Renewable Energy

December 2016
DOE announces projects for biofuels, bioproducts, biopower

An aerial view of Rentech's Product Demonstration Unit (PDU) in Commerce City, Colorado

The Energy Department (DOE) announced the selection of six projects for up to $12.9 million in federal funding, entitled, “Project Definition for Pilot- and Demonstration-Scale Manufacturing of Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biopower.” These projects, required to share the cost at a minimum of 50%, will develop an
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Date:
12/30/2016
DoE to spend $18M to accelerate plug-in EVs and alt fuels

The Energy Department (DoE) announced $18 million in support of five EV projects

The Energy Department (DoE) announced $18 million in support of five projects for research, development, and demonstration of innovative plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) and direct injection propane engine technologies, as well as community-based projects to accelerate the adoption of light, medium and heavy duty ve
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Date:
12/28/2016
FERC issues license for Montana pumped-storage hydro project

Gordon Butte Pumped Storage Hydro project

The Gordon Butte Pumped Storage Hydro project, located in Montana, has been issued a 50-year license to construct and operate by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Final design is to be completed in 2017 with construction anticipated to begin in 2018. Gordon Butte Pumped Storage Hydro project,
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Date:
12/28/2016
Belgian investment firm Korys, owned by the Colruyt family, is investing in the Swedish renewable energy software maker Greenbyte. Greenbyte’s software supports wind energy and solar PV owners, operators and asset managers in capturing the full potential of renewable energy projects. Since its founding in 20
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Date:
12/27/2016
Energy Dept to invest in Wave Energy Test Facility

Wave energy converter (WEC) device

The Energy Department announced the award of up to $40 million, subject to appropriations, to design, permit, and construct an open-water, grid-connected national wave energy testing facility. The facility will be constructed in Newport, Oregon, by the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center at Oregon St
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Date:
12/26/2016
Ambri achieves milestone in liquid-metal batteries for grid-level storage

Fully-functioning in-lab “Beta Core” energy storage system

Ambri, a developer of novel Liquid Metal Battery grid-scale energy storage technology, announced that it has completed the first testing period of its fully-functioning in-lab “Beta Core” energy storage system, which provides 20 kWh of energy storage with a peak capacity of 6 kW and contains 432 cells. The co
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Date:
12/23/2016
California PUC approves EV infrastructure plan

The plan to install charging infrastructure ensures the utility can provide the chargers to a wider range of customers

The highly-anticipated approval of PG&E's plan to install charging infrastructure means not just that more drivers will have refueling options, but that it ensures the utility can provide the chargers to a wider range of customers by ratebasing it. The California Public Utilities Commission decision means PG&a
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Date:
12/21/2016
Heliatek to exhibit at CES in Las Vegas and BAU in Munich

HeliaFilm with junction box

Heliatek is expanding its global presence by exhibiting at two major upcoming shows in the US and Europe. The International Consumer Electronics Show (International CES) will take place from the 5th to the 8th of January 2017 in Las Vegas. This show recognizes innovative concepts and products illustrating t
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Date:
12/19/2016
Ways to participate in the “Solar in Your Community Challenge”

Solar in Your Community Challenge

The Solar in Your Community Challenge is a $5 million prize competition funded by the SunShot Initiative that aims to expand solar electricity access. Specifically, it focuses on low-and moderate-income (LMI) households and nonprofits that haven’t been able to take advantage of the booming solar market. Challenge pa
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Date:
12/19/2016
Phihong's new charger serves medical applications

DA200U-250A 24V, 8A lead-acid battery charger

Phihong, a leading global supplier of OEM power solutions, has released a new 24V, 8A lead acid battery charger designed for power wheelchairs and mobility scooters with AGM or GEL batteries. Designated the DA200U-250A, Phihong’s new 24V, 8A battery charger features a convenient USB output connector, consumer el
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Date:
12/16/2016
Volkswagen invests in EV-charging leader Hubject

One of the requirements for e-mobility is a well-developed charging infrastructure

The Volkswagen Group is joining the eRoaming platform Hubject as shareholder. With the strategic investment in the Berlin-based company, The car maker will push ahead with the digital interconnection of charging stations for electric vehicles starting in early 2017 as well as the expansion and internationalization of
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Date:
12/15/2016
China's NextEV faster than Tesla?

Chinese electric car startup NextEV claims its NIO EP9 model is the world's fastest electric car

It's not often that a start-up can claim to be a world-beater from the off. But that's precisely what's happening in the auto industry, where Chinese unknown NextEV has launched what it claims is the world's fastest electric car. Pure-electric cars have been around for decades but only in the past five years or
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Date:
12/12/2016
Thermoelectric paint harvests energy from almost any heat

Schematic illustrating for the fabrication of painted thermoelectric devices.

A new study, led by Professor Jae Sung Son of Materials Science and Engineering at UNIST has succeeded in developing a new technique that can be used to turn industrial waste heat into electricity for vehicles and other applications. In their study, the team presented a new type of high-performance thermoele
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Date:
12/12/2016
PSDcast - Jonah Teeter-Balin of AeroVironment on grid-tied storage

Jonah Teeter-Balin of AeroVironment

In this PSDcast Jonah Teeter-Balin of AeroVironment talks to Alix Paultre of Power Systems Design about grid-tied storage. The conversation covers ther recent Battery Show, Grid tied stationary energy storage for frequency response and load management, and how many small suppliers are focusing on battery subcomponents an
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Date:
12/09/2016
SunShot Prize launched for

The SunShot Prize: Solar in Your Community Challenge is a prize competition that aims to expand solar electricity access to all Americans

The SunShot Prize: Solar in Your Community Challenge is a prize competition that aims to expand solar electricity access to all Americans, especially underserved segments such as low- and moderate-income (LMI) households, state, local, and tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations. In order to make solar mo
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Date:
12/09/2016
America’s utilities not veering from clean energy path

Clean energy now costs less than dirty energy

A new NRDC report finds that the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy is irrevocably underway. But don’t take our word for it—ask the nation’s electric utilities who have already made long-term business plans based on that reality. Several major utilities interviewed by S&P Global Market In
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Date:
12/09/2016
Energy company offers no-cost charging for EVs

EV owners with a ChargePoint Home station will enjoy free vehicle charging

Transportation accounted for 34% of all carbon emissions in 2015. While transportation is crucial to our economy and our personal lives, as a sector it is also a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Further, a fundamental change in consumer purchasing and mobility behavior is crucial to any effort to
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Date:
12/08/2016
Ground-breaking research from the University of Surrey and Augmented Optics, in collaboration with the University of Bristol, has developed potentially transformational technology which could revolutionise the capabilities of appliances that have previously relied on battery power to work. This development by Augmen
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Date:
12/08/2016
Strengthening an expanding portfolio of printed electronics solutions, Molex has signed a worldwide license agreement to manufacture Enfucell SoftBattery power sources. With over a decade developing the patented technology, Enfucell has been a forerunner in printable battery design for the needs of healthcare, sp
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Date:
12/08/2016
RES and Lloyd’s Register make statement on battery storage

An example of a hybrid storage system using batteries and thermal energy

Battery storage combined with low carbon power generation is the solution to ‘black swan events’ says RES and Lloyd’s Register, as Australia re-designs its energy policy following the blackout that affected 1.7 million South Australia residents. Technology and innovation raises the game on how battery st
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Date:
12/07/2016
In today’s data acquisition systems (DAQs), performance boundaries are continually being pushed.  System designers require higher speed, lower noise, and better total harmonic distortion (THD) performance; all of which are possible but none of which are free.  These performance improvements typically co
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Date:
12/07/2016
Lightening soldiers' loads with flexible PV cells

NREL scientist Matt Reese holds a substrate with the solar cells removed to minimize the weight of the solar cell

Two thousand years ago, Roman legionnaires lugged 100-pound packs into battle. A lot has changed since then, but technology hasn't really reduced an infantryman's load. On the battlefield, mobility is critical—but a typical, modern Marine may shoulder an 80-pound backpack containing 20 pounds of back-up batteries for
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Date:
12/07/2016
As a part of the Obama Administration’s effort to cut energy waste in America’s buildings, the Energy Department launched the Better Buildings Zero Energy Schools Accelerator. Six school districts, two states and several national organizations are working collaboratively to develop zero energy design that is
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Date:
12/06/2016
The New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation has made a 10-year project loan of more than $1 million to the energy storage company Demand Energy, bringing large-scale battery storage technology to a privately owned low-income housing development in Brooklyn, NY. Demand Energy's lithium-ion battery system wil
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Date:
12/06/2016
Advanced simulation software is helping Tokamak Energy to develop a pioneering clean energy power plant based on nuclear fusion. Using the electromagnetic design and analysis facilities provided by the Cobham Technical Services Opera software, critical design issues are being resolved at an early stage to help pr
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Date:
12/05/2016
Safety vs. performance

The creepage distance is the shortest path between two conductors along the surface of an isolator (typically a PCB)

When designing a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) operating losses and the ability to dissipate heat are critical selection criteria for MOSFETs. The standard TO-220 package is generally good at dissipating heat and the wide range of heatsinks and forced-air cooling options available can easily improve this. Le
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Date:
12/04/2016
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