to operate an appliance or device that turns a motor, many of which are not efficient.
Energy regulations require better power design approaches
Government environmental agencies from leading industrial countries are suggesting energy savings requirements for products. Meeting these and other new stringent design requirements will not only be a challenge but also provide a large opportunity for electronics manufacturers. TI is helping its customers achieve energy savings by developing technology that increases efficiency and reduces power consumption. By applying intelligent energy management semiconductor-based technology, TI customers can create products that improve reliability and power performance.
Leading with analog and digital solutions
TI’s analog and digital solutions provide more efficient use of energy in innovative and increasingly complex applications, such as multi-function cell phones with long battery life or energy-efficient computer servers.
For example, TI’s digital signal controllers and high-performance analog green-mode power supply controllers allow HDTVs and other electronic goods to achieve energy efficiencies approaching 90 percent. A recent CNET test concluded that some HDTVs can draw up to 50 watts just in standby mode. With the right application of existing technology, power wasted in standby mode can be drastically reduced.
TI’s motor control technologies like digital signal controllers and analog components enable customers to use smaller, more efficient motors with greater levels of performance. This, in turn, lowers power loss and produces less heat, so systems can achieve a longer life and higher reliability.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, electric motors found in domestic “white” goods use 60 percent of the world’s electrical power, with refrigeration consuming nearly 10 percent of this energy. Working with a leading white goods manufacturer with multiple brand products worldwide, TI was able to help design a new washing machine that uses 30 percent less energy and has increased washing efficiency thanks to the addition of a TI processor.
True “green” energy like wind and solar power is also benefiting from TI’s experience in power management. Predictions are that there will be 5,550 megawatts (mW) of installed solar power systems by 2010, up from 1,397 mW in 2005. Among the key electronics used in a solar power system is an inverter that converts the electricity from the panels into a usable household voltage. These high-performance inverters, based on TI digital signal controllers, enable maximum system efficiency during all weather conditions, including cloudy and low light days. Some companies are only starting to develop new innovative applications that harness the power of the sun, such as portable solar-powered wireless base stations that brings modern development into third-world countries.
TI wants to change the perception of energy conservation by creating products that help optimize power usage and eliminate waste.
|
