Intelligent Standby Energy Saver Wins Global Live EDGE Design Contest

Pedro Rodrigues of Portugal is the winner of thisyear's Premier Farnell's Global Live EDGE2008 - Electronic Design for the Global Environment Challenge. Rodrigues'design, an Intelligent Standby Energy Saver, automatically detects the standbymode of electrical equipment and disconnects the power when it's not required.Power savings is achieved by the intelligent control of power to consumer items(such as televisions and entertainment systems) where the accumulated standbypower is effectively reduced.

His design won out in a field of hundreds of entries in thesecond year of this competition.

The Live EDGE challenge requires entrants to submit designsutilizing electronic components in an innovative way to make a positive impacton the environment.

Premier Farnell CEO Harriet Green said during theannouncement that Rodrigues' application has the potential to "save energy theworld over."

Rodrigues says his main source of inspiration in creatingthis project was to be able to use artificial intelligence models to includeequipment that has the ability to recognize standby and non-standby modes. Hisbackground includes teaching and investigation, specializing in artificial intelligence. 

"I'm very happy and very honored to be here and helpparticipate in this project," Rodrigues says. "Mostly what inspired me was thepersonal challenge. I think most of all my contribution ... has to do with thisstandby in electrical devices. My project allows us to recognize, through alearning process, what and if the equipment is on the standby mode or on thestandard mode."

Rodrigues' Intelligent Standby Energy Saver can automaticallydetermine whether electronic equipment should be withdrawn from its powersupply or not. Sensors determine the right moment to restore power to theequipment. "This way we can achieve energy savings," Rodrigues says.

"The Intelligent Standby Energy Saver design takes aradically different and technically superior approach to determining powerusages," says Sir Peter Gershon, chairman of Premier Farnell and Live EDGEjudge. "The idea of using a neural network algorithm to accomplish Mr.Rodrigues' energy saving design is original and clearly more efficient than conventionalenergy savings methods."

Rodrigues received a prize package that includes a $25,000cash prize and support services to bring the designs to market.

Two runners up to this year's contest were also announced.Each received $5,000 for their designs.

The first runner up, John Tillson from England, designed a PowerShiftPower Controller designed to switch off critical loads during supply/demandimbalances, easing the burden on national power grids at times of peak demand.The system works by detecting the peak times of electrical power usage, thenswitching off any suitable electrical appliances to lessen the total loadpresented to the power grid.

The second runner up is Antonio Lalguna of Spain for his design of anautomatic irrigation system to improve photovoltaic systems. This device isaimed at improving the efficiency of solar panels by 30 percent using arainwater harvesting system to automatically clean and cool off the panels.

Last year's winner, John Noble, designed a product called MyFan– a ceiling fan that combines an electronically commutated motor andcontroller and aerodynamically efficient blade design that reduces fan inputpower by up to 66 percent of that of a traditional ceiling fan. It boastsauxiliary output channels that drive up to 20W of integrated LED lighting withup/down lighting modules. Noble anticipates having his winning design ready fordistribution later this year.