Smart Power Grid

December 2014
The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory released a third round of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) under the Distributed Wind Competitiveness Improvement Project (CIP). CIP aims to help U.S. manufacturers of small- and mid-sized wind turbines improve their turbine designs and manufacturing pro
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Date:
12/31/2014
Defining consumer electronics

Kevin Parmenter, Excelsys

Once upon a time electronics went into neat precise product categories, making marketing people at electronics component companies happy. However the situation has become far more complex. Consumer electronics products are now finding their way into other applications, because frankly they are better, faster, an
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Date:
12/30/2014
The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has announced the demonstration of a 45.7 percent conversion efficiency for a four-junction solar cell at 234 suns concentration. This achievement represents one of the highest photovoltaic research cell efficiencies achieved across all types of solar cel
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Date:
12/30/2014
The counterfeiting of well-known brands and products is a growing problem, estimated to be five to seven percent of world trade. Among those well-known brands are consumer safety and critical electrical products, which can have threatening implications for workers and facilities. The cost of counterfeiting
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Date:
12/30/2014
There is no Moore’s Law for passive components like capacitors, but relentless development is delivering the kinds of devices engineers need to deliver cutting-edge new products for modern living. Capacitors have for many years enabled electronic designers to manage energy within circuits and fulfill basic fu
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Date:
12/30/2014
Here are the results of an output capacitor benchmark study used in a step-down DC/DC converter design, based on a well-used control IC (Maxim’s MAX 1537 [1]) with a 6-24V input voltage range and two separate voltage outputs of 3.3 and 5V. “Some 99 percent of so-called ‘design’ problems associated with linea
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Date:
12/30/2014
EnerKnol's latest report covers EPA’s Clean Power Plan, regional programs, and continued solar installation growth aim to improve state-level resource reliability. Impact The proposed Clean Power Plan and regional reliability programs will continue to influence an energy mix shift and electric system imp
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Date:
12/29/2014
Building on a history of environmental consciousness and reduction of energy costs for businesses, Progea has created Pro.Energy, a software platform that allows users to acquire, view and manage energy information, improving their environmental sustainability as well as their competitiveness. Progea’s energy ma
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Date:
12/23/2014
HARTING's compact hall-effect current sensors serve 200A and 300A current ranges

HARTING Hall-effect current sensors

HARTING has added two new high-current models to its range of Hall-effect current sensors. In addition to offering primary current measurements at up to 200 A and 300 A, respectively, the new models are only half the size and weight of previous versions. They also operate over a wider temperature range: from -4
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Date:
12/22/2014
Daetwyler Clean Energy (DCE), announced the designation of Class A fire rating for their Eco-Top rooftop solar racking system. The company voluntarily submitted their assembly for testing through Underwriters Laboratory (UL) fire testing as part of the firm's proactive approach to safety and quality. &quo
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Date:
12/18/2014
AEG Power Solutions presents reference energy storage station with Tecnalia and Iberdrola

SAGER (Sistema de Almacenamiento de Energía a Gran escala para la Red Eléctrica)

AEG Power Solutions, a global provider of power electronic systems and solutions for industrial power supplies and renewable energy applications, has jointly with Iberdrola, a leading Spanish utility, and Tecnalia, a major innovation foundation, developed the prototype of a new battery energy storage station. Th
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Date:
12/18/2014
UNSW's solar researchers have converted over 40% of the sunlight hitting a solar system into electricity, the highest efficiency ever reported. The world-beating efficiency was achieved in outdoor tests in Sydney, before being independently confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at their out
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Date:
12/18/2014
The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is accepting applications for its 2015 Executive Energy Leadership Academy. NREL's Executive Energy Leadership Academy, also known as Energy Execs, is a program which enables decision-makers throughout the country to learn about renewable energy and
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Date:
12/15/2014
Analysts at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have used statistical analyses and detailed case studies to better understand why solar market policies in certain states are more successful. Their findings indicate that while no standard formula for solar implementation exists, a c
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Date:
12/12/2014
Doble Engineering will host its 13th annual Life of a Transformer Seminar, February 9-13, 2015 in San Antonio, TX. The seminar is the world’s leading training experience on the critical aspects of power transformers, and will be led by more than 50 global industry experts covering topics including: transformer de
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Date:
12/12/2014
2-DTech & Dyesol cooperate to develop graphene-enhanced photovoltaics

2-DTech will carry out research relating to graphene being integrated into solid state dye-sensitised solar cells

Helping industry unlock graphene’s potential, 2-DTech has been awarded a grant worth £98,000 from InnovateUK to carry out research relating to graphene being integrated into solid state dye-sensitised solar cells. As a result, the company is linking up with solar technology specialist Dyesol in order to undertake th
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Date:
12/11/2014
The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is providing critical support to two new microgrid projects coordinated by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and General Electric Company (GE). The Energy Department recently announced its award of more than $8 million for seven
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Date:
12/10/2014
ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, has successfully commissioned the upgraded 42-year-old Eel River HVDC back-to-back station in New Brunswick, Canada. This upgraded link, which was handed over to customer NB Power, secures a reliable power exchange between the New Brunswick and Hydro Quebec gr
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Date:
12/09/2014
In this episode of PSDtv Maxim Integrated shows several of their core technologies for home automation for Power Systems Design. One of the demonstrations involves Belkin'g WEMO-compatible smart-home proiducts, and the other demonstration involves a grid-level distribution automation solution that enables dynamic fau
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Date:
12/09/2014
  The Energy Department recognized 25 winners across the federal government as recipients of the 2014 Federal Energy and Water Management Awards. These annual awards highlight exceptional federal agency efforts for improving the nation’s energy, water, aviation and vehicle fleets. Each winner deployed
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Date:
12/09/2014
Power & energy dataloggers suit three-phase applications

AEMC Power and Energy Data Logger

CAS DataLoggers released the flexible and powerful AEMC Power and Energy Data Loggers, ideal for electricians, engineers and contractors working in building/system monitoring and upgrades as well as residential energy audits. These cost-effective products have high speed and a removable SD memory to suit your spe
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Date:
12/09/2014
PFC (power-factor correction) circuit designers have used average current-mode control for decades (figure 1). Various analog PFC-control chips based on this control algorithm are available in the commercial market. Clcik image to enlarge Figure 1:     Average-current-mode control for PFC The
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Date:
12/03/2014
BC SOLAR completes biggest PV rooftop installation in Poland

A 237 kilowatts peak (kWp) solar energy plant in the Polish city of Łódź

IBC SOLAR, a leader in photovoltaic systems, has completed the construction of a 237 kilowatts peak (kWp) solar energy plant in the Polish city of Łódź. Installed on the roof of a hospital, the project marks a milestone as the biggest PV rooftop installation to date in Poland. IBC SOLAR’s Czech subsidiary, wh
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Date:
12/03/2014
Supporting the Obama Administration’s effort to make solar energy more affordable and accessible for all Americans, the Energy Department today announced more than $9 million in funding for breakthrough research and development projects that will advance the reliability and durability of solar photovoltaic (P
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Date:
12/02/2014
Eaton announced its latest dual-purpose arc fault/ground fault (AF/GF) circuit breaker for contractors, specifying engineers and home owners working on new construction and renovation projects in the residential and light commercial markets. As part of Eaton’s expanding line of arc fault and ground fault solutions, the
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Date:
12/02/2014
The Energy Department announced a total of $4.4 million for two projects in Michigan and Pennsylvania to support the use of advanced materials and manufacturing techniques in the development of new “low-head” hydropower technologies. The United States has major opportunities across the country to add new hy
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Date:
12/01/2014
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