Renewable Energy

August 2019
The Road to Success for Power Semiconductors

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Figure 1: Comparison of Superjunction transistor, SiC MOSFET, and GaN HEMT

The commercial availability of Superjunction transistors 20 years ago, challenged and finally proved wrong the limitations of conventional silicon-based transistors with respect to on-state resistance. What was regarded as revolutionary at that time is standard today. Today there is not a single transistor from 25
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Date:
08/31/2019
Study Demonstrates Silicon's Energy-Harvesting Power

Dr. Mark Lee, head of the Department of Physics in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, explains his research into the thermoelectric harvesting ability of silicon "nanoblades."

A University of Texas at Dallas physicist has teamed with Texas Instruments Inc. to design a better way for electronics to convert waste heat into reusable energy. The collaborative project demonstrated that silicon's ability to harvest energy from heat can be greatly increased while remaining mass-producible. Dr. Mark Lee, profess
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Date:
08/26/2019
EMI Suppression Film Capacitors Certified to IEC 60384-14
MALVERN, Pa. — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced three new series of X1, X2, and Y2 electromagnetic interference (EMI) suppression film capacitors for standard across the line and line bypass applications. Designed to meet the most stringent requirements for robustness against humidity, the new F340 EM
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Date:
08/26/2019
DOE Issues Small Business R&D Funding Opportunity
The Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs issued its first Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Fiscal Year 2020. The Phase I Release 1 FOA, with approximately $31.5 million in available funding, will allow small businesses to
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Date:
08/22/2019
California's Rooftop-Solar Boom Leaves Equity Gap
OAKLAND, CA - California leads the nation in the adoption of rooftop solar systems, but information on which communities do, and do not, benefit from these installations has been limited to broad income classifications and anecdotal observations. Now, the data is in: The adoption of distributed solar - rooftop in
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Date:
08/22/2019
Carbon-Neutral Fuels from air and Green Power

The world's first integrated Power-to-Liquid (PtL) test facility to synthesize fuels from the air-captured carbon dioxide. (Photo: P2X project/Patrick Langer, KIT)

Several challenges associated with the energy transition can be managed by coupling the sectors of electric power and mobility. Green power could be stored in the long term, fuels of high energy density could be used in a carbon-neutral way. Sector coupling has now been demonstrated by the partners of the P2X Ko
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Date:
08/22/2019
Are you SiC of Silicon? – Part 5

Anup Bhalla, Vice President Engineering, UnitedSiC

Ultra-High Voltage SiC and Supercascodes New applications are emerging that require high voltage switch technology which is significantly lower in balance-of-system costs and operating losses than silicon IGBT and IGCT technology. This spans a wide range from solid state transformers, MW motor drives, to smart
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Date:
08/20/2019
PSDcast: Save Energy w/ Micromobility (+ Electric Scooters)

Josh Frisby, the founder of Electric Scooter Insider

In this episode of the PSDcast, we're chatting with the founder of Electric Scooter Insider, Josh Frisby, about cutting back on fossil fuels through micromobility. Josh is fully in favor of alternative energy, but he wants to present an objective analysis of the true costs (and benefits) of plug-in EVs like ele
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Date:
08/20/2019
Europe has Onshore Capacity for Global Energy Demand

Map showing the power density potential for each European country.

Europe has the capacity to produce more than 100 times the amount of energy it currently produces through onshore windfarms, new analysis from the University of Sussex and Aarhus University has revealed. In an analysis of all suitable sites for onshore wind farms, the new study reveals that Europe has the p
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Date:
08/14/2019
Mapping the Energetic Landscape of Solar Cells

Artistic representation of an energetic landscape that determines the movement of photo-induced positive (h+) and negative (e-) charges in photovoltaic devices.

A new spectroscopic method now makes it possible to measure and visualise the energetic landscape inside solar cells based on organic materials. It was developed by a research team led by Prof. Dr Yana Vaynzof, a physicist at Heidelberg University. This novel visualisation technique enables scientists to study th
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Date:
08/13/2019
Growth of Wind Energy Points to Future Challenges, Promise

Advances in adapting the technology and better methods for predicting wind conditions have fanned significant growth of the use of wind turbines for electricity in the last 40 years.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Advances in adapting the technology for cold climates and offshore use and better methods for predicting wind conditions have fanned significant growth of the use of wind turbines for electricity in the last 40 years. A new report takes stock of where the field is now and what lies ahead. A team of r
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Date:
08/13/2019
A Charging Infrastructure for Wide-Scale EV Adoption

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Figure 1: EV Charging Station

A Charging Infrastructure for Wide-Scale EV Adoption To ensure that electric vehicles (EVs) have the same freedom to roam as today’s fossil-fuel cars, infrastructure challenges need to be addressed   By: Alessandro Mastellari, Technical Specialist, Avnet Abacus   Concerns abo
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Date:
08/10/2019
Timing is Everything

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Microchip CSA 100 MEMs oscillator

Timing is Everything MEMS technology is well-suited to meet the demands of these emerging automotive applications By: Microchip Technologies Automotive-grade MEMS oscillators meet complex demands of emerging automotive applications by offering robust performance and tolerance to harsh environments.
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Date:
08/10/2019
High isolation, regulated DC/DC converters in compact package
The core characteristic of the TRI line is a sophisticated reinforced isolation system which is able to withstand high test voltages (9000 VDC for 1s and 5000 VAC for 60s) and working voltages (1000 VACrms). Complementing this isolation characteristic is a high Common Mode Transient Immunity of 15 kV/µs. The
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Date:
08/09/2019
Revving up Solar Technology to Power Space Vehicles

Dr. Randall Ellingson, professor in the UToledo Department of Physics and Astronomy, analyzes the response of solar cells in his laboratory at The University of Toledo.

The U.S. Air Force awarded a team of physicists at The University of Toledo $7.4 million to enhance the reliability and efficiency of lightweight power to improve the safety and effectiveness of Department of Defense missions. Dr. Randall Ellingson, professor in the UToledo Department of Physics and Astronomy
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Date:
08/08/2019
PSDcast - Maintaining one of the Largest Solar Power Plants

Cone Drive’s Global Director of Strategic Markets, Jacob Randall

In this episode of the PSDcast, we're chatting with Cone Drive about the company's role in keeping one of the world's largest operational solar power plants going ...
Date:
08/08/2019
From Greenhouse Gas to Fuel

From left to right: Former UD postdoctoral associate Qi Lu, current assistant professor Bingjun Xu, and current postdoctoral associate Xiaoxia Chang recently revealed a new approach that utilizes a series of catalytic reactions to electrochemically reduce carbon dioxide to methane.

A growing number of scientists are looking for fast, cost-effective ways to convert carbon dioxide gas into valuable chemicals and fuels. Now, an international team of researchers has revealed a new approach that utilizes a series of catalytic reactions to electrochemically reduce carbon dioxide to methane,
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Date:
08/02/2019
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