Welcome to the October issue of Power Systems Design Europe. As I write, things are gearing up for the biggest show in the electronics industry, electronica, which will be held in Munich from the 10th to the 13th of November. Power will be heavily represented as usual, especially as one of the featured topics this year is energy efficiency. The other two highlighted topics will be AI and cyber resilience. One area that is bound to be prominent in the energy efficiency stream will be smart cities. Cities use the vast majority of the energy we generate. The IEA estimates that they consume between 75% and 80% of the world’s total energy, which includes both electricity and primary energy used for heating, transport, and industry. That figure is expected to rise as the proportion of global population living in cities increases. Making cities smarter and more energy efficient will take some of the pressure off urban power grids. Those savings can be achieved in many ways, from more intelligent grids, to simple occupancy detection in buildings and smart traffic controls. All of those application rely heavily on electronics engineering – sensors, microcontrollers, and of course power electronics.
We look at some of the technology behind smart cities in our Special Report this month. The first article in the section looks at the small vehicles that will provide the most efficient way to navigate smart cities, for both personal and commercial transport. Advanced displays are essential in any type of modern transport for visualization, personalization and smartphone connectivity. These displays will also be integral parts of the smart city concept, ensuring the vehicle has the information it needs to get from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible. They will also help monitor the status and condition of the vehicle itself to ensure it is operating to its maximum capabilities. The article was submitted by distributor Rutronik, and it looks at how Infineon’s TRAVEO T2G Graphics microcontrollers are designed to meet all of the requirements mentioned above by combining conventional control functions with integrated graphics processing. The family ranges from the low end, to sophisticated chips with the capability to support graphical interfaces, navigation, cameras, head-up displays and multi-display systems. The article also highlights how safety and security can be enhanced by the microcontroller family.
The second article in the Special Report this month was submitted by Analog Devices, and it concerns intermediate buses. Many industries are moving to higher distribution voltages to decrease currents, which saves on wiring and provides a cheaper and lighter end product. This type of architecture normally needs and intermediate level to convert more efficiently from the distribution voltage to a voltage that can be used in the systems. The article looks at the best way to do this while keeping a compact design.
As well as the features in the Special Report, this month’s magazine will also contain articles of general interest to power engineers in our Tech Focus section, as well as the latest news and views from the industry.
Best Regards,
Ally Winning
European Editor, PSD
