Researchers from North Carolina State University and Johns Hopkins University have found that an increase in the use of wind power generation can make the power grid more fragile and susceptible to disruptions. But the researchers didn’t just identify the problem – they have also devised a technique for coordinating wind power generation and energy […]
Power Electronic Tips
One-Watt DC/DC converter targets industrial applications
Murata announced the MEF1 Series of 1-W regulated DC/DC converters. Suitable for use in industrial, automation and instrumentation applications, these tightly regulated single output converters, rated to better than 1 percent of nominal output voltage, are packaged in a fully encapsulated single-in-line through-hole format occupying less than 1.17 cm squared footprint. The MEF1 converters are […]
Opto-less, wide input range DC/DC converter extends operating life to 30 years
Absopulse’s DRH-150 wide input range, long-life DC/DC converter for rugged industrial environments is designed for an operating life of up to 30 years. By eliminating optocouplers in the feedback loop and significantly reducing component count, the MTBF of the unit is greatly improved over conventional designs, according to the company. Large design headroom, full electronic […]
BP: Ruling Imposes ‘Vast & Unjustified Costs’
BP on Monday renewed its request for a federal appeals court to permanently block settlement payments to businesses that can’t trace their losses directly to the company’s 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In a court filing, BP attorneys argued that a Dec. 24 ruling by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier will impose […]
Environmental Fiscal Reform Would Improve the Environment and Reduce the Informal Economy
The effect that the introduction of environmental fiscal reform would have on an economic system has been the focus of study since the 1990s. However, studies of this type have until now failed to take the informal economy into consideration; this is an activity which in the case of Spain, for example, could account for […]
Regulators Cite Now-Closed San Onofre Nuke Plant
Nuclear safety regulators cited the operator of the shuttered San Onofre power plant for failing to check the design of steam generators that eventually led to the plant’s closure. The citation from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission did not carry specific penalties, but it could complicate financial recovery efforts by Southern California Edison, the U-T San […]
Judge Rules Against BP in Spill Settlement Dispute
A federal judge has rejected BP’s argument that a multibillion-dollar settlement over the company’s massive 2010 Gulf oil spill shouldn’t compensate businesses if they can’t directly trace their losses to the spill. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said in Tuesday’s ruling that the settlement was designed to avoid the delays that would result from a […]
To Clean Up Coal, Obama Pushes More Oil Production
America’s newest and cleanest coal-fired power plant comes with a catch: The heat-trapping carbon dioxide removed from its smokestack pollution will help force more oil out of the ground. Some environmentalists complain that it ends up releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than is stored underground as waste. It’s another example of the Obama […]
$3 Billion Ethane Cracker Could Open By 2018
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Axiall Corp. is considering building a $3 billion ethane cracker and chemical plant somewhere in Louisiana. The Atlanta-based chemical manufacturer said it could make a decision sometime early next year. Axiall would invest $1 billion of its own money, while an unnamed partner would put in $2 billion. The plant […]
Exposing the roots of the lithium battery problem
The lithium-ion batteries that power our laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles could have significantly higher energy density if their graphite anodes were to be replaced by lithium metal anodes. Hampering this change, however, has been the so-called dendrite problem. Over the course of several battery charge/discharge cycles, particularly when the battery is cycled at a […]