The business models and technology architectures of electric utility grids worldwide are under attack both at the edge and overall. The first FAQ in this series looked at the attack on the edge of the grid in “Nano grids, microgrids and the decentralization of the electric grid.” Virtual power plants, distributed energy resources, and power […]
Virtual power plants, distributed energy resources and power in the cloud
Virtual power plants (VPPs) are increasingly challenging the dominance of traditional large-scale centralized electricity generation. A VPP is defined as a collection of distributed energy resources (DERs) that are aggregated through cloud computing and control for the purpose of providing enhanced power generation and availability. The DERs are often heterogeneous and can include wind power, […]
Nano grids, microgrids, and zero net energy consumption
Electric utility grids around the world are undergoing a fundamental change in architecture. The centralized grid that was designed to provide inexpensive electricity with a reasonable level of quality and reliability is no longer meeting society’s needs. Aging transmission and distribution systems are significantly reducing both the quality and reliability of electricity. And the use […]
Benefits of software-configurable power systems
The first FAQ in this series looked at the various hardware options for implementing digital power. Part two took a deep look at the PMBus/SMBus communication protocol for implementing digital power configuration, control, and monitoring. This FAQ will delve into the system level benefits of using digital power converters with PMBus communication. PMBus can bring […]
Digital power management and PMBus moving into the future
Digital power ICs communicate with each other via the System Management Bus (SMBus) using the Power Management Bus (PMBus) communication protocol and the AVSBus protocol, a subset of the PMBus protocol for implementing adaptive voltage scaling. Using SMBus and PMBus-enabled devices for power conversion provides flexibility and control that is impossible with traditional analog power […]
Digital power conversion – how does that work?
Digital power is not a monolithic technology, but a common element in almost all digital power converters is a communication bus, usually based on the PMBus protocol. This FAQ delves into the numerous hardware embodiments and variations of digital power. Part 2 will dig into the operation of the PMBus protocol and the associated SMBus […]
Battery life analysis and maximization for wireless IoT sensor nodes and wearables
In addition to proper hardware design and power consumption testing, an accurate estimation of battery life is an important aspect of designing wireless Internet of Things (IoT) sensor nodes and wearables. For some medical or industrial devices, in particular, users’ lives can be at stake if the battery does not live up to expectations. Some […]
Batteries and charging for wireless IoT nodes and wearables
Battery selection for a given wireless Internet of Things (IoT) node or wearables design is complex. Among the important factors are: how long the device is expected to operate with a single battery; the choice between various primary and secondary battery chemistries; the nominal and cut-off voltage of the electronics; the energy/current consumption profile, the […]
Power consumption testing for wireless IoT sensor nodes and wearables
Part one of this FAQ series focused on the various types of components available for designing power systems for wireless Internet of Things (IoT) sensor nodes, wearables, and similar applications. This FAQ focuses on measuring and validating the performance of those power systems. There are several instruments and approaches available for measuring and testing the […]
Power conversion considerations for wireless IoT sensor nodes and wearables
Power system considerations are an important aspect of all system designs. In the case of wireless Internet of Things (IoT) nodes and wearables, power system design is complex, with the need to balance numerous performance tradeoffs. It is critical to arrive at a successful design that maximizes both battery life and overall functionality. Fortunately, there […]
