PAN Institute of Fundamental Technological Research , NCBJ, Institute of Ceramics & Building Materials, and the Hydrobudowa-1 company are commencing a 3.2 million PLN worth joint research project to modernize radiation concrete shields. The project is welcomed by all companies that are likely to participate in development of the first nuclear power plant in Poland. […]
Power Electronic Tips
Photos of the Day: 300,000 Solar Mirrors Cover 5 Square Miles
Some of the 300,000 computer-controlled mirrors, each about 7 feet high and 10 feet wide, reflect sunlight to boilers that sit on 459-foot towers. The sun’s power is used to heat water in the boilers’ tubes and make steam, which in turn drives turbines to create electricity Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014 in Primm, Nev. Read: […]
Photos of the Day: A fish on wheels
Studio diip — a company specializing in image-recognition products — developed the “Fish on Wheels”, a self-driving car for fish. The system uses a webcam, batter power Beagleboard, and an Arduino controlled robot vehicle, and the vehicle basically turns in whatever direction the fish swims. Read: Watch this fish drive his own tank around The “Fish […]
Lockheed Martin Partners to Develop World’s Largest Wave Energy project
Lockheed Martin and Victorian Wave Partners Ltd. have agreed to work together to develop the world’s largest wave energy project. Shares of Ocean Power Technologies Inc., whose technology will be used in the project, surged 80 percent on Tuesday. The companies say the 62.5-megawatt peak power project is a significant step toward making ocean energy […]
Photos of the Day: Wind farms to blink only when necessary
Like other tall structures, wind turbines use flashing lights to warn low-flying aircraft and prevent accidents. But citizens in Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg, Germany are complaining about the flashing red lights as an annoyance. In addition, the lights attract birds. Read: Winds farms to blink only when necessary Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and […]
Wind farms to blink only when necessary
Wind power has been booming in Germany since the beginning of the energy transition. However, the voices of critics have been growing along with the increasing number of wind turbines. Citizens’ initiatives in Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg for instance have founded a umbrella association meant to provide local groups with a political say. Residents primarily […]
Flat-pack lens boosts solar power
Micro-machining could be used to create almost flat, Fresnel lenses, that boost the electrical efficiency of solar panels, according to researchers in China. Fresnel lenses were invented by French engineer and scientist Augustin-Jean Fresnel in the early nineteenth century; they are essential two-dimensional equivalents of conventional optical lens, but they have ridges in concentric rings […]
DC/DC products offer high efficiency, isolation
[[{“fid”:”36952″,”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;”,”title”:”LN-Series”,”class”:”media-element file-default”}}]]BetaDyne (Bridgewater, MA) announces the low output noise LN-Series of DC/DC converters designed specifically to meet the needs of signal sensitive applications such as unmanned vehicles, test and measurement systems, medical instruments and data acquisition and control systems. Features include: 2:1 input ranges from 9-72VDC. Single and dual outputs of 3.3V, […]
Branson Gets Clean Energy Commitments in Caribbean
Political delegations from several small Caribbean islands who gathered this week on British tycoon Richard Branson’s private isle committed Thursday to working with his renewable energy nonprofit and move at a faster pace to cut their dependence on fossil fuels. Read: Virgin Galactic Founder Hosts Renewable Energy Summit in Caribbean Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur who […]
February 2014: Power
We’re always looking to expand our expertise and knowledge base here at ECN, so we’re using this Power issue to introduce our brand-new editorial advisory board. Our new board is made up of the industry elite with a broad range of engineering expertise that we’ll be utilizing throughout the year. These industry experts will serve […]