The issues of sustainability, global warming, and energy independence have taken center stage in today’s policy discussions. Although many feel that unchecked technical advances were the source of many of these problems, the government is increasingly looking to technology for solutions. In both popular and technical press, the term “green” applies to virtually any approach or technology that addresses at least some of these concerns.
The term “Green Photonics” carries an equally broad context. Photonics, or the commonly substituted term optoelectronics, is that area of technology where light (photons) interacts with electricity (electrons). This field is highly interdisciplinary, and often overlaps with others. In this presentation, we will examine a subset of photonics that addresses sustainability, global warming, and energy independence – the area also known as Green Photonics.
Although Green Photonics often brings to mind photovoltaic solar collectors and high brightness light emitting diodes, many applications are often so ubiquitous that they escape most peoples’ notice. For example, a server farm can consume as much as 200 megawatts of electricity, the equivalent of three power plants. As a result, companies like Google, Microsoft, and Cisco place them near sources of abundant low-cost electric power (Eemshaven in the Netherlands – wind, Iceland – geothermal and hydro).
The reason such server farms require an inordinate amount of power is that information arrives via photons on fiber optic cables and is converted into electricity before processors can execute the required functions. Then the server farm converts the electrons back into photons and sends them along the appropriate optical fiber. These conversions are a highly inefficient process. A Green Photonics approach would eliminate the conversion processes and would perform optical computing function, thereby saving massive amounts of electricity.
This talk will examine photonic applications that can generate, reduce, or monitor energy consumption. It will identify business opportunities and presentmarket projections.
