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Energy Micro launches starter kit for energy friendly microcontroller rangeEnergy Micro, the energy friendly microcontroller company, has introduced a low cost starter kit for its EFM32 Gecko microcontroller family. Priced at $69, the kit provides all the basic functionality a system developer needs to build energy efficient applications based on the 32-bit ARM®Cortex(TM)-M3-based EFM32 Gecko microcontrollers, proven to consume less than a quarter of the energy of other 8,16 and 32-bit microcontrollers. 
Energy Micro wins Embedded Award for energy friendly 32-bit microcontrollerEnergy Micro has received the coveted Embedded Award for Hardware at the Embedded World 2010 Exhibition & Conference for its EFM®32 Gecko energy friendly microcontroller. The award was presented to Energy Micro President and CEO Geir Førre at the event's opening ceremony at the Nürnberg Messe, Germany. 
INSYS MICROELECTRONICS brings “plug and pay” to electric car charging as part of the influential e-mobility project.Pull up to the station, plug in the car, recharge, pay and then be on your way: drivers of electric cars can now find it just as easy to fill up as owners of petrol-fuelled cars. This is made possible by INSYS MICROELECTRONICS, a technology partner of German electricity producer RWE for its "e-mobility" project. 
Finder: High accuracy thermostats reduce energy usageFinder has introduced a series of microprocessor-based room thermostats providing a temperature setting resolution accuracy of 0.1ºC and advanced setting options to help reduce energy usage in residential and commercial environments. Saft energy storage system to support Caribbean island of Bonaire power grid in switch to eco-friendly generationSaft, the world specialist in the design and manufacture of high-tech batteries for industry and defence, is currently delivering a major contract for a 3 MW energy storage system that will ensure a continuous supply of grid electricity from the world's largest hybrid wind/diesel power project to date, on the Caribbean island of Bonaire. The Saft energy storage system, based on advanced nickel-based battery technology, will store energy from the island's isolated grid and then deliver it as required to provide backup power to maintain a totally reliable and stable power grid serving a local population of 14,500 people and around 100,000 holiday visitors a year. 
Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Holst Centre and imec for Its Path Breaking Wearable Energy Harvester TechnologyBased on its recent research on the wearable energy harvesters market, Frost & Sullivan presents Holst Centre and imec with the 2009 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation for its wearable electrocardiograph energy harvesting solution, which provides tens of microwatts of energy per square centimetre for modules with 3x4 cm2 dimensions. Due to its convenience of use, self powering, and low maintenance, this has opened the way for a wide range of commercial and personal solutions. The European open-innovation R&D centres Holst Centre and imec achieved this result within their R&D program on micropower generation and storage. Cypress Envirosystems' Energy Savings Retrofit of County of Santa Clara Buildings Enables Continuous Commissioning with Payback in Less than a YearCypress Envirosystems announced today that the County of Santa Clara has documented significant savings in energy consumption, continuous commissioning and maintenance effort as a result of a March 2009 HVAC retrofit. The County used Cypress Envirosystems' innovative Wireless Pneumatic Thermostat to retrofit pneumatic HVAC systems to provide the benefits of modern Direct Digital Control (DDC) systems, but at a fraction of the cost and with virtually no disruption to building occupants. The project achieved payback on investment in approximately 11 months. The fast payback was due in part to the project qualifying for the local PG&E utility's Auto Demand Response Program, but the County estimates the payback period would have been only 16 months without the PG&E incentives. 
RiZone – Rittal’s new IT management softwareRiZone, Rittal's new IT management software, along with Microsoft's System Centre Operations Manager (SCOM), represents the first commercial software which extends beyond the infrastructure components and allows the power consumption monitoring of all devices enabling real energy savings to be easily achieved. 
IMEC joins consortium to radically reduce energy consumption of communication networksIMEC announced that it will take part in the Green Touch Initiative, a new consortium initiated by Bell Labs, the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent. The Green Touch Initiative is committed to inventing the technologies that will be at the heart of the next generation of sustainable networks. The consortium has set itself the goal of creating technologies necessary to achieve a 1000 fold improvement in the future power consumption of the Internet and other communication networks (e.g. corporate networks) by 2015. 
Analog Devices Converters Enable Wind-To-Power Conversion In Clean Energy TurbinesAnalog Devices, Inc. announced today that Bachmann electronic, the global market leader for electronic control systems in wind turbines, has selected ADI's data converters as key components in its control systems for wind turbines and other industrial systems. Bachmann's electronic control systems have a proven availability of more than 99.96 percent and play an essential role in enabling 30,000 wind power plants around the world to produce clean energy. Autodesk Expands Online Guide to Sustainable Design for Green Building RetrofitsAutodesk, a leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, has announced the availability of major updates for the Autodesk Guide to Sustainable Design for Architecture, Engineering and Construction. The free online guide helps architecture, engineering and construction professionals make better informed decisions to achieve building performance goals. Autodesk and ICF Outline Path to Achieving Carbon Reductions in BuildingsAutodesk has launched a study that puts in place a new technique to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, the world's biggest polluters. The findings were outlined in a joint research report entitled "Rapid Energy Modelling for Existing Buildings: Testing the Business and Environmental Potential Through an Experiment at Autodesk". Autodesk Takes Leadership Role in Greenhouse Gas ReductionsAutodesk has developed a new and more rigorous methodology for corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) target setting. Autodesk developed the Corporate Finance Approach to Climate-Stabilising Targets (C-FACT) to align its own GHG reduction targets with global scientific and policy climate stabilisation targets. National Semiconductor’s SolarMagic Power Optimizer Wins Renewable Energy Design Award at 2009 Elektra AwardsNational Semiconductor today announced that the company's SolarMagic power optimizer received the renewable energy design award at the 7th annual Elektra Awards, on Tuesday, 1st December. Electronics Weekly and a panel of industry experts recognised National's innovative design for its achievement in increasing the energy output and system effectiveness of solar arrays when challenged with real-world conditions. Agilent Technologies Installs 1-Megawatt Solar Power System at Santa Clara, California HeadquartersAgilent Technologies has dedicated a 1-megawatt solar power system at its Santa Clara, Calif., headquarters. The system, the largest in the city of Santa Clara, will deliver approximately 7 percent of the site's power needs each year and up to 30 percent during peak sunny hours. NXP’s GreenChip Brings Energy Efficiency to Netbook AdaptersNXP Semiconductors today announced the launch of GreenChip TEA1733 - a low-cost IC that increases energy efficiency and standby performance of power supplies under 75W. Designed specifically for low-power computing and communication applications such as netbook adapters, printer adapter and LCD monitor supplies, the TEA1733 is a Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) controller IC that enables standby power levels less than 100mW. The GreenChip TEA1733 is the first of a complete series of low-power AC/DC control ICs to be launched by NXP over the next year. 
Clip on junction box speeds cabling of solar panel modulesManufacturers of solar panel modules can increase their productivity with a new type of junction box from Multi-Contact. Called the Foxbox, the compact box has been designed for use in the automated assembly of polycrystalline photovoltaic (PV) arrays. 
OPTEK - Long Distance Reflective SwitchProviding alternative energy design engineers with a means of reliably and accurately detecting the speed of wind turbines, TT electronics OPTEK Technology's OPB732 Series long distance infrared reflective switch has been employed in a 6kW wind turbine for RPM sensing. Placed at the turbine rotor, the switch is used internally to sense RPMs, and that data is then transmitted to a customer-accessible Web site via GPRS. 
Densitron Supports Stanford University at the 10th World Solar Challenge in AustraliaThe World Solar Challenge (www.wsc.org.au) is an annual pre-eminent solar car event held in Australia with the aim of supporting global research works towards a sustainable vehicle future. It is one of the world's largest solar car races and starts in Darwin in the north of Australia and concludes 3012 kilometres later in Adelaide. 
Alpha Micro Introduces Energy Measurement Chip for Home and Enterprise Solutions from Teridian SemiconductorWith energy efficiency top of the agenda, manufacturers of white goods for the home and OEMs developing servers, power distribution and communications equipment are turning to Teridian Semiconductor's 78M6612 power outlet measurement and monitoring chip from Alpha Micro (www.alphamicro.net ) in a drive to cut costs for end users. "Energy costs are set to rise by as much as 60% by 20161", said Christos Papakyriacou, Managing Director, Alpha Micro Components. "The impact is already being felt, with a growing demand from consumers for products that not only meet their requirements on a practical level, but ones that also help them to maintain a grip on their utility bills." ABB and Fincantieri partner to reduce carbon dioxide emissionsABB, the leading power and automation technology group, and Fincantieri, the Italian merchant and naval shipbuilder, have signed an agreement to collaborate on the construction, marketing and supply of high-voltage shore connection (HVSC) systems to provide electricity to vessels in port. Harbor facilities around the world are taking a close look at shore-to-ship connections as a way of reducing emissions from ships in port and improve air quality for surrounding communities. 
Schroff reduces Munich airport computer centre air conditioning energy usage by more than 60 per centBy installing hot aisle/cold aisle containment, re-routing cable runs within the server cabinets and reconfiguring the floor tile layout, Schroff has been able to save some 35% of the previous air conditioning energy usage and provide headroom for the installation of additional servers in the existing cabinets. At the same time, the temperature gradient within the server cabinets was reduced, extending the life of the servers and improving reliability. The payback time on the cost of the additional hardware installation was measured in months, not years. Camdenboss Launches New Gel Batteries For Solar Panel ApplicationsCamdenBoss has launched a new range of maintenance-free gel valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries designed specifically for use in solar panel and similar applications where intermittent charging routines are the norm. National Semiconductor Expands SolarMagic Global Distribution NetworkWith the recent addition of 18 new distribution partners, National Semiconductor has expanded the worldwide network for its SolarMagic power optimizers to include regional sales channels on four continents, bringing the total number of distributors and installers to 22 only months after the product's initial launch. New website from Tyco Electronics displays product offering for photovoltaic industryA new website has recently been launched by Tyco Electronics specifically for its product offering for the solar and photovoltaic industry. Under the new landing page www.tycoelectronics.com/solar customers can find industry related information on junction boxes, cable couplers, combiner boxes, solar cables, grounding solutions and identification labels. MOST Technology Is Prepared for a Green FutureMOST Technology is helping the environment by supporting to create greener automobiles. The plastic optical fiber chosen ten years ago significantly reduces the weight of the wiring harness. The entire cable weighs approximately as much as just the insulation used on an equivalent conventional copper connection. Particularly for electric mobility, every saving is crucial because all the electrical energy has to be stored on rechargeable batteries before commencing travel. 
Universal Air Filter Products Support Green InitiativesThese days, every product seems to claim they are environmentally friendly. For many years, Universal Air Filter has been supporting green initiatives by helping to conserve energy and extend product life cycles with their flame-retardant, reusable and low-pressure drop filters. "Our permanent, cleanable air filters offer several 'green' benefits for equipment cooling applications, from increasing their efficiency to reducing their waste," said Mike Miano, engineering and sales manager. "We design products that utilize materials that help keep energy conservation in mind and meet eco-friendly standards such as RoHS and REACH." Cree Adding Green Jobs in North CarolinaCree, Inc., a market leader in LED lighting, announces the expansion of its North Carolina manufacturing capacity and the addition of North Carolina-based green jobs as the market for energy-efficient LED lighting continues to expand. Cree expects to add 275 North Carolina jobs during 2009 to serve the expansion of LED manufacturing capacity and other staffing needs at its Durham, N.C. facility. Cree anticipates creating an additional 300 jobs by the end of 2012. Guide explains Tyco Electronics’ alternative energy product portfolioTyco Electronics continues to sharpen its focus on the developing alternative energy market, offering a growing line of products for the wind turbine segment. Innovative solutions are available for numerous applications within wind turbine systems such as control cabinets, inverters, cable assemblies, elevators and more. 
BASF makes it to top flight of Carbon Disclosure Leadership IndexThe international investor group Carbon Disclosure Project has again included BASF in the prestigious Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI). BASF is number one of all companies in the materials sector. Thus, in the area of climate protection, the Chemical Company is among the top performers in the CDLI. This index only includes corporations that excel in addressing the opportunities and risks presented by climate change and in the transparency of their reporting. Saft illustrates total energy storage capability for solar power applications at EU PVSEC 2009Saft is showing its full range of nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd), nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) and lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technologies at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) in Hamburg, representing a total capability to meet the specific and varying energy storage needs of the PV (photovoltaic) market. Orchid Technologies Designs Solar Power System"Small to moderate sized solar energy arrays must make use of efficient, safe energy storage systems," says Paul Nickelsberg, President and CTO of Orchid Technologies. "Applications with high current low duty cycle demand can tax standard battery storage systems. Orchid Technologies was selected to perform the custom design of a high current, low duty cycle energy delivery and Lithium Ion battery management system. Our custom, scalable design provided battery management and power delivery in increments of 2000 Watts each. Multiple units can be combined to satisfy a variety of high peak load requirements," says Nickelsberg. Wall Street Journal Names SolarMagic Power Optimizer Runner-Up for 2009 Technology Innovation AwardNational Semiconductor today announced that its SolarMagic power optimizer was named a runner-up in the Energy category for the Wall Street Journal's 2009 Technology Innovations Awards. The Wall Street Journal received 500 nominations for this year's competition, a record for the nine year running award program. A panel of judges was assembled to evaluate products that were truly revolutionary, and this year considered their value in a down economy. EnOcean named a Global Cleantech 100 clean technology companyEnOcean today announced it has been named a Global Cleantech 100 company by Guardian News and Media and Cleantech Group, LLC, providers of leading research, events and advisory services for the cleantech ecosystem. 
Modular controller for solar photovoltaic plantsCarlo Gavazzi has announced a versatile, reliable management and control system targeting small to medium or high power solar photovoltaic (PV) plants. The new controller is designed to enable the plants to meet growing demand for clean sources of energy by maintaining efficient operation, maximising performance and strengthening the Return on Investment. 
Peak performance for Multi-Contact solar connectorsSolar power junction boxes and connectors from Multi-Contact are helping to power the newly opened Matterhorn Glacier Paradise restaurant in the Swiss Alps. Located at an altitude of almost 4000 metres above sea level on the Klein Matterhorn peak, the complex receives most of its power from Europe's highest photovoltaic (PV) installation in the form of a 200 m2 solar array. 
Green computing with Amplicon’s ATOM PCAmplicon has launched the Impact-E 30 series of ATOM based embedded computers adding new innovation to Amplicon's existing Industrial PC range. The Impact-E 30 series are next generation embedded computer systems that utilise the ATOM N270 processor to achieve high performance at very low power consumption – typically around 11W with Windows XP Professional installed. With such low power requirements, it is feasible to power these systems from a solar panel or battery. Freescale cleans up small combustion engines with electronic control solutionFaced with worldwide emissions regulations and rising gas prices, the small engine market is migrating from mechanical carbureted systems to cleaner, more efficient electronic control and electronic fuel injection (EFI). To address the global need for these eco-friendly designs, Freescale has combined a highly integrated analog device with a 16-bit microcontroller (MCU) to provide a cost-effective platform solution ideal for small engine control. Tata BP Solar and NXP Semiconductors Co-operate to Develop Solar SolutionsNXP Semiconductors today announced a development partnership with Tata BP Solar India Ltd., a joint venture of BP Solar and Tata Power, under which Tata BP intends to use various electronic solutions for solar applications developed by NXP. These solutions have been developed by NXP as per the requirements of Tata BP. Energy-harvesting to power IEEE802.15.4, ZigBee and 6LoWPAN wireless sensor networksJennic, a manufacturer of innovative 32-bit wireless microcontrollers and modules, announces a demonstration platform that successfully harvests thermal, solar, radio frequency (RF) and vibrational energy, to power wireless sensor networks based on the IEEE802.15.4 standard such as ZigBee PRO and 6LoWPAN. Texas Instruments honours SolarDay with new initiatives to power the future of solar technologyIn honour of the first SolarDay, a national day of recognition for the growth of solar energy in the U.S., Texas Instruments is announcing its sponsorship of the 2009 Solar Decathlon competition. As a returning sponsor , TI is investing in future innovators to help solve some of the world's most critical energy problems. 
PerkinElmer's Latest Infrared Sensing Technology for Smart Green HVAC AppliancesPerkinElmer has announced the introduction of its new Cool Eye Thermopile Line Array, designed for energy conservation and indoor climate control in today's greener, smarter appliances. PerkinElmer's new Thermopile Line Array detector is designed to meet applications that require low resolution 3-D thermal images capable of resolving humans and small animals without the use of expensive, high-resolution infrared (IR) imaging cameras. Field Trial Shows SolarMagic Recoups Over 54 Percent of Lost Energy in Solar ArraysNational Semiconductor has announced that field trials at HaWi Energietechnik AG of Eggenfelden / Munich, Germany showed that National's SolarMagic power optimizers recouped 54.4 percent of energy lost to partial shading in a solar array. The field trial was conducted April through May 2009. 
Nat Semi Launches SolarMagic Power Optimizers in Europe and North AmericaNational Semiconductor has announced it is shipping its SolarMagic power optimizers, a new product that improves the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems impaired by real-world conditions. SolarMagic power optimizers are available now to customers in Europe and North America. Fairchild's Solar Power Shines Article Wins GreenPower Leadership Award at PCIM EuropeFairchild Semiconductor has been named the overall winner of the Power Systems Design Europe (PSDE) magazine 2nd annual, prestigious GreenPower Leadership Awards competition. Fairchild's article titled Solar Power Shines by Alfred Hesener was announced the overall winner at Power Conversion Intelligent Motion (PCIM) Europe Exhibition & Conference. The monetary award for this article will be donated to the Institute of Robotics at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. The University conducts research on motion control solutions. SolarMagic Power Optimizer Passes Rigorous Testing for Reliability, DurabilityNational Semiconductor has announced results of rigorous internal reliability testing for its SolarMagic power optimizers. The results of the tests demonstrate SolarMagic has an industry-leading mean time between failures (MTBF) of 455 years which, when coupled with its 20-year warranty, make National's SolarMagic power optimizer one of the most reliable electronic photovoltaic (PV) system components available. SolarMagic improves the output of solar arrays when affected by real-world conditions such as shade, debris and panel aging. 
Multi-Contact celebrates 150 million photovoltaic connectors soldMulti-Contact has sold its 150 millionth photovoltaic connector worldwide. One of the pioneers in manufacturing connector systems for solar power applications, Multi-Contact has more than 10 years' experience in this sector. Solmetric to Develop Photovoltaic Layout and Estimation Software Tool for SolarMagic Power OptimizersNational Semiconductor has announced a partnership with Solmetric Corp., an innovative developer of test and measurement tools for solar installations. Solmetric has developed a software tool to estimate the energy production of solar arrays, including installations outfitted with National's SolarMagic power optimizers. It will be on display later this month on National's booth at Intersolar 2009, the world's largest solar trade fair, which will take place in Munich/Germany from May 27 – 29, 2009. Nat Semi's SolarMagic Receives Worldwide Compliance CertificationsNational Semiconductor has announced that it has passed rigorous testing and received product safety, emissions and environmental compliance certifications for its SolarMagic power optimizers. SolarMagic improves the output of solar arrays when affected by real-world conditions such as shade, debris and panel aging. Molex wins Arkansas Sierra Club Award for Environmental EffortsMolex Incorporated has announced that its facility based in Maumelle, Arkansas, was awarded the 2009 Conservation Award as Environmental Large Business of the Year for its successful recycling initiative and for decreasing the amount of solid waste in landfills. The award is the latest recognition of Molex's commitment to preserve the global environment via ECOCARE, the company's sustainability programme. National Instruments Hosts Green Engineering Virtual Event SeriesNational Instruments has announced the Green Engineering Virtual Event Series, an offering of five live webcasts that provide engineers and scientists information on how to use the most current measurement and control tools and techniques to design, develop and improve technologies that result in environmental and economic benefits. The free Green Engineering Virtual Event Series will be hosted live on ni.com during Earth Week, April 20-24, from noon to 1:00 p.m. CDT, and will cover a different green engineering topic every day. An NI technical expert will present each webcast, focusing on real-world application examples and hardware and software demonstrations. PSMA Announces Availability of On-Line Energy Efficiency Standards DatabaseThe Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) has announced availability of its On-line Energy Efficiency Database (EEDB) as a service to the industry. The number of energy efficiency standards and the world wide agencies that generate them continue to grow daily. It is time consuming for an individual or company to keep track of the many actions and activities by government and industry groups. The PSMA on-line energy efficiency standards database provides one click access to the very latest global standards and initiatives. |
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