Switches News

Volta Trucks, the disruptive all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has confirmed the US launch and first public display of the all-electric Volta Zero at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo between May 1-4, as Volta Trucks further develops its launch plans for the US market. ACT Expo 2023 The ACT Expo takes place near Los Angeles in Anaheim, California, and is the world’s largest event dedicated to alternative-fuel commercial vehicles for vehicle ma...

Volta Trucks, the disruptive all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has confirmed the start of production of the 16-tonne all-electric Volta Zero at Steyr Automotive, the company’s partner in contract manufacturing, in Steyr, Austria. Following the Design Verification and Production Validation prototypes started in 2022, the first series of production customer-specification vehicles have entered the production line. Volta Zero Driving Experience Programme Th...

Delta, a provider of power and thermal management solutions, announces it was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the prominent 2023 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence award for the sixth consecutive year. The prestigious distinction values Delta’s outstanding leadership in energy efficiency over the years, demonstrated by the indoor air quality (IAQ) energy savings achieved in North America by our wide portfolio of Delta Breez bathroom...

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Mitsubishi Electric) announced that it has developed what is believed to be the first industrial tomographic-imaging technology that uses a 300GHz terahertz wave for one-shot, one-direction measurements at any depth, suitable for low-impact scanning of biological organisms and moving objects with millimeter resolution. X-ray scanning devices X-ray scanning devices for such purposes are mainly limited to baggage screening in airports, train stations, stadiums, e...

ABB has completed a major turnkey project for Statkraft, Europe’s largest renewable power generator, to help restore the missing system inertia vital for the stable operation of the UK power grid. This is essential as the country switches from fossil fuels to using more renewable energy such as wind and solar. The project features two ABB high-inertia synchronous condenser systems installed at the Lister Drive Greener Grid Park in Liverpool. They are operational and supplying around one p...

With Siemens Sinamics G220, Siemens is launching a new high-performance frequency converter to join the Sinamics family in the run-up to Hannover Messe 2023. The innovative frequency converters are equipped with so-called clean power technology. This reduces harmonics by up to 97 percent without the need for line harmonic chokes or DC link chokes. As a result, the Sinamics G220 frequency converters are significantly more efficient in terms of space utilization and operation, and make engineeri...

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Mitsubishi Electric) announced that it has received an order for a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) rated at ±700MVA, the world’s largest capacity class, from Tohoku Electric Power Network Co., Inc., which is headquartered in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, in Japan. The STATCOM is expected to be operational by the end of 2031. The ongoing introduction of renewable energy generation in northeastern Japan’s power grid will contribute to carb...

The official inauguration of the first phase of what will be Australia's largest photovoltaic complex was held on Thursday, March 16, 2023. New England Solar Farm, located in New South Wales, is being developed in two phases by ACEN Renewables. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the Australian Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Chris Bowen, and was attended by several members of the Australian media, as well as members of the ACEN Renewables Australia team, the construction com...

Pioneer in EV charging infrastructure, ABB E-mobility will coordinate the area of charge management as part of the EU-funded NextETRUCK project, contributing solutions that will optimize charge processes for best integration into vehicle operations at the lowest costs. NextETRUCK is developing concepts tailored for regional medium freight haulage, with at least a 10 percent increase in energy efficiency compared to existing highest-end benchmark electric vehicles. Dedicated software solutions...

After the announcement of the government has allocated over £1.8 billion in funding to boost energy efficiency and cut emissions across homes and public buildings across England, the following is the reaction from Paul Burnett, MD and Co-Founder of Asset+ at EMEX below. Decarbonization Scheme grants Paul has been closely working with Public Sector customers to secure the Public Sector Decarbonization Scheme grants which are designed to help public sector buildings such as schools and hos...

Schneider Electric, the globally renowned company in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, together with SkillPointe Foundation, have established a new scholarship program that will fund training in the Boston area for skills related to the rapidly-expanding building automation field, with aim to develop America’s skilled workforce and provide new opportunities for aspiring individuals of all backgrounds. Schneider Electric SkillPointe Scholarship The Schneider...

Plug Power Inc. (Plug/PLUG), a globally renowned provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, announced that it has expanded its GenKey offering to enable fuel cell adoption for warehouses that operate fewer than 100 electric forklifts. For the first time, this segment of the forklift market, representing more than 25% of all forklifts sold in the U.S., will have access to cost-effective hydrogen fuel cells and the increased productivity they unlock. Plug expan...

RECOM have re-visited the designs of some of the most popular isolated and non-isolated DC/DC converters and achieved major performance improvements from the implementation of advanced circuit and manufacturing techniques. The addition of synchronous rectification improves efficiency, new planar-style transformers can be automatically placed and flexible automation keeps costs down – even reduced for some new products in volume. The new DC/DC series have the ‘K’ designation an...

In the past, a majority of switch applications were designed to wire directly to a final element (pump, compressor, motor, etc.). The switch would activate or deactivate a final element by opening or closing the circuit after reaching a designated set point. While this is still common, more and more applications have turned to the use of advanced controllers such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) to help optimize their process applications. Programma...

The implications of failing to detect gas leaks can impact the environment and workers’ health. Facilities are turning to smart, connected technologies when it comes to the accurate detection of odorless and invisible gases. Below are three ways automation can help improve gas detection. Deploy wireless sensors to increase monitoring density Deploying wireless sensors is a quick way to increase monitoring density, achieve continuous monitoring and provide real-time analyti...

There is a growing demand for electronic switches in industrial plants. Operations, maintenance, and instrumentation personnel are attracted to how electronic switches combine the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of a mechanical switch with the comparative intelligence of a transmitter.  types of efficiencies There are 3 types of efficiencies that can be realized from this: Cost efficiency Equipment manufacturers (e.g., skid builders) that use mechanical instrumentation are often l...

Boilers are a critical asset in many commercial and industrial facilities (e.g., factories, refineries, and power generation plants) and play a vital role in many industrial and production processes.  Unexpected issues arising with boilers can cause significant disruptions to a plant’s operations, leading to unplanned downtime. Facilities that have wisely chosen to implement robust boiler upgrade and maintenance programs have witnessed improvements in their overall process uptim...

To build on innovations that advance intelligence at the edge, Texas Instruments introduced a new family of six Arm® Cortex®-based vision processors that allow designers to add more vision and artificial intelligence (AI) processing at a lower cost, and with better energy efficiency, in applications such as video doorbells, machine vision and autonomous mobile robots. Arm Cortex-based vision processors This new family, which includes the AM62A, AM68A, and AM69A processors, is supported...

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Mitsubishi Electric) announced that it will double a previously announced investment plan to approximately 260 billion Yen, in the five-year period to March 2026, mainly for constructing a new wafer plant to increase production of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors. Under the plan, Mitsubishi Electric expects to respond to rapidly increasing demand for SiC power semiconductors for electric vehicles, as well as expanding markets for new applications that...

Prysmian Group, the globally renowned company in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, increases its focus on seizing growth opportunities stemming from ever-increasing electrification processes. Shifting to renewable energy sources is a sweeping transformation that the world is undergoing, with power transmission grids playing a key role in the dispatching over longer distances and at higher voltage, and power distribution grids proving to be equally and increasingly crucial for integ...

Following the announcement of its One Europe strategy in late 2022, a global provider of modular power, temperature control, and energy solutions, Aggreko, has confirmed a £150m investment into its European fleet this year. The majority of this investment is centered on the business’s ongoing Greener Upgrades portfolio, comprising new boilers, Stage V generators, batteries, and chillers. efficient and sustainable solutions Greener Upgrades is Aggreko’s commitment to hel...

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Mitsubishi Electric) has announced that it won the contract from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to build the nation's newest geostationary meteorological satellite, known as the Himawari-10, which will be the fourth straight such satellite to be built by Mitsubishi Electric, going back to the Himawari-7 satellite built nearly 20 years ago. Himawari-10 The Himawari-10 is a successor to the Himawari-8 and Himawari-9 satellites The Himawari-10 is a success...

RECOM's R-78E series of three-terminal switching regulators has been a very popular high-efficiency replacement for three-terminal, TO-220 style linear regulators, saving energy, board space, and cost, by eliminating heatsinks and their assembly overheads. For 2023, they are announcing an upgrade to the series, denoted R-78Kxx, with improved specifications. Features of the R-78K series  Versions rated at 0.5A, 1A, and 2A are available, with fixed outputs now including 1.2V, 1.5V, 1.8V, 2...

Devices with wireless communication using proprietary radios have been installed in tough industrial applications for several decades. With the modernization of industrial networks and the rapid adoption of technologies related to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), there has been an increasing demand for non-proprietary (i.e. open) wireless communication technologies. Proprietary protocols Proprietary protocols are those designed and created by a single manufacturer. One of the advanta...

Iskra are pleased to announce that they have signed a cooperation agreement with JIS Electrical Trading LLC in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This partnership will enable Iskra to expand their reach and offer their services to a wider range of customers in the United Arab Emirates. Iskra and JIS Electrical Trading LLC sign cooperation agreement Iskra are confident that together they can offer their customers unparalleled service and support JIS Electrical Trading LLC is a well-established c...

Siemens is investing 30 million euros to expand its switchgear plant in Frankfurt-Fechenheim. A smart, fully automated high-speed warehouse and a 1,200 square-meter extension to an existing hall are being built on the 160,000 square-meter site.  For years, the plant has been experiencing steady growth in incoming orders and is working at its capacity limit. The additional production area will support a third assembly line for switchgear, boosting the site and creating new jobs in the regio...

Gas detection is a key part of a modern plant’s safety and asset monitoring system. Most plants likely have a permanent gas detection setup to alert operators, when there are critical issues. Temporary systems can help, when a permanent solution isn’t needed. What isn’t thought about as often is areas that may not need gas detection all the time, or that may need additional gas detection at certain critical junctures for extended periods and potentially at a moment’s not...

In the latest expansion of its battery storage capacity, Axpo will build a 20MW/20MWh facility in Sweden to deliver services to the grid in 2024, it was announced. Axpo acquired the project from developers - RES, a global renewable energy company, and Scandinavian Capacity Reserve (SCR). The lithium-ion based facility will be built in Landskrona, Sweden and connected to the grid by local energy company - Landskrona Energi. New lithium-ion based battery storage facility Axpo will build a 20MW/...

Volta Trucks, the pioneering and disruptive all-electric commercial vehicle manufacturer and services provider, has appointed Dr. Martin Hofmann as its Chief Technology and Information Officer, effective from May 1. Martin Hofmann brings a wealth of experience to Volta Trucks, most recently as Senior Vice President at Salesforce, with previous roles at the Volkswagen Group as its Group Chief Information Officer. Under Martin’s leadership, the Volkswagen Group started its digital transform...

As users get bombarded with daily reminders to wear sunscreen by the pool and posters with cliché sayings, keep in mind the meaning behind them is vitally important. As an active participant on the company’s safety committee, it can be easy to turn a safety project into a long term, high investment project that will be as safe as possible. But it can often come at the expense of a simpler solution that can start making the front line worker safer NOW rather than tomorrow. Optimi...