The pace of innovations in batteries has not matched the remarkably fast evolution in the development of portable electronic technology. Batteries are widely regarded as the weak point slowing the rapid innovations in portable technology. Chief among consumer complaints are that batteries do not last long enough and that they do not last as long as the manufacturer claims they will.
Portable electronic manufacturers had the foresight to realize that battery technology was not keeping up with innovation in electronic technology, and it probably never would. To satisfy consumer demand for smaller and more powerful electronic devices that could go a longer time between charges, improvements in the energy efficiency of the devices themselves were required.
Consumer preference to “unplug” from the wall has been responsible for making all electronic equipment more energy-stingy. The growing demand for portable energy for ever-smaller phones, laptop computers, and DVD players has been the driving force behind the tremendous energy efficiency improvements in electronic equipment. Although the market for laptops, notebooks and palm-size computers is only a small fraction of what it is for desktops, much of the smart energy-saving electronics developed for these devices have been incorporated in desktop computers. In the United States, companies and consumers are saving millions of dollars in energy costs since new computers, mostly replacement systems, are being plugged in at a rate of over thirty million a year. Just as importantly, society receives the environmental benefit of reducing the need for additional electric power plants.
This rapid pace of innovation in electronics will continue. With each advance, electronic circuits become smaller, more sophisticated, more reliable, and ever more energy-stingy. In 2000, Transmeta Corporation introduced the Crusoe microprocessor that is specifically designed as a low-power option for notebooks and Internet appliances. Transmeta claims that a notebook equipped with a 500 to 700 MHz clock speed Crusoe chip requires slightly more than 1 watt of power on average—far less power than the average microprocessor’s 6 to 10 watts. The chip garners additional savings since it emits less heat, eliminating the need for a cooling thermostats or fan.
The Crusoe microprocessor and similar microprocessors coming from other chip manufacturers mark a revolutionary advance: allday computing with full PC capabilities from a single smaller and lighter battery. As these more energy-stingy microprocessors migrate to the “plugged in” office world, it will help slow the rate of electricity and energy demand for office equipment.
