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 […]
Power Electronic Tips
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 […]
What’s a “must-have” for harsh environment equipment protection?
There are all sorts of harsh environments where electronic components need to function perfectly regardless of the temperature, dirt, weather, or other challenges. So what’s the best way to protect them? Here’s a great opportunity to showcase your opinion and knowledge on the topic by answering the question below. Ready to give it a try? […]
DARPA Begins Early Transition of Adaptive Vehicle Make Technologies
In today’s rapidly evolving mission environments, warfighters need new vehicles, weapons and other systems fielded quickly. Current design and development approaches, however, are unable to deliver those systems in a timely manner. To help overcome these challenges, DARPA’s Adaptive Vehicle Make (AVM) portfolio of programs is working to develop revolutionary approaches for the design, testing […]
Offshore Wind Energy Farm Project Announced
A Seattle company is being given the green light to develop plans to build the West Coast’s first offshore wind energy farm — five floating turbines off Oregon’s Coos Bay, federal and state officials said Wednesday. The 30-megawatt pilot project was announced at a press conference by Gov. John Kitzhaber, U.S. Secretary of the Interior […]
Sensor system improves air quality while making building ventilation more energy efficient
A research consortium being coordinated at Saarland University is developing a novel sensor system for monitoring airborne contaminants that will provide high-quality indoor air without the energy losses typically associated with ventilation. Energy consumption levels can be halved as a result. Professor Andreas Schütze is an expert in gas sensor technology at Saarland University and […]
Making ‘Biogasoline’ from Plant Waste
Gasoline-like fuels can be made from cellulosic materials such as farm and forestry waste using a new process invented by chemists at the University of California, Davis. The process could open up new markets for plant-based fuels, beyond existing diesel substitutes. “What’s exciting is that there are lots of processes to make linear hydrocarbons, but […]