Renewable Energy

April 2018
Undersecretary of Energy Menezes Announces $23 Million in New Funding to Advance Marine Energy Technologies
WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Undersecretary of Energy Mark Menezes announced up to $23 million for innovative technologies to reduce capital costs and shorten deployment timelines of marine energy devices.The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will fund research
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Date:
04/30/2018
New Catalyst Turns Ammonia Into an Innovative Clean Fuel

CuOx/3A2S selectively produces N2 and H2O from NH3 through a two-step reaction.

Taking measures against climate change and converting into societies that use significant amounts of renewable energy for power are two of the most important issues common to developed countries today. One promising technology in those efforts uses hydrogen (H2) as a renewable energy source. Although it is a prima
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Date:
04/27/2018
Balancing Nuclear and Renewable Energy

Power plants that balance nuclear and renewable energy could increase revenues from electricity markets and reduce variable operating and maintenance costs, according to Argonne scientists.

Nuclear power plants typically run either at full capacity or not at all. Yet the plants have the technical ability to adjust to the changing demand for power and thus better accommodate sources of renewable energy such as wind or solar power. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne Na
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Date:
04/26/2018
Power factor correction: PQvar boosts energy efficiency and ensures load balancing
TDK Corporation presents EPCOS PQvar, a modular static var generator for active stepless power factor correction and load balancing in industrial grids and large commercial buildings. With a fast response time of less than 15 ms and a dynamic reaction time of 50 µs, PQvar offers significantly faster compensat
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Date:
04/26/2018
Vincotech Joins the Charging Interface Initiative
Vincotech has joined Charging Interface Initiative e. V., an association set up by Germany's automotive luminaries to entrench the Combined Charging System (CCS) as the definitive technology for battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs). Vincotech and CharIN's founding members, which include Audi, BMW, Daimler, P
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Date:
04/26/2018
Ultra-soft IGBT freewheeling diodes offer industry leading low losses
Infineon Technologies Bipolar GmbH & Co. KG launches a new diode family especially designed for modern IGBT applications: Infineon ® Prime Soft. This diode features an improved turn-off capability which now rates at 5 kA/µs. Prime Soft builds on the well-received IGCT freewheeling diode family which is based on
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Date:
04/26/2018
Vicor Launches 12V to 48V NBM Module at GTC 2018
Vicor Corporation has announced a 12V to 48V non-isolated up converter to support 48V high-performance GPUs in data centers that are still relying on legacy 12V power distribution. The 2317 NBM converts 12V to 48V with over 98% peak efficiency, 750W continuous and 1kW peak power in a 23 x 17 x 7.4mm surface
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Date:
04/26/2018
The pursuit of higher efficiency has been a driving factor in industry progress since electricity was first harnessed.  The introduction of solid state transistors in switching applications enabled the switching power converter and created a step function improvement in power conversion efficiency.  Advances in
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Date:
04/25/2018
High reliability thick-film resistors from TT Electronics get smaller
TT Electronics has announced the introduction of two additional resistor types that expand and enhance its high-reliability CR and HR series. The latest versions of these thick-film chip resistors are in the smaller 0603 size and hence offer greater opportunities for use in compact circuits where guaranteed per
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Date:
04/25/2018
Robust high efficiency 50W to 600W DC-DC converters for railway applications
XP Power has unveiled a new extensive family of cost-effective high-power density DC-DC converters for railway traction, rolling stock, and harsh environment applications. Offering a wide selection of power handling capability from 50W up to 600W, traction battery voltages of 24, 36, 48, 72 & 110 VDC are cov
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Date:
04/25/2018
Würth Elektronik eiSos expands its MagI³C series of power module
With the MagI³C-VDMM (Variable Step Down MicroModule), Würth Elektronik eiSos expands its product series of power modules with high power density, very few external components and outstanding electromagnetic compatibility. The step-down converter with variable output voltage is a particularly compact solutio
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Date:
04/25/2018
Now in stock at TTI, Inc. and ideal for demanding automotive applications are Panasonic’s LP-Series power choke coils and ZE-Series Hybrid capacitors
Now available in Europe through TTI are Panasonic’s highly power efficient LP-Series power choke coils and ZE-Series Conductive Polymer Hybrid Aluminum SMD technology capacitors featuring a high ripple current (up to 2.0A) and a low ESR value. Rugged LP series power choke coils offer inductance stability over a broad
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Date:
04/25/2018
Renesas Electronics Introduces ISL91302B, ISL91301A, and ISL91301B Multiphase PMICs with Highest Efficiency and Smallest Footprint
Renesas announced three programmable power management ICs (PMICs) that offer the highest power efficiency and smallest footprint for application processors in smartphones and tablets: the ISL91302B, ISL91301A, and ISL91301B PMICs. The PMICs also deliver power to artificial intelligence (AI) processors, FPGAs,
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Date:
04/25/2018
Power from the wind turbine to the charging station
The products and intelligent solutions of HARTING make the technology group a partner and pioneer in electromobility and the energy transition. The subsidiary HARTING Automotive develops and makes charging cables and associated equipment for electro and plug-in hybrid vehicles for nearly all the relevant markets. HA
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Date:
04/25/2018
ABB launches world’s fastest e-vehicle charger at Hannover Messe, strengthening its leadership in sustainable mobility
By operating at powers of up to 350 kilowatts, the newest model from ABB, Terra High Power charger, adds up to 200 kilometers of range to an electric vehicle in just 8 minutes. The new charger is ideally suited for use at highway rest stops and petrol stations. ABB chargers are being installed around the world, a
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Date:
04/25/2018
New Ultracapacitor and Battery-Powered DC UPS announced by BLOCK
BLOCK announces the introduction of two new 24V/40A uninterruptible power supplies. These DC input UPS ensure reliable availability of safety-critical systems in the case of power failure. BLOCK UPS supports 12V, 24V and 48V systems and can be either battery-powered or use capacitive energy storage. Product sel
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Date:
04/25/2018
Ultra slim device guarantees 5kV isolation and 8.0mm creepage and clearance distances
Toshiba Electronics Europe today announced the launch of a new gate driver photocoupler housed in a low-profile SO8L package. The TLP5832 delivers 2.5A peak output current (IOPH,IOPL) and can directly drive medium-class IGBTs and MOSFETs in applications such as inverters for industrial, air conditioning and solar appli
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Date:
04/25/2018
SiC Cascodes: Fast-Track to Wide-Bandgap Performance and Efficiency

Figure 1. SiC cascode configuration

SiC MOSFETs can deliver impressive performance and efficiency gains in power-conversion circuits, but a clean-sheet design is needed for best results. SiC cascodes offer a drop-in replacement bringing instant access to many of the advantages of wide-bandgap devices. Drop In, Turn On Silicon carbide diodes, and MOSFETs in 60
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Date:
04/24/2018
It’s all about materials

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

Welcome to the May edition of PSD. This year seems to be constantly busy and the time is flying in. Maybe it is because the industry is on the crest of a wave at the moment, or it may be that the number of important events is increasing and we are constantly in the lead up to another one. This month, we start to
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Date:
04/24/2018
In-House Processing Brings Cost-Effective AI

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

Earlier this year I wrote a blog on Google and its tensor processing units. The company had just launched the second generation of its powerful ICs that provide the computing power for its vast datacentres around the world. The processors are specifically designed for the complex AI computational tasks found in
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Date:
04/24/2018
Fundamentals of Switching Regulators

Figure 1: Linear regulator

Electronic equipment uses ICs in order to function, requiring a DC voltage as the supply input at various voltage levels. The AC power line (utility supply wall outlet) or DC power (batteries, solar panels, etc.), are the main power inputs. DC-DC power conversion technology enables these energy sources to be th
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Date:
04/23/2018
One year on, how does the Analog Devices takeover of Linear Technology look?

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

It’s been almost a year a year to the day (10th March) since Analog Devices announced that the company had completed its approximately $15 billion takeover of Linear Technology. The initial announcement had come as a shock to the industry, in that one of the seemingly few remaining large privately owned electro
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Date:
04/16/2018
Synchronous buck-boost converters with four power switches can deliver very high efficiency while providing both step-up and step-down DC/DC conversion. Combining the capabilities of two separate converters (buck and boost) has the advantage of reduced solution size and cost. Four-switch converters should be abl
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Date:
04/16/2018
Next Generation 2/3 Watt SIP-8 DC/DC converters
TEC 2/3 (WI) are new series with the design purpose to improve the prevalent 2/3 Watt SIP-8 DC/DC converters (eg. TMR 2/3E) in terms of cost, efficiency and performance. The latest technology and components enable an increase in efficiency by more than 20%. With the reduction of thermal loss, the operating temp
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Date:
04/09/2018
Vincotech’s new booster +H6.5 inverter – the easy-to-use module for single-phase solar applications
Vincotech today announced the launch of the new flowSOL 1 BI (TL) high efficiency H6.5 inverter with dual booster designed to ease the development of single-phase solar applications up to 10 kW. Efficient, reliable and robust, this module is perfect for higher power multi-PV installations. The new
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Date:
04/09/2018
Harwin Introduces Ultra-Compact Fine Pitch Cable-to-Board Connector Offering
Continuing to extend the breadth of its interconnect solutions, Harwin has announced the latest addition to the M40 series. With phosphor bronze contacts that are rated for currents of up to 1A, these lightweight, low profile 1mm pitch units are the smallest in the company’s portfolio of cable-to-board connecto
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Date:
04/09/2018
STMicroelectronics’ ACEPACK IGBT Modules, Now at Mouser, Deliver Highly Integrated Power Conversion Up to 30kW
Mouser Electronics is now stocking the ACEPACK IGBT modules from STMicroelectronics (ST). Part of a new plastic power module family developed mainly to address industrial applications, the Adaptable Compact Easier PACKage (ACEPACK) modules provide economical and highly integrated power conversion for 3 kW –
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Date:
04/09/2018
Imec and Qromis Present High Performance p-GaN HEMTs on 200mm CTE-matched Substrates
imec and Qromis, have announced the development of high performance enhancement mode p-GaN power devices on 200mm engineered Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE)-matched substrates, processed in imec’s silicon pilot line. The substrates are offered by Qromis as commercial 200mm QST® substrates as part of
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Date:
04/09/2018
Banking on Sunshine: World Added Far More Solar Than Fossil Fuel Power Generating Capacity in 2017

Global investments in renewable energy of $2.7 trillion from 2007 to 2017 (11 years inclusive) have increased the proportion of world electricity generated by wind, solar, biomass and waste-to-energy, geothermal, marine and small hydro from 5.2 per cent to 12.1 per cent.

Solar energy dominated global investment in new power generation like never before in 2017. The world installed a record 98 gigawatts of new solar capacity, far more than the net additions of any other technology - renewable, fossil fuel or nuclear. Solar power also attracted far more investment, at $160.8 billio
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Date:
04/06/2018
In recent years, significance of semiconductor module for photovoltaic power conversion systems is increasing. Especially higher output power with existing housing size of power module is important to realize further downsizing or rating upgrade for its systems. For realizing higher output, advanced technologies
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Date:
04/03/2018
Path to a Booming Australian Solar Thermal Energy Market

A novel solar peaker plant concept presented by Solar Dynamics estimated that a solar peaker plant can be competitive with a fossil fueled peaker at typical capacity payments rates.

A report out from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) this month published responses from industry stakeholders on the viability of a concentrated solar thermal (CST) energy market in Australia: Paving the way for concentrated solar thermal in Australia. Only 5 gigawatts (GW) of CST is deployed
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Date:
04/03/2018
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