News

50 Most Read Power Electronics Stories of 2010: 50 to 41

January 03, 2011 by Jeff Shepard

The following are a listing (with links for the full story) of the most read stories on PowerPulse.Net for 2010, thus providing a window into the "pulse" of the trends and interests in the Power Electronics Industry. This is the first part of a series that will continue through Monday, culminating with the most read story of the year.

50: Belkin Acquires Zensi, Signaling Entry into Energy Conservation Market

Belkin International, Inc. announced that it had completed its acquisition of Zensi, a developer of technology that senses and monitors energy use. Indicating a greater commitment in energy management, this strategic acquisition is part of Belkin’s expansion of its current Conserve energy management product portfolio. Zensi’s product portfolio includes exclusive licenses to patent-pending technology developed at the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology and in the Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering departments of the University of Washington.

The full story can be found here.

49: Mitsubishi Chemical Slashes Cobalt Content of Lithium Ion Batteries

Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. announced that it had developed a material for the positive electrode of lithium ion batteries that contains just one-third the normal amount of costly cobalt. The company was to begin shipping samples in 2010 with an eye on the potentially huge market of batteries for hybrid cars and electric vehicles.

The full story can be found here.

48: EDSA Introduces First MicroGrid Master Controller for Management & Control of Microgrids Using Alternative Energy Sources

EDSA unveiled its Paladin® SmartGrid™ software platform, a new software solution that removes a major obstacle to the widespread use of alternative energy. Paladin SmartGrid is a "master controller" enabling the use of on-premise and distributed energy sources – such as solar, wind, or local co-generation – without jeopardizing the reliability of the legacy utility grid.

The full story can be found here.

47: National Semi Unveils SIMPLE SWITCHER Power Module Family

National Semiconductor Corp. introduced the first three products in its SIMPLE SWITCHER® power module family. According to the company, the LMZ-series of power modules provide an innovative, integrated solution that will save design time and provide ease-of-use to help system designers get their products to market faster. The power modules provide the efficiency of a synchronous switching regulator with the simplicity of a linear regulator, eliminating the external inductor and complex layout placement challenges typical of switching regulator designs.

The full story can be found here.

46: DOE Releases Report Analyzing LED-based SSL Savings Potential

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released a new report that analyzes the potential energy savings of broadly deployed solid-state lighting (SSL) sources – predominantly LED- and OLED-based products. The DOE projects that between 2010 and 2030, SSL could save 1,488 terawatt-hours representing a savings of $120 billion at today’s energy prices.

The full story can be found here.

45: Konarka Announces Joint Development of Organic Photovoltaic Panels with Konica Minolta

Konarka Technologies, Inc., developer of Konarka Power Plastic®, a material that converts light to energy, announced the company has signed a comprehensive R&D collaboration and strategic investment agreement with Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. (Konica Minolta). The companies reached agreement to start full-scale collaboration in April in the joint development and distribution of organic thin-film photovoltaics. Under the agreement, Konica Minolta has invested $20 million in Konarka.

The full story can be found here.

44: New DC-DC Technology Aids Development of Next Generation Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

Prodrive introduced itself as leading a consortium of companies to develop a new technology for electric and electric hybrid vehicles that will reduce the weight and space taken by the electrical power system. The 3 year project to develop a flexible dc-dc converter is supported by investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. Prodrive is joined by the University of Manchester, Raytheon Systems Ltd, SciSys, International Transformers and Tata Motors European Technical Centre. The first year of the project will be devoted to fundamental research, followed by two years of application and development, leading to a driveable demonstration car by the end of year three. Market introduction is said to be 5-7 years away.

The full story can be found here.

43: Hitachi & Superlattice Power Announce Lithium-Ion Battery Developments

In news that could benefit users of laptops and electric vehicles (EVs), Hitachi Ltd. announced that it has developed a method to double the lifespan of its lithium-ion batteries to more than 10 years. The batteries are expected to first be used for industrial applications such as storing energy from wind or solar power storage, but could eventually find their way into EVs. The company has yet to reveal when the batteries will enter mass production.

Likewise, Superlattice Power, Inc. announced that it has completed the design of a fast charge lithium ion battery pack in order to qualify the company for EV Innovations Inc.’s LiV™ series electric vehicles.

The full story can be found here.

42: Chloride Group Rejects Emerson Acquisition Bid

Emerson Electric recently made another unsuccessful attempt at acquiring UK-based Chloride Group plc, making a $1.1 billion offer to combine two leading makers of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) equipment. Emerson stated that acquiring Chloride would solidify its position in Europe and other key geographic markets, transform Chloride from a regional into a global competitor, and leverage Emerson’s customer relationships to accelerate growth of Chloride’s industrial UPS product offering.

The full story can be found here.

41: Microchip and Transim Add New Digital Power Capabilities to Mindi Online Design Center

Transim Technology Corp., a provider of online design and support solutions for the semiconductor industry, announced the new release of a new design solution for a digitally controlled PFC, expanding Microchip Technology’s Mindi™ online design and simulation environment.

The full story can be found here.