Sharp at IFA – the experience of ecological advancement through “High Technology & Super Green”

Berlin, IFA, 04.09.2009

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At IFA 2009, technology group Sharp is presenting its products under the motto “High Technology & Super Green”. Energy-efficient LCD TVs with LED backlight, solar power modules, LED lamps and the biggest LCD and solar cell manufacturing plant in the world demonstrate both the environmental commitment and long-term capability of the Japanese company.

In the new “Eurobarometer” survey by the European Commission, an overwhelming majority of 83% of EU citizens declare that the environmental impact of a product is an important criterion when deciding which products to buy.  This figure shows that impact on the environment is now considered to be more important when deciding which products to buy than the product brand or brand name, which was only chosen as an important factor by 39% of respondents.   This consumer stance will increase the motivation of companies to produce ecologically good products. At the IFA consumer electronics trade show, Sharp highlights its comprehensive ecological commitment, and its history of several decades of environmental research and development, under the motto “High Technology & Super Green”. The company’s stand at IFA is a reflection of Sharp’s global environmental strategy – the manufacture of energy-saving and energy-generating products in ecologically optimized plants.

Sharp LED LCD-TVs: 50 per cent power saving
With its new LCD TVs incorporating LED backlight technology, Sharp sets new standards in energy efficiency, thereby providing one of the highlights of the Berlin show. The new models not only have a convincingly brilliant picture but also consume 50 per cent  less electricity during standards mode than conventional LCD TVs on the market. Sharp first started mass production of LEDs back in 1972 and developed the first full colour LED a full 20 years ago. With the LED lamps of today, Sharp provides a more environment-friendly and better quality alternative to conventional incandescent light bulbs. Now Sharp has combined two core developments of the company – LCD TV technology and the LED – in its new LED LCD TVs.

Other ecological features, such as OPC, the automatic adjustment of screen brightness to the surrounding conditions by means of a light sensor, mean that energy use in operating the television is as efficient as possible. When the set receives no signal, it automatically switches off, thereby preventing any unnecessary power consumption. In addition to high energy efficiency, Sharp provides exemplary ecological characteristics over the full life cycle of the product. Long life, high recyclability of the materials and low energy consumption make the Sharp LCD TV a model of ecology.  These positive environmental features have also been commended by the European Commission: back in 2005, Sharp was the first company in the world to be awarded the EU eco-label. Today, all new Sharp LCD TVs bear this coveted seal of approval for environmental quality.

Sharp – 50 years of solar history
Sharp is not only a manufacturer of consumer electronics but also one of the world’s leading solar industry companies with a 50-year history in the photovoltaic field. No other company has as many photovoltaic solutions in its portfolio as the long-time world market leader, which now offers both crystalline and thin film solar power modules. At IFA, Sharp is exhibiting thin film modules together with applications that bring solar energy into the mainstream of daily life. For example, the solar street lights, a street lighting system based on solar power, are a unique combination of solar cells and LEDs. Polycrystalline solar cells generate the energy, which is stored in the solar battery and then released to the ten energy-saving high-power LEDs at dusk.

With the new solar mobile phones SH002A and 936SH, Sharp demonstrates the mobile application of solar power, setting a new trend for the combination of mobile technologies and renewable energy sources. The hybrid phone is operated by a rechargeable battery that can be charged to up to 80% of its full capacity by energy from the sun.

Sakai – industrial complex for the 21st century
The world’s most modern and most ecologically advanced LCD and solar cell factory is currently taking shape in Sakai in Japan. The whole industrial complex has a 28 megawatt solar power facility, which is the biggest in the world, consisting of an 18 megawatt solar roof installation on the buildings and a ten megawatt free field installation in front of the manufacturing complex of Sakai. At the same time, energy-efficient lighting is provided by the use of more than 100,000 LED lamps. This feature alone reduces CO2 emissions by 17,750 metric tons. An integrated Energy Centre monitors, controls and optimizes the varying instantaneous consumption of electricity, gas and industrial water. The water is recycled and re-used. This ecologically optimized plant is the world’s biggest solar cell factory, with a production capacity of 1 gigawatt per year. Visitors to the Sharp stand will be able to find out all about this 21st century industrial complex by means of films and a model of the plant.

By manufacturing both energy-saving and energy-generating products in ecologically optimized factories, Sharp has economically integrated all its business divisions under a single comprehensive environmental strategy.

With this global environmental strategy, Sharp has firmly anchored the protection of the environment into its corporate structure. One key aim of the company on the road to becoming an “Environmentally Advanced Company” is the significant reduction of direct and indirect CO¬2 emissions from both industrial processes and finished products. Sharp has laid down global environmental standards that are applied in all its factories and products, which are subject to continual refinement and dynamic improvement.

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