WASHINGTON, DC--The Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA), a not-for-profit association that serves as the nexus for vision, transformation, and growth of the optoelectronics industry, concluded its Green Photonics Forum in Lakewood, CO in September 2008. From solar photovoltaics (PV) and solid-state lighting (SSL), 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 will 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 Michael Lebby, OIDA president and CEO. “Optoelectronics will permeate all aspects of our lives, so green photonics is becoming a discipline.”
The Forum revealed that even though individual industries have unique interests, those interests are shared in a wide number of ways by the various communities. These include common manufacturing methods and packaging systems, metrology needs, sensing and control, and green metrics like energy balance and lifecycle waste management. Currently, lighting consumes 20% of electricity, television around 5%, and data centers around 1.2%, growing to 4–5% by the end of the decade. Including signage, computer displays, other optical networking equipment, and factoring in PV technology and optical sensing for smart management, it is clear that optoelectronics will have a significant impact. Trend maps developed at the Forum provide industry guidance on advancing a green agenda while maintaining economic benefits.
In partnership with PennWell (Tulsa, OK), OIDA will explore these issues in greater detail next May in Santa Clara, CA at OPTOmism 2009. The Executive & Investor Forum will take place on May 18, with the Conference & Exhibition on May 19–20. In the Executive & Investor Forum, senior executives and investors from over 30 firms will participate in discussing opportunities for innovation and in providing answers to questions such as: Where are the “Trajectory changers”? In energy generation? Distribution? Efficient use? What breakthroughs are needed? Where do new photonic solutions provide critical path answers? How do PV and SSL players become armed and partner to SCALE Efficiently? How do we actually pick the low-hanging fruit to improve incumbent energy sources and uses--oil & gas, grid performance, process control, coal, and carbon management? Review the complete agenda at www.optomismshow.com.
