HIDCO looks to adopt e-ink tech for lowering power consumption
Kolkata: West Bengal Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) is exploring the options of using a display technology that consumes very low power as part of its Green City initiative. It has already installed such a display using e-ink technology at a bus shed near Gate 2 of Eco Park, as a pilot project.
"New Town has already got Gold rating from IGBC for Green City. We are now seeking Platinum status and we are mulling the option of using low energy. The e-ink display technology is being explored for communication," a senior official of HIDCO said.
It may be mentioned that during his visit to Taiwan earlier this year for attending Computex 2018, HIDCO chairman Debashis Sen had come to know of this display technology, which uses very little power.
The e-ink technology involves minimum power consumption if one doesn't change the display and only a tiny amount of power is consumed when the display changes. The clarity is also of very high quality.
"This low-power high-contrast display makes e-ink an ideal choice for public announcements, notices, conference schedules and reading material. The displays can be uploaded or changed from a laptop connected through WiFi. If the pilot project is successful we will use it for more such purposes," the official added.
The screen of the Kindle e-book reader is an example of the use of e-ink technology. The Kindle e-book does not need to be charged
for weeks and months. The display clarity is
so good that people often mistake the display
on a switched-off Kindle to be a paper stuck on it.
E Ink, with its headquarters in Taiwan, has its partner office in Bengaluru that has developed the technology that is being used in the pilot project in New Town. E Ink has its business development agency in Kolkata.
"We need to do something to reduce the reflection from the front screen and to have LED lighting to improve readability at night. We may also require a bigger size for prominent outdoor display," the HIDCO official said.
