HP has stepped up its push into the green technology space, agreeing to license its transparent transistor technology to solar panel start-up Xtreme Energetics (XE) and unveiling new plans to reduce the environmental impact of IT.

The transparent transistor technology, co-developed with Oregon State University, will enable XE to build low-profile panels which are not required to mechanically track the sun.

According to the companies, the transparent transistors will improve the overall efficiency of the panels by allowing more light to penetrate the solar cells.

Promising energy yields at twice the efficiency and half the cost of traditional solar panels, the technology comprises thin-film transparent transistors, which the companies said would allow for higher mobility, better chemical stability and easier manufacture than panels using silicon. The panels will also use lower cost materials, such as zinc and tin, according to XE.

Meanwhile, HP has also announced three new projects from its Sustainable IT Lab designed to enhance the green credentials of IT systems.

The first of the projects aims to cut datacentre energy consumption by up to 75 per cent through applying various energy-saving technologies and novel cooling techniques.

The other projects include replacing copper wires with optical laser technology, which uses less power in transmission; and developing a set of tools to model, predict, measure and manage the environmental impact of product manufacturing, supply chains and business processes.

The latter is particularly pertinent in IT where increasingly globalised supply chains mean a notebook PC, for example, may clock up enough component transport miles to circumnavigate the globe twice before the finished product arrives in the hands of its end user.

The projects are part of a wave of initiatives from IT manufacturers such as HP, Dell and IBM designed to enhance the energy efficiency and green credentials that has faced increasing scrutiny from legislators over its environmental impact.

The US Environmental Protection Agency recently estimated that datacentres account for 1.5 per cent of US energy consumption, some 150 billion kWh in 2005, 60 billion kWh of which was consumed by cooling equipment.

In the UK, BT's datacentres are estimated to use about 0.7 per cent of the UK's electricity consumption.