Optoelectronics: green in more ways than one

29 October 2008 News

The Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) concluded its Green Photonics forum recently, examining the role of optoelectronics in a sustainable future. The various segments represented at the forum developed trend maps reflecting the various ways that optoelectronics is enabling many aspects of the green revolution.

For the first time, OIDA is addressing the impact of photonics on the green movement. From solar and solid state lighting, to optoelectronics used in manufacturing and metrology for green products, improved communications efficiency to environmental sensing and remediation, optoelectronics is enabling or providing technology that reduces power, waste and pollution. The market for these products is expected to exceed $100 billion by 2015.

"While the optoelectronics industry has always focused on efficiency, mapping the broad array of green metrics can accelerate industry contributions to sustainable development," said Dr. Michael Lebby. "Optoelectronics will permeate all aspects of our lives, so green photonics is becoming a discipline."

The individual industries have unique interests, but what became clear from the forum was the wide number of ways in which the various communities share interests. These include common manufacturing methods and packaging systems, metrology needs, sensing and control, green metrics like energy balance and lifecycle waste management.

Currently, lighting consumes 20% of electricity, television around 5% and data centres around 1,2%, growing to 4-5% by the end of the decade. Including signage, computer displays, other optical networking equipment, and factoring in photovoltaic technology and optical sensing for smart management, it is clear that optoelectronics will have a significant impact. Trend maps developed at the forum will provide industry guidance on advancing a green agenda while maintaining economic benefits.

For more information visit www.oida.org

Further reading:

Altron celebrates 60th birthday with a call to rebuild Johannesburg
Altron Arrow News
Altron is celebrating its 60th birthday by honouring Johannesburg’s heritage and encouraging business, government and civil society to come together and respond to our President’s call to rebuild Johannesburg.

Read more...

---

Electronic News Digest
News
A brief synopsis of current global news relating to the electronic engineering fields with regards to company finances, general company news, and engineering technologies.

Read more...

---

Jemstech to produce PCB assemblies for Kamstrup
Jemstech News
Jemstech is pleased to announce that they have successfully concluded a supplier agreement with Kamstrup A/S in Denmark, a leading supplier of intelligent metering solutions in the global market.

Read more...

---

New appointments at Hiconnex
Hiconnex News
Hiconnex, a leading provider of electronic components and solutions, has announced key appointments to support its continued growth and commitments to its clients.

Read more...

---

FoundriesFactory service more affordable for smaller OEMs
News
Foundries.io has announced a new, tiered pricing scheme which reduces the cost of its highly regarded FoundriesFactory service for OEMs in the development phase of a new edge AI or Linux OS-based product.

Read more...

---

DMASS 2024 results
News
The semiconductor business faced a severe downturn, with a 31,9% decrease compared to 2023 and a 30,3% drop in Q4 2024 compared to the same period last year.

Read more...

---

Using satellite comms to end copper theft
News
According to Transnet COO Solly Letsoalo, the scourge of copper theft could be a thing of the past by eliminating the use of copper cabling and switching to a satellite communication system.

Read more...

---

Strategic merger: Etion Create and Nanoteq
Etion Create News
Reunert has announced the successful merger of two business units within the Applied Electronics Segment, namely Etion Create and Nanoteq, effective 1 October 2024.

Read more...

---

Securex South Africa 2025
Specialised Exhibitions News
Securex South Africa 2025 is co-located with A-OSH EXPO, Facilities Management Expo, and Firexpo to provide a time-saver for visitors looking for holistic solutions for their facilities.

Read more...

---

Chinese AI causes Silicon Valley stocks to tumble
News
Many stocks took a downward spike, with Nvidia being the hardest hit, losing 16,9% after one day’s trading.

Read more...

---