Renewables

Adding an electric component to a drivetrain can make a car with an internal combustion engine more efficient than any tweak the engine alone would produce.

South Carolina's leading automotive research center and premier technology and aviation business park have partnered to study next-generation vehicle technology.

OnStar announced today a project with TimberRock Energy Solutions, Inc. that uses aggregation software and solar charging canopies with integrated storage to manage the flow of solar power to benefit the electric grid. It will be the first “real-world” use of OnStar’s Smart Grid solutions.

AEG Power Solutions launches the Protect PV.880 OD, a compact high efficiency central solar inverter for utility-scale applications on ground area installations in harsh outdoor environments. The new 880 kVA solar inverter solution supports up to 1300 kWp. Its integrated power stack PV core enables an input DC voltage of up to 1,000 V and peak efficiencies of 98.7%.

Tata Power Solar has today announced that it has won a prestigious 50 MW solar photovoltaic project from NTPC as part of their mandate to expand their renewable energy portfolio to 1,000MW by 2017. Once commissioned in March 2014, the project is expected to generate 78.66 million Kwh of energy each year for MP Power Trading Company for a state that runs annual peak deficit of 9.6%.

imec and Solliance will present a CZTSe (Cu2ZnSnSe4)-based solar cell with 9.7 percent efficiency (1x1cm2, AM1.5G) at next week’s Intersolar conference in San Francisco. This result is very promising and will be an important step in bringing the solar industry closer to a sustainable alternative for the highest efficiency thin-film solar cells in production, based on CIGS (Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2).

Nextreme Thermal Solutions launch a new series of thin-film thermoelectric power generators that offer ease of integration with common sources of thermal energy and higher power, with more robust mechanical design. The Series harvests waste heat from thermal sources, converting it into electricity for a selection of self-powered applications in the wireless sensor including aerospace, automotive, medical device markets and industrial.

There are many challenges associated with high-voltage Li-ion battery-stack management in all-electric or hybrid automotive applications. Charge and discharge cycles must be monitored and controlled, and the battery stack, which often delivers voltages of several hundred volts, has to be isolated for safety concerns. In particular, this paper will examine the requirements for Li-ion cell monitoring, and review the architecture and components used...

ROHM has recently announced the development of an automotive-grade leakage detection IC designed specifically for AC inverters and chargers for AC outlets in electric and hybrid vehicles. The BD9582F-M features a wide operating temperature range and is AEC-Q100-certified, ensuring stable, reliable operation in automotive systems. In addition, industry-low current consumption (330uA) contributes to longer battery life.

Under harsh climatic conditions, secondary damage caused by moisture ranks among the most common causes of failure of power electronics modules. Therefore, a module specified to allow for condensation will offer a significantly increased lifetime. Semikron’s new SKiiPX IGBT module is designed for extreme climatic conditions and allows for condensation during operation. It meets the specific requirements for wind turbines in the 1-6MW power ...