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Sharp develops solar powered LCD TV |
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Sunday, 06 July 2008 |
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| During the Hokkaido Toyako Summit from July 7 to July 9, this year, Sharp Corporation will exhibit its environmentally conscious products & advanced environmental technologies, like a solar powered LCD TV at the Hokkaido Toyako Summit. |
Sharp is cooperating in holding the Hokkaido Toyako Summit (the G8 Summit) by bringing to the world its energy-saving & energy-creating technologies to prevent global warming.
Profile of Major Products to be Exhibited
26-inch Low Power Consumption LCD TV (Prototype)
Low power consuming design
Uses approximately one-fourth the power and has about one-third the annual energy consumption of a conventional 28-inch CRT TV having nearly the same screen area. Even compared to existing LCD TVs, the low power consuming design uses about one-third the power and has around one-half the annual energy consumption.
Can be used even in off-grid areas when paired with a solar power system
The extremely low power consumption of this LCD TV means it can also be run, for example, from a solar module whose surface area roughly equals the viewing area of the screen. Marketing a combination of this LCD TV paired with a solar energy system will not only contribute to the environment, but also make it possible to watch TV even in areas where utility-supplied electricity is unavailable. An estimated 1.6 billion people are said to live in such areas worldwide, and this pairing could be expected to aid in improving the lives of these people.
Triple-junction thin-film solar cell module
Highly cost-effective, plus high environmental performance
Thin-film solar cells use significantly less refined silicon than crystalline solar cells, plus the energy used when fabricating the solar cells is lower because of fewer processing steps. And the fact they use no rare or scarce metals, or materials regulated under the RoHS Directive, means they are highly cost-effective and offer a high level of environmental performance.
The industry’s highest level of module conversion efficiency (for triple-junction thin-film solar cell modules)
The stacked triple-junction structure of these solar cells places two layers of amorphous silicon on top of a single layer of microcrystalline silicon, enabling a solar module conversion efficiency of approximately 10%, the top level in the industry. Plus, compared to crystalline solar cells, these thin-film solar cells generate ample electricity even in regions with high ambient temperatures thanks to their superior temperature characteristics.
Expansion of new applications
Thin-film solar cells can be made semi-transparent or “see-through” by using a laser-trimming process to create large numbers of optically transparent slits over the surface of the cell. This allows such cells to be used as architectural elements, for example, lighting windows such as skylights and curtain walls, and has made possible practical new applications for solar cells in which they form an integral part of the building itself. In addition to large-scale power generating systems, commercial/industrial systems, and residential systems, a growing number of new applications in the windows and wall surfaces of buildings can be anticipated in the future.
Read the press release here
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