Transmission and Distribution News

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...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming an increasingly popular choice for environmentally conscious consumers in the United Kingdom. In addition to their positive impact on the environment, there are also financial incentives available that make buying an EV a smart choice for the wallet. In this blog, they will explore the financial incentives for buying an EV in the UK. More environmentally friendly option Government Grants The UK government offers grants for electric vehicles that can help...

Battery-powered systems are growing rapidly from inclusion in everything from electric vehicles and motorboats to photovoltaic installations and data centers. A major trend has been an increase in the voltages these systems run on in order to reduce system size/weight and/or increase available power to the load. At the forefront of this trend, enabled by advancements in wide-input power electronics, is a migration from 12V to 24V applications. All electric vehicles (EVs), including Battery...

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...

Delta, a global pioneer in the power and thermal management solutions will be present at Solar Solutions International 2023, hosted at the Expo Haarlemmermeer, in the Netherlands.  Delta will showcase its full range of Flex Series string inverters, which are suitable for residential, commercial, and industrial rooftop PV installations. sustainable energy resources In addition, Delta will demonstrate its PV inverter monitoring solution, along with its Integrated Bluetooth® solution...

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...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular as more people seek out eco-friendly alternatives to traditional fuel-powered vehicles. At the heart of an EV is its battery, which powers the electric motor and propels the vehicle forward. Electric Miles explores how electric vehicle battery technology works and offers some insights into the different types of batteries used in EVs.  Battery Basics  The batteries used in electric vehicles are rechargeable lithium-ion batter...

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...

Often UEC is asked by its customers if the wireless gas detector can be installed at longer distances from a mesh network than it recommends. A typical transmitter, like the Vanguard detector, running at 2.4 GHz will have a 2 dBi gain antenna. With a 2 dBi gain antenna, the signal transmitted by the device will be fairly close to omnidirectional in the horizontal plane providing reliable performance over reasonable distances. Correct antenna selection Customers may also have a tank farm sever...

National codes such as the NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, National Fire Alarm Protection Association, and international standards like EN 60079-29 provide considerable prescriptive guidance and performance-based requirements on how fire and gas systems should be designed and deployed within a facility. IEC performance-based standards Process plants and facilities also look to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) which has promulgated performance-based...

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...

Delta, a world-class provider of power management and industrial automation solutions, announces its participation at ProMAT 2023 from March 20th to 23rd. Delta will present its cutting-edge power systems and smart industrial automation solutions to boost the productivity and energy efficiency of e-forklifts, AGVs, conveyors, loading docks and other applications in the warehouse and logistics sector. Key highlights include the brand new MOOVair 30kW Wireless Charging Systems, which is capable...

Working with end-users looking to add WirelessHart gas monitoring to their facilities, one question almost universally comes up at some point during the process: Where to put gas detectors? wireless gas detector Using a wireless gas detector provides great flexibility to deploy monitoring devices exactly where users need them. Obviously, gas type and leak location will influence detector placement, but less obvious is the need to create a robust network that ensures data gets back to them uni...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining popularity as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fuel-powered vehicles. However, there are concerns about the safety of EVs, particularly in terms of their batteries and charging systems. Electric Miles will explore whether EVs are safer than fuel-powered vehicles and offer insights into the latest research.  Battery Safety  One of the biggest concerns about EVs is the safety of their batteries. Lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in EVs,...

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...

At the DSEI Japan exhibition in Tokyo, the national industry champions for advanced defense electronics representing Japan, the UK, and Italy announced the signing of a collaboration agreement, the next formal step towards a permanent industrial construct. commercial and international operating models The companies: Mitsubishi Electric representing Japan, Leonardo UK representing the UK, and both Leonardo and Elettronica representing Italy, have agreed to forge a closer business relationship a...

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...

Iskra are thrilled to share some more information from the recent signing of a technical agreement for the localization and distribution of power capacitors in Saudi Arabia with their esteemed partner - MEMF Electrical Industries Co. This collaboration between Iskra and MEMF Electrical Industries Co. is a significant milestone and Iskra are excited about the endless possibilities it presents. Iskra and MEMF Electrical Industries Co. partnership Iskra aims to provide high-quality power capacit...

Gas detection has traditionally been a wired operation because of its high device power requirements. With technological advances in sensor and battery technology, there is an emergence of battery-operated, fixed-point wireless gas detection solutions. While there are proprietary and non-proprietary (i.e. open) wireless protocols in the market today, in this post we will be focusing only on open protocols. In particular, we will compare two prevalent open protocols, namely ISA100 and WirelessHA...

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...