Steeper: an Opportunity to Reduce Energy Consumption from Electronic Devices
22 November 2010
From mobile telephones to computers, including laptops and television sets, the number of electronic devices is continually increasing and, in parallel, their energy consumption. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), electronic devices currently account for 15 percent of domestic electricity consumption and the energy consumed by information technology and communications is expected to double by 2022 and triple by 2030, reaching 1,700 terawatt hours.

The enormous amount of standby consumption is particularly important: in the European Union alone it is estimated that standby power accounts for around 10 percent of electricity used in homes and offices.

In the attempt to reduce power consumption the STEEPER project was launched with the support from the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission (FP7) and coordinated by the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne. This ambitious project aims to reduce overall power consumption by approximately 10-fold for electronic devices in function, and to virtually eliminate any energy consumption when they are in standby mode. This would be possible through the use of nanotechnology and reducing power consumption at the level of transistors and nanowires.

The project started in June 2010 and will continue for 36 months.

For further information see this web site."
 

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