University of Colorado Boulder scientists have found a creative way to radically improve thermoelectric materials, a finding that could one day lead to the development of improved solar panels, more energy-efficient cooling equipment, and even the creation of new devices that could turn the vast amounts of heat wasted at power plants into more electricity. […]
Power Electronic Tips
DC/DC converters ideal for powering IGBT drivers
[[{“fid”:”37392″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“height”:300,”width”:300,”style”:”float: right; margin: 5px;”,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]Richardson RFPD (LaFox, IL) today announces availability and full design support capabilities for a large portfolio of high-isolation DC-to-DC converters from RECOM Power, Inc. (RECOM). Designed specifically for insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) systems, the converters’ asymmetric outputs of +15V and -9V make them ideal to power IGBT drivers, replacing the need […]
Microscopy System Delivers Real-Time View of Battery Electrochemistry
Using a new microscopy method, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory can image and measure electrochemical processes in batteries in real time and at nanoscale resolution. Researchers at ORNL used a miniature electrochemical liquid cell that is placed in a transmission electron microscope to study an enigmatic phenomenon in lithium-ion batteries […]
Highly Radioactive Water Leaks at Japan Nuke Plant
Highly radioactive water has overflowed from a storage tank at Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant, but the operator says it did not reach the Pacific Ocean. The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said Thursday that the leak involved partially treated water from early in the crisis, meaning it was more toxic than previous leaks. Three […]
Two Solar Energy Plants Approved
Federal officials announced the approval of two solar energy plants on public lands in California and Nevada, angering environmentalists who say the facilities will endanger desert tortoises. The plants were expected to supply 550 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power about 170,000 homes, Secretary of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a release Wednesday. […]
Step-up DC/DC controller can produce a 24V output at 10A
[[{“fid”:”37341″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:””,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:””},”type”:”media”,”attributes”:{“height”:400,”width”:400,”style”:”float: right; margin: 5px;”,”title”:”LTC3784″,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]Linear Technology Corporation (Milpitas, CA) announces the LTC3784, a high-power, two-phase, single-output synchronous step-up DC/DC controller that replaces rectifying boost diodes with high efficiency N-channel MOSFETs. This device can produce a 24V output at 10A from a 12V input at up to 97% efficiency without any heat sink. Features include: • […]
Kinetic Battery Chargers Get a Boost
New technology to capture the kinetic energy of our everyday movements, such as walking, and to convert it into electrical energy has come a step closer thanks to research to be published in the International Journal Biomechatronics and Biomedical Robotics. Researchers have for many years attempted to harvest energy from our everyday movements to allow […]
A Step Closer to a Photonic Future
The future of computing may lie not in electrons, but in photons – that is, in microprocessors that use light instead of electrical signals. But these so-called photonic devices are typically built using customized methods that make them difficult and expensive to manufacture. Now, engineers have demonstrated that low power photonic devices can be fabricated […]
A battery small enough to be injected, energetic enough to track salmon
RICHLAND, Wash. – Scientists have created a microbattery that packs twice the energy compared to current microbatteries used to monitor the movements of salmon through rivers in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. The battery, a cylinder just slightly larger than a long grain of rice, is certainly not the world’s smallest battery, as […]
Obama orders new fuel standards for trucks
Drawing a link between reduced fuel consumption and climate change, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that his administration will issue tougher fuel-efficiency standards for delivery trucks by March 2016. Obama said helping these vehicles use less fuel would have the triple benefit of making the U.S. less dependent on imported oil, keeping more money in […]