| E3: Engineering Energy Efficiency - 'A North American View' |
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We hear constantly about the economic woes of the various civilized nations of the world. We hear a lot about the various factors that are determining the erosion of our environment. We also hear much about the depleting energy sources and the dire need to conserve this valuable commodity. We now are told that nuclear energy sources are green. I guess it depends on how one views green. The world needs - more than ever -good, creative engineers, not politicians. Those who can see a big-picture problem as an opportunity and who can develop designs to reduce the energy we consume and cleaner, greener ways to generate that which we need. At this time of year, we can look forward to the highlight in the Power conference calendar, APEC. This year it is to be held in Palm Springs and PSD will as always be participating. I hope to see you there. APEC 2010 continues the long-standing tradition of addressing issues of immediate and long-term interest to power electronics engineers with professional development courses, presentations of peer-reviewed technical papers and the all-important time to network and enjoy the company of power electronics professionals in a great setting. Coilcraft, Power Systems Design North America & Rogers Corporation are running an open golf tournament on Sunday, February 21, 2010 at The Golf Club, Terra Lago, Tahquitz Creek Resort, 8400 Terra Lago Parkway, Indo, California 92203. For more details follow: www.powersystemsdesign.com/golf.htmHopefully in 2010 our industry will start to recover and attract the quality engineers we need. Some segments such as automotive are already reporting resurgence; iSuppli commented that 2009 will be remembered as one of the most dismal years in the history of the global semiconductor business, with a plunge of more than $32 billion in revenue compared to 2008. The difficult year for Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) hardware revenues continued throughout 2009 with global revenues down more than 20% according to IMS Research. By contrast, UPS service and support revenues are forecast to have actually increased in 2009 by over 5%. For four straight quarters UPS hardware revenues declined year-on-year. Geographically, the UPS market recovery is predicted to begin first in the Americas to be followed by EMEA and Asia, though it will be several years before demand returns to 2008 levels. As many before me have predicted, it looks from the snapshot view that I get from our industry that while our natural optimism will drive us positively forward. I think we are all aware that business will be tough for the foreseeable future. Probably a median somewhere between the analysts’ reports and the over-upbeat talk-ups from beleaguered firms is a good place to start. Enjoy the issue, keep the feedback coming and check out our fun site, Dilbert, at the back of the magazine. All the best!
Editorial Director, Power Systems Design This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
