OLED technology has been around for a while and appears to offer significant power efficiency gains in slimmer packages. At this point, cost and operational lifetime constraints have kept the technology from becoming a reasonable option for most consumer applications. However, GE Global Research announced the successful demonstration of “roll-to-roll” manufactured OLEDs. The company claims that this process is […]
Power Electronic Tips
DC/DC PWM Buck Converters
Productive Product: The AP1533 from Diodes, Inc. is a 300 Hz, 1.8A Asynchronous PWM Buck Converter with soft-start function, low ripple noise output, low current consumption, high efficiency, and desirable transient characteristics. The buck converter has a wide input voltage range of 4V to 23V, an adjustable output voltage from 0.8V to 23V, and is […]
Photosynthesis Impacts Alternative Energy
Energy News: Researchers found bacteria that can transform light into chemical energy — a method of photosynthesis still not completely understood by science, but which could become an energy windfall if it’s duplicatable by industry. The discovery happened at the famed Yellowstone National Park. The bacterium has “light-harvesting antennae known as chlorosomes, which contain about […]
DSC Chips Gain Floating-Point Efficiency
Productive Product: Texas Instruments announced a line of floating point digital signal controllers. The TMS320F2833x devices provide 300 million FLOPS at 150 MHz at costs typically associated with fixed point processors, which means developers can accomplish more tasks using fewer chips, and thereby consume less energy. Software development is also simplified. Technology from solar power […]
Burning Man 2007: ‘Green Man’
Energy News: Explained at BurningMan.com: “This year our art theme will express the immanence of nature in our lives… The Burning Man will stand atop a structure that resembles green mountain peak. Nestled at its base, will be the Green Man Pavilion, 30,000 square feet of shaded exhibition space for the display of interactive artistic, scientific and […]
NYC Cabs Going All-Hybrid by 2012
Energy News: New York City will require all new vehicles entering the taxi fleet after October 2008 to get at least 25 miles per gallon; to get 30 miles per gallon and be hybrid by 2009; and all taxis must be hybrids by 2012, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today. Hybrids can get twice the fuel economy […]
Silicon Valley’s Brightest Working on Energy
Energy News:From a Reuters story today: “Venture capitalists in Silicon Valley have been searching for the next big thing in high-tech for years, but now many have switched to greener pursuits — finding technology to help cut global warming. Although commercial success could take years, venture capitalists are pouring cash into solar power, fuel cells, […]
Report: SMEs Not Thinking Eco-Friendly
Energy News: Owners of small and medium-sized businesses in the U.K. do not care, or don’t have time to care, much about making their companies environmentally friendly, according to a new report by research firm Shirlaws Global. In a list of 18 business challenges, most survey respondants had environmental concerns listed last. Barely 6 percent […]
