EE&T News: August 11, 2010

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August 11, 2010 Issue:

• What, me study?

• Oceans of power from heat engines

• How to build a low-loss stepper motor

• The other energy efficient lighting source

• When PV systems catch fire

• Energy shorts

• 100 LEDs make a difference

What, me study?

As back-to-school time closes in on us, some students, including those enrolled in eastern Pa.'s Green Jobs Academy, will be heading back to begin studies in renewable technology. Meanwhile, we're studying up to put out the next print issue of EE&T. Send your energy efficiency news to us at [email protected] -- Leland Teschler, Editor Read More

Oceans of power from heat engines

Place a heat engine between warm water at the ocean's surface and cold water pumped from the deep ocean and you have yourself an ocean thermal energy conversion plant. The greater the temperature difference, the stronger the flow of heat that can be used to do useful work such as spinning a turbine and generating electricity. READ MORE Read More

New OEM Flow Controller for Photovoltaic Industry

Sierra's new Smart-Trak 50 Digital OEM Mass Flow Controllers' economy, simplicity, stability and performance make it the photovoltaic industry's instrument of choice for the Photovoltaic Vapor Deposition (PVD) sputtering process. Maintaining a specified gas mass flow rate to the vacuum chamber is critical during the PVD process. Sierra's 50 Series automatically compensates for changes in system pressure (vacuum pump fluctuations) or loss of pressure from the gas source (cylinder depletion). The 50 Series also delivers precisely-controlled gas mass flow rate to the vacuum chamber to maintain high-quality end product.www.sierrainstruments.com

How to build a low-loss stepper motor

Stepper motors are well known for their ability to perform accurate positioning in an open-loop mode. But they have a reputation for generating a lot of heat when rotating at high speeds. Generation of heat, of course, implies that the motor is operating at a low efficiency. Manufacturers have increasingly realized that efficiency can be an issue even for positioning motors. So they have adopted construction techniques aimed at boosting the efficiency of steppers, especially when rotating at high speeds. READ MORE Read More

Rugged Speed and Temperature Sensor

Electro-Sensor’s TT420 Temperature Transmitters and ST420 Shaft Tachometers are pre-calibrated, proven solutions that install fast and perform anywhere, providing rugged and reliable monitoring solutions for your toughest machine environments. The TT420 combines a temperature sensor, signal conditioning, and 2-wire loop-powered 4-20mA transmitter into one compact package. The ST420 detects magnetic pulses from a rotating shaft-mounted magnetic pulser target (disc or wrap) and outputs a smooth, continuous 4-20mA analog signal in direct proportion to the pulse frequency (rotating shaft speed).www.electro-sensors.com

The other energy efficient lighting source

The Dept. of Energy's Energy Savers blog calls induction lighting one of the best kept secrets in energy-efficient lighting. Induction technology is essentially a fluorescent light without electrodes or filaments, which are the components that frequently cause other light sources to burn out quickly. Energy transfers through the glass envelope solely by electromagnetic induction. READ MORE Read More

When PV systems catch fire

It turns out that electrical fires involving photovoltaic systems can lead to some unexpected problems for fire departments. So says the Fire Protection Research Institute, guardians of the National Electrical Code. Here's part of the rub: It is customary to shut down the electrical system in buildings where fire erupts. And that's easy enough to do when there are no PV panels on the roof. But PV systems generally only have a single disconnect point that isolates them from the main electrical system. Flipping this switch cuts the link between the power lines and the PV panels, but doesn't stop juice from flowing in the PV system itself, assuming the sun is shining. READ MORE Read More

Energy shorts

Is solar really cheaper than nuclear power? That's the claim.

Better coatings for pistons make gas engines more efficient

A "green jobs" academy for eastern Pa.

Best way to handle peak energy demands

Power-efficient servers pay for themselves

Power supplies work with juice from renewable energy sources
Read More

LED LIGHTING

100 LEDs make a difference

The environmental foundation Global Nature Fund has now launched a project called "Improving livelihoods of fishermen in Sri Lanka by introducing LED and compact fluorescent lamps for night fishing." Supported by the LED Light for you (LLFY) partners OSRAM and Infineon, the German firm Diana Electronic Systeme GmbH has developed a water-tight, low-cost alternative to replace the fishermen's kerosene lamps. READ MORE Read More

Today's Energy Efficiency News update brought to you by:
International Rectifier


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