No. 99: Operate audio-visual equipment by natural energy (July 12, 2010)

One of Sony’s subsidiaries developed the technology to operate audio-visual equipment by natural energy like photovoltaic generation. It is the technology to generate power by sunlight and biomass and store the generated power in the lithium ion battery, and supply power as needed. It allows AV equipment to use direct current with less power loss as compared with using the alternative current. The company tested the technology in a football game in Ghana. The system generated by photovoltaic panels of 500 kW in the daytime and supplied power stored in the battery to the projectors and speakers used to screen the game. The company confirmed that about four hours’ charge was enough to screen a game little longer than two hours. This technology seems very promising in developing countries where demand for AV equipment is growing because it can establish a distributed system to satisfy local power demand locally.