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Lighting Up Villages with Solar Microgrids
 Over a billion people have no access to electric power, and many are too remote to ever receive centralized grid supplies. A delivery solution proving more cost-effective than extending the grid in some areas of
Southeast Asia is the solar-powered microgrid. An Australian-designed hybrid system composed of solar panels, lead-acid battery storage, and diesel gensets is improving the livelihoods of villagers on an island off Malaysian Borneo, and other regions are beginning to explore the technology's potential. While lack of local technical expertise and high battery costs may pose operational challenges, Technology Review foresees a reciprocal partnership between the rural microgrid and the conventional grid. |
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Connected with Nomex® DuPont™ Nomex® Energy Solutions |
A Solar System's Intelligence Resides in Its
Electrical Installation Schneider Electric |
 DuPont helps the automotive industry deliver efficient vehicles with high-performance products, technologies, and global network of experts. Extensive knowledge of material science helps DuPont evaluate the performance of insulation
systems in your designs. Materials such as Nomex® solve many of the challenges in HEV/EV designs, and are used by OEMs. |
 Schneider Electric is a unique partner for all project phases: from site assessment to grid-tie substation design to final testing and commissioning. State-of-the-art inverters, pre-wired
PV boxes, and Square D balance of system components provide maximum efficiency. |
Strengthen Wind Turbine Assembly
DurabilityMolykote® from Dow Corning |
Encoders for Alternative EnergyFRABA — POSITAL |
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Prevent Premature Failure for Wind Turbine GearboxesREM Surface Engineering |
 Wind turbine gearboxes are designed to last over 20 years; however many standard gearboxes experience premature failure. These failures are often a result of gear wear and micropitting due to the extreme conditions in which
wind turbines are often operated (strong, intermittent wind gusts and the start-and-stop nature of wind in general). Visit us here for more information. |
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PV by the Numbers
 Some location-specific tools can help determine the economic and efficiency gains of roof-mounted solar panels. A PV calculator for the UK considers roof pitch, feed-in tariff rate, and proposed installation size in approximating annual and
long-term energy savings. Is your roof in the U.S.? Use this calculator for crystalline silicon PV systems. |
Recycling Light in Portable Electronics
 Light absorbed by liquid crystal displays in cell phones and other electronics is wasted as heat, but can be harvested and put to use. A linearly polarized luminescent solar concentrator developed at MIT directs incident light to solar cells encased in the display frame. The cells can charge device battery by supplying 10 µW/sq cm indoors, or up to 10 mW/sq cm outdoors. If you find this subject interesting, subscribe to the GlobalSpec e-Newsletter, Display Technologies. |
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A Pipeline Runs to It
 A 1.1 MW proton exchange membrane fuel cell now supplies half of the power needed at the Torrance, CA, facilities of Toyota Motor Sales USA. Considered the largest of its kind, the zero-emissions fuel cell is fed directly from an industrial hydrogen pipeline. The purchase of landfill-generated biogas will offset the hydrogen consumed. |
Compact Charger Fits Different Markets
 Video showcases a fuel cell recharger with military, space application, and portable consumer electronics applications. Available in spring 2013, the silicon-based micro fuel cells rely on refillable cartridges, each of which can charge a cell phone four times. Proven semiconductor manufacturing technology yields single cells that generate 180 mW/sq cm, and can be stacked to yield 4 kW. |
Rechargeable Energy Storage DeviceCymbet Corporation |
EcoWire™ from Alpha WireCarlton-Bates Company |
 The EnerChip™ CBC005 is a solid state, thin film, rechargeable energy storage device rated at 5 μAh at 3.8 V. It is ideal as a localized on-board power source to retain memory or maintain real-time clock function in mobile
systems when main power is interrupted. From Cymbet Corporation. |
 Carlton-Bates is now stocking Alpha Wire's new EcoWire™ which is the
latest innovation in hook-up wire. Smaller and lighter, yet tougher than PVC—based hook-up wire, EcoWire is a true engineering breakthrough. Even better, it contains no harmful halogens, phthalates, or heavy metals, making it 100% recyclable. |
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Supercritical Technology for GeothermalPower
 Testing is underway on a prototype supercritical organic Rankine cycle module developed by Italy-based Turboden. The 500 kW turbogenerator is intended for geothermal-solar energy hybrid service. At the end of the
trial phase, the design will likely be scaled up to 5 MW for application in binary plants tapping geothermal hot water resources. |
A More Down-to-Earth Turbine Design
 Most wind turbines are engineered to tap winds at altitude, but not the DARWIND5 profiled in Gizmag. The Darrieus design from a Canadian startup sits 25-35% lower than conventional horizontal and vertical axis nacelles
and generates 35% more kWh/year relative to VAWTs of comparable sweep area. Watch a stationary field test at 3.5 m (11.48 ft). |
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Bio-gasoline at a Bargain
 Google has successfully operated a campus vehicle with a 5% biofuel/95% gasoline blend produced by California startup Cool Planet. Derived from wood chips and other non-food feedstocks, the high-octane fuel is generated under high heat and pressure under anaerobic conditions. The company expects to produce the drop-in gasoline replacement for $1.50/gal in micro-refineries. |
Long Cycle Life for the Grid
 A prototype battery based on inexpensive materials promises long-lived grid-scale storage of renewable energy. Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Lab researchers engineered a copper hexacyanoferrate cathode and an activated carbon/polypyrrole hybrid anode. The result is a unit with 92% energy efficiency at typical discharge rates and zero energy loss after 1,000 deep-discharge cycles. |
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DC:DC Converters for Smart
Sub-CombinersTamura Corporation of America |
Alternative Fuel Processing SystemsVecoplan, LLC |
 Tamura Corp's new "Parasitic" DC supply feeds off photovoltaic system DC voltage up to 1000 VDC and safely, securely, supplies isolated 24 VDC@1A, to power smart sub-combiner data collection and transmission
devices. Available in Q4 2012 in NA the supply is certified to UL1741, and compliant with UL1012 and CSA107 for industrial and photovoltaic applications. More info. |
 Vecoplan is experienced with tires, wood, and other biomass waste, carpet waste, and other industrial waste feed-stocks. Our systems capabilities include unloading of raw feed-stocks, pre-shredding, ferrous separation, conveying, screening, air classification, re-shredding, nonferrous separation, sampling and testing stations, storage, and delivery of fuel to the boiler. |
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Industry Standards . . . |
Building-integrated PV Standards |
Specify Hydrogen Quality for PEM Vehicles |
 This document, available now from IHS, applies to photovoltaic (PV) modules used as building components. It focuses on properties of these modules relevant to essential building requirements as specified in the European Construction Product Directive CPD 89/106/EEC, and the applicable electro-technical requirements as stated in the Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC/ or CENELEC standards. This document only references international standards and guidelines. For more information on IHS standards, visit us here. |
 This Technical Specification issued by ISO, now available from IHS, specifies the quality characteristics of hydrogen fuel in order to assure uniformity of the hydrogen product as dispensed for utilization in proton
exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell road vehicle systems. For more information on IHS standards, visit us here. |
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| November 27, 2012 - Volume 7 Issue 21 | | |
| © 2012 IHS. GlobalSpec, the GlobalSpec logo, SpecSearch, the Engineering Web, and the Engineering Search Engine are registered trademarks of IHS, 30 Tech Valley Drive, Suite 102, East Greenbush, NY 12061 - 800.261.2052. All other products, company names, or other marks appearing in this e-newsletter are the trademarks and property of their respective owners. |
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