STMicroelectronics has released an easy-access development platform for its innovative contactless memories with unique energy-harvesting capabilities. The M24LR Discovery Kit contains everything engineers need to start designing battery-free electronic applications that can exchange data with ISO15693-compatible NFC-enabled smartphones or RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) reader-writers. The turn-key development platform helps accelerate the creation and integration of energy-autonomous […]
Power Electronic Tips
High-power UPS to see stiff competition from static suppliers
The latest study from IMS Research forecasts the market for high power uninterruptible power supplies (>500kVA) will surpass $1 billion by 2016. As the fastest growing power segment, high power UPS have not only seen an uptick in sales in recent years, but also in the amount of competition, as more static UPS suppliers enter […]
Titan is also a green powerhouse
Not only is Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Titan the world’s most powerful supercomputer, it is also one of the most energy-efficient. Titan came in at number three on the Green500 list. Organized by Virginia Tech’s Wu-chun Feng and Kirk Cameron, the list takes the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers—as ranked by the Top500 list—and reorders […]
Increasing efficiency of wireless networks
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — Two professors at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering have developed a new method that doubles the efficiency of wireless networks and could have a large impact on the mobile Internet and wireless industries.Efficiency of wireless networks is key because there is a limited amount of spectrum to […]
The energy of stunt kites
Kite surfing has risen to become a fashionable sporting activity, with the number of enthusiasts participating in this cross between wind surfing and stunt kite flying growing at a tremendous pace. When the wind catches the kite, the surfer is carried meters into the air; and the greater the leap, the bigger the thrill. But […]
Roundtable: What must designers of portable devices do to deal with power and performance demands?
What must designers of portable devices do to keep pace with increased power and performance demands? Chris Cooper, Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas,www.avnet.comDesigners must focus on power conservation while carefully considering power consumption and efficiency. For many years, the focus has been on reducing the power consumption of the electronic components and maximizing the efficiency of […]
Using rust and water to store solar energy as hydrogen
EPFL scientists are producing hydrogen from sunlight, water and rust – They’re paving the way for an economic and ecological solution for storing renewable energy How can solar energy be stored so that it can be available any time, day or night, when the sun shining or not? EPFL scientists are developing a technology that […]
Study provides recipe for ‘supercharging’ atoms with X-ray laser
Researchers using the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have found a way to strip most of the electrons from xenon atoms, creating a “supercharged,” strongly positive state at energies previously thought too low. The findings, which defy expectations and theory, could help scientists deliberately […]
Rechargeable Li-ion cells target remote wireless applications
Tadiran Batteries has introduced the TLI Series of batteries, a new family of long-life rechargeable lithium-ion cells designed specifically for use in harsh environments. These batteries use technology found in Tadiran’s hybrid layer capacitor (HLC), which stores the high current pulses required for two-way wireless communications, and according to the company, has been field-proven in […]
More bang for the biofuel buck
A fermentation technique once used to make cordite, the explosive propellant that replaced gunpowder in bullets and artillery shells, may find an important new use in the production of advanced biofuels. With the addition of a metal catalyst, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have shown that […]