LCD energy saver wins award

3M’s Optical Systems division has received the Alliance to Save Energy’s Innovative Star of Energy Efficiency award for its Vikuiti dual brightness enhancement films for LCD TVs and monitors.

Since 1993, the Alliance to Save Energy, a non-profit coalition of business, government, environmental and consumer leaders, has recognised the efforts of those working to save energy, money and the planet.

The Innovative Star award, which is one of seven award categories, recognises an emerging technology or service that has the potential to transform a sector of the energy-efficiency market but which, given the early stage of the innovation, has yet to generate proved savings.

The Vikuiti dual brightness enhancement film, a reflective polariser, is a multi-layer film that recycles light normally absorbed by the polariser inside LCD TVs and monitors. Recycling this light maximises the brightness of LCDs and reduces the number of watts required to operate TVs and monitors.

Using it allows manufacturers to eliminate two or more bulbs in the backlight assembly of LCD monitors and TVs, increasing overall energy efficiency of the devices by up to 32%.