Plastic electronics promises energy everywhere

Dan Rogers - 09 Nov 2011

Exclusive article from the latest issue of +Plastic Electronics: to read in full click here

In 2010, the US Energy Information Administration noted that global energy consumption has risen from 355 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 1990 to 495 quadrillion Btu in 2007. The figure for global energy consumption is expected to grow to 739 quadrillion Btu in 2035.

Various means of achieving sustainability are in development, including wind and solar projects. The plastic electronics industry has been a driving force for another element of the sustainable society vision, thanks to its development of energy harvesting technologies. Devices such as dye-sensitised and organic solar cells are being optimised to harvest supplementary power, and are being adapted for integration into electronics, buildings, vehicles, and clothing.

Smart buildings

The opportunity to produce cheap electronics with simple, roll-to-roll processes could also make it feasible to use sensors in many more applications than is currently affordable, which in turn could be used to manage energy usage - dimming or switching lights depending on the presence of people in a room, managing air conditioning and much more.

Companies like dye-sensitised solar cell producer G24 Innovations are in discussions about the integration of energy harvesting devices in new products. These efforts are establishing the concept of energy harvesting in a number of applications, which are likely to expand in the future as consumer awareness increases.

In other areas, the smart buildings concept has found a following in corporations and governments, as both parties seek to demonstrate their environmental credentials. Policy and subsidy is helping create the circumstances to encourage people to adopt smart building technologies, in order to make their lifestyles or business operations more sustainable.

This article appears in full in Volume 4, issue 2 of +Plastic Electronics magazine.
To read this article, along with more high-value, exclusive content, subscribe to +Plastic Electronics magazine.