Semiconductor technologies: The potential to revolutionize U.S. energy productivity (Part III)

• Published in: Environmental Quality Management 2010-06, Vol.19 (4), p.29-50
• Main Authors: Laitner, John A. "Skip", Knight, Chris Poland, McKinney, Vanessa L., Ehrhardt-Martinez, Karen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electric power; Electric power generation; Electricity; Electricity distribution; Energy conservation; Energy efficiency; Productivity; Semiconductors
• ISSN: 1088-1913; 1520-6483
• DOI: 10.1002/tqem.20261

The third part of a series discusses on semiconductor-related technologies. In the "most likely" reference-case forecast, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects electricity consumption to grow at an average rate of about 1% annually from 2008 through 2030. In January 2009, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) released a study that suggested a 5% to 8%savings from the EIA reference case forecast by 2030. The EPRI study includes a list of technologies that can be implemented, together with their associated electricity savings at the end use. While the EPRI study demonstrates significant energy savings from semiconductor-related technologies, it assumes no further policies and no new technologies. Semiconductor-enabled technologies have been the backbone of the US's economic productivity, especially in the last three decades. And despite the immediate growth in electricity demands to power the growing number of devices and technologies, semiconductors have enabled a surprisingly larger energy productivity benefit in that same period.