The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the release of a DOE-funded report to help better integrate wind energy into the electrical grid. The report, entitled “Strategies and Decision Support Systems for Integrating Variable Energy Resources in Control Centers for Reliable Grid Operations: Global Best Practices, Examples of Excellence and Lessons Learned,” provides first-hand perspectives […]
Power Electronic Tips
Soitec Purchases Manufacturing Facility in San Diego to Locally Produce CPV Modules for U.S. Renewable Energy Market
Soitec has purchased a manufacturing facility in Rancho Bernardo, California, within San Diego City limits, and will soon begin fitting the factory to produce its concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) modules for the U.S. renewable-energy market. The site, acquired from Sony Electronics Inc., will enable a manufacturing capacity of 200 megawatts (MW) of Soitec’s fifth generation Concentrix™ […]
Power Line Communications Used in Chinese Smart Grid Meter Deployments
Semitech Semiconductor, a provider of power line communications solutions that enable the transformation of the electricity grid into a smart grid, announced that its GS18 power line communications (PLC) semiconductor is now deployed in volume in LangFang Gao Shan smart meters installed on the China State Grid in Hebei Province. In its initial deployment phase, […]
NEMA Reiterates that Lightbulb Efficiency Standards Remain, Consumers Retain Diverse Options for Efficient Lightbulbs
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), representing more than 95 percent of the U.S. lighting manufacturing industry, remains committed to and supportive of the lighting standards established in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007). A rider related to light bulbs on the FY 2012 Omnibus funding bill does not repeal or […]
Saft Begins Deliveries of First Lithium-ion Batteries Produced by New Jacksonville Plant
Saft has just started shipping the first cells to roll off the production lines at what it claims is the world’s most advanced automated lithium-ion battery factory, in Jacksonville, Florida. The first deliveries from Jacksonville have included hundreds of cells for battery assembly for European customers. “Starting volume industrial-scale deliveries to customers from the Jacksonville […]
ABB to Power Facebook’s First Data Center Outside the United States
ABB announced that it has won an order worth about $11 million from Facebook Inc.’s subsidiary Pinnacle Sweden, to power its first server facility outside the United States. ABB will build two high- and medium-voltage air- and gas-insulated switchgear substations that will supply power to a data center being built in Luleå, a coastal town […]
Advanced Battery Technologies, Opens New Battery Production Facility
Advanced Battery Technologies, Inc. announced the grand opening of its new polymer lithium-ion battery production facility in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, P. R. of China. On December 10, 2011, Dongguan Qiang Qiang Amperex Tech. Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of ABAT, opened the facility to the public with a grand ceremony. Officials from the […]
Data Centre Manufacturer Minkels Launches VariconPower Server Room Rack PDUs
Data centre manufacturer Minkels, European producer of integrated data centre solutions for cooling, power distribution and housing, has launched a new product group under the name VariconPower™ . This concerns a complete product line of Rack PDUs: Power Distribution Units for server racks. The addition of the VariconPower product group, with modules for server room […]
Spending bill temporarily averts incandescent ban
The omnibus spending bill passed Thursday includes a provision that temporarily lifts the incandescent light bulb ban. Republicans managed to insert language into the 1,200 page bill that prevents funds from being used to implement the first phase of the ban, which was scheduled to commence on January 1st. The incandescent light bulb will be […]
Floating Surge Stopper Provides Overvoltage Protection
Linear Technology Corporation introduces the LTC4366, an overvoltage protection controller for electronic systems. Operating from 9V to greater than 500V, the LTC4366 floating surge stopper utilizes an adjustable floating topology to enable very high voltage operation independent of the voltage rating of the LTC4366’s internal circuitry. Two internal shunt regulators coupled with the external voltage-dropping […]