Did you know that standby power, the power consumed by electronic devices in the “off” mode, amounts to nearly 5% of U.S. residential electricity usage? Home electronic products use energy when they're off to power features like clock displays and remote controls. That 5% wasted energy is over 64 million megawatt hours or the equivalent output of more than 15 average power plants! Read more

Shopping for a new LCD TV? If you think a 50” high definition LCD TV with LED back light is state-of-the-art, think again!

I’m at the 2009 FPD International and Green Device show in Yokohama, Japan and am seeing some amazingly cool products.Read more

Showcasing the latest developments in solar markets, Solar Power International 2009 is a perfect place for our Next-Generation SunFab module technology to be launched. Leveraging economies of scale, Applied has been able to work with leading suppliers to introduce key process efficiencies that reduce the cost of SunFab panels by 22%. In addition to the cost savings, these SunFab panels have received IEC certification.

This has been a very bright week indeed for solar. Not only did I witness the opening of Applied Materials’ Solar Technology Center—the world’s largest non-governmental solar energy research facility in Xi’an, China—but I was heartened to learn that halfway around the world, in the United States, solar energy was given quite the spotlight as well.

Read more

At a meeting with the Shaanxi Provincial government yesterday, Applied Materials announced plans to donate funds to purchase 150 solar roof top power generation systems (a donation equivalent to RMB1.2 million). The donation will help 150 families in a remote rural area in Shaanxi province – which due to its location has never been connected to the national power grid – have access to electricity for the first time.