ERA has completed a study for PerkinElmer to calculate the quantity of carbon dioxide emissions saved by the use of its “PKI” sensors.

The results of the study were presented at “Electronica” in Munich, Germany in early November 2008 and have also been reported in Laser Focus magazine. PerkinElmer is one of the market leaders in lighting and other types of electronic sensors. Its sensors are used to control street lights, security lighting, lighting in offices and homes and they also produce sensors to control air conditioning, printers and copiers and several types of automotive sensors.

Without sensors, streetlights would need to be controlled by timers which do not take into account sunset and sunrise times which change considerably during the year, this variation increases with distance from the equator. There are also daily changes in lighting levels due to the weather which timers cannot take into account. A recent study carried out for the EU EuP Directive (2005/32/EC) showed that 3% of EU office lighting is controlled automatically; these sensors switch lighting off when there are no people present.

Calculation of CO2 emissions was based on published figures for the amount emitted per kWh in each of the three regions where most PKI sensors are used; North America, Europe and Asia. Amounts vary quite significantly; Europe on average emits less CO2 / kWh than North America or Asia because of the larger proportions of energy generated from nuclear and hydroelectricity.

The positive impact of PerkinElmer’s sensors was surprisingly large saving an estimated 35,000 GW-hours per year - equivalent to 22 million tonnes of CO2. These figures show that use of these types of sensors leads to a significant benefit to the environment. Also there is potential for further savings as currently, only 3% of office lighting is automatically controlled. altogether use of PerkinElmer’s sensors provides annual energy savings equivalent to:

• 22 million tonnes CO2 - equivalent to the emissions from two average-size power stations in EU, or the amount emitted if every US car were to drive 700 miles,
• 35,000 GW-hours - this is considerably larger than the total electricity generated by many African countries.

Global warming is now accepted to be a serious threat and politicians are increasingly agreeing that action must be taken. The EU plans to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020, the UK target is 80% by 2050 and the US President–elect has indicated that the US will reduce greenhouse gas emission by 80% by 2050. The EuP Directive and the US Federal Energy Act are just two measures that have already been adopted concerning energy efficiency, both of which have an impact on electrical equipment manufacturers. Technology that saves energy will be increasingly important in the future with opportunities for innovative new products.