Green Plugannounced the appointment of Paul Panepinto to the newly created position of VP Ecosystem Development. Panepinto will oversee Green Plug’s ongoing involvement in industry-wide efforts to standardize dc power adapters so they can power virtually any consumer electronics device. Previously, Panepinto was VP Sales and Marketing – a role now filled by semiconductor industry veteran Graeme Finlayson, who recently joined the company.
"We created this new position specifically to monitor the rapid progress toward development of a universal dc power standard and smart power adapters, and to ensure that our voice and the voice of vendors, individual product groups, suppliers and other interested parties is included in the ongoing dialogue," said Frank Paniagua, Jr., Green Plug CEO. "With more than two decades of experience working with standards organizations and competing governmental, technology and manufacturing interests to bring positive change to the marketplace, Paul has the background required to lead this important initiative."
Following the standardization of cell phone handset power adapters using USB, there has been a growing call by governments around the world to develop standards for higher-powered devices. Green Plug currently is working with chipmakers and electronics manufacturers to expand deployment of the company’s Greenwire™ multi-function physical layer technology and Greentalk™ digital power protocol. The Greentalk digital power protocol enables devices to collaborate with power supplies to dynamically monitor and control them, thus minimizing power consumption under diverse operating conditions.
DC power hubs enabled with Green Plug’s Green Power Processor (GPP) chip can simultaneously power multiple devices, each with its own specific voltage and power requirements. By implementing Green Plug technology, manufacturers also minimize solid waste by enabling consumers to continue to use their smart power adapters and battery chargers with newer electronic devices long after their current CE devices have become obsolete.
"Over the past year or so, we’ve met with leaders representing all aspects of the power community to address the greatest obstacle to the development of a universal power interface – the short-term costs of components," said Panepinto. "Through partnerships with leading System-on-Chip (SoC) IP providers like Imagination Technologies, we’ve developed a way for manufacturers to address the cost issue and implement the benefits of universal power. The time has come to stop making cheap, disposable power supplies and replace them with high-quality, durable goods that lower product lifecycle costs, offer more functionality and reduce the negative impact conventional power supplies have on the environment."
Prior to joining Green Plug in 2006, Panepinto was CEO of Novatix, a security technology start-up. He also has held positions during his career as director of alliances for Verity, and as VP of Sales for Black Pearl Software and Lynx Real-time Systems.
