MDB Capital will host its annual Bright Lights Conference on May 10th-11th at Le Parker Meridien Hotel in New York City. Eric Apfelbach, President & CEO of ZBB, has been invited to present on May 10th at 10:30 a.m. ET. ZBB Energy was selected from MDB's 2011 group of "Best and Brightest" small-cap companies, a group that is advancing today's most innovative and market-leading intellectual property (IP). ZBB Energy is one of the 40 public companies ranking in the 90th percentile for its respective technology leadership from more than 1,500 small-cap companies with granted U.S. patents, as rated by PatentVest, MDB's proprietary IP business intelligence platform.
Tier Electronics, a wholly owned subsidiary of ZBB Energy, will be exhibiting in Booth 3692 at the WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition on May 22-25, 2011 in Anaheim, California. The show, produced by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), provides a venue for the wind industry to network, do business, and solve problems. Tier Electronics will exhibit its semi-custom power converters and standardized designs for OEMs. Tier Electronics specializes in intelligent power converters for alternative energy, motor controls and power quality.
Tier Electronics will be exhibiting in Booth C22 in the ReNew the Earth Institute at the MREA Energy Fair on June 17-19, 2011 in Custer, Wisconsin. Tier will be showcasing Solindro, its grid-tie inverter product line for small wind and solar. The ReNew the Earth Institute allows for people of all ages to learn about renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable living, and other environmental issues.
2011年4月28日星期四
mPowerSolar Inc Named TiE50 Finalist
mPowerSolar has been named as TiE50 Finalist, as a leader in entrepreneurship, innovation, and management excellence. The TiE50 awards will be presented at TiEcon 2011, May 13 – 14th, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. The finalists chosen from over 1,619 nominations, represent the most promising startups of 2011.
mPowerSolar developed the industry's first micro-inverter platform Altior TM to significantly lower the LCOE (Leveraged Cost of Electricity) for Solar PV installations. With a mission to accelerate Solar PV's journey to grid-parity mPowerSolar has adopted a platform approach to deliver high performance and reliable power conversion solutions for the residential and commercial installations.
mPowerSolar recently introduced the Altior 300-208V the industry's first 3-phase micro-inverter for commercial installations. Targeted at the urban rooftop, Altior 300-208V micro-inverters would help installers put up 10KW-50KW systems in the shortest possible time. Altior micro-inverters deliver a 15% increased efficiency when compared to the traditional centralized inverter solutions for commercial rooftop With an integrated cable assembly that includes the ground wiring Altior micro-inverters significantly lower the installation time and cost. In addition a comprehensive monitoring and reporting system complete with a touch screen LCD display and web application makes the Altior platform offers a complete solution for commercial Solar PV installations.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by TiE, a highly respected global network of leading entrepreneurs, as one of the most promising startups of 2011,” said Surya Potharaju, CEO of mPowerSolar."To make it to the TiE50 Finalist in the competitive Energy segment is very exciting for 18 month startup like us."
“mPowerSolar's innovation in Energy segment has helped secure the finalist position and established the company as a serious contender for a TiE50 Award this year,” said Vish Mishra, president of TiE Silicon Valley. “TiE Silicon Valley congratulates mPowerSolar for its selection as a finalist from the more than 1,600 entries we received this year.”
The TiE 50 judging process was designed with meticulous planning, screening and judging by a list of over forty prominent entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, corporate executives and other domain experts. TiE is also pleased to acknowledge the nominee companies and those who publicly voted from around the world and contributed to the TiE50 selection process. TiE50 winners will present their companies in a live showcase over the two days of TiEcon 2011, on May 13th and 14th in Santa Clara, CA.
TiEcon 2011: Innovation Reigns, will feature session tracks and keynote speeches focused on key market segments: Cloud, Mobile, Social, Energy and Life Sciences. Fifteen panel sessions will cover the hottest issues for industry participants, customers, and investors in these high profile industry sectors. Keynotes at TiEcon 2011 include: Steve Case, Co-Founder of AOL and Chair of the Startup America Partnership; Sal Khan, Educator and Founder of the Khan Academy; and Vinod Khosla, Founding CEO of Sun Microsystems, Founder of Khosla Ventures.
mPowerSolar developed the industry's first micro-inverter platform Altior TM to significantly lower the LCOE (Leveraged Cost of Electricity) for Solar PV installations. With a mission to accelerate Solar PV's journey to grid-parity mPowerSolar has adopted a platform approach to deliver high performance and reliable power conversion solutions for the residential and commercial installations.
mPowerSolar recently introduced the Altior 300-208V the industry's first 3-phase micro-inverter for commercial installations. Targeted at the urban rooftop, Altior 300-208V micro-inverters would help installers put up 10KW-50KW systems in the shortest possible time. Altior micro-inverters deliver a 15% increased efficiency when compared to the traditional centralized inverter solutions for commercial rooftop With an integrated cable assembly that includes the ground wiring Altior micro-inverters significantly lower the installation time and cost. In addition a comprehensive monitoring and reporting system complete with a touch screen LCD display and web application makes the Altior platform offers a complete solution for commercial Solar PV installations.
“We are thrilled to be recognized by TiE, a highly respected global network of leading entrepreneurs, as one of the most promising startups of 2011,” said Surya Potharaju, CEO of mPowerSolar."To make it to the TiE50 Finalist in the competitive Energy segment is very exciting for 18 month startup like us."
“mPowerSolar's innovation in Energy segment has helped secure the finalist position and established the company as a serious contender for a TiE50 Award this year,” said Vish Mishra, president of TiE Silicon Valley. “TiE Silicon Valley congratulates mPowerSolar for its selection as a finalist from the more than 1,600 entries we received this year.”
The TiE 50 judging process was designed with meticulous planning, screening and judging by a list of over forty prominent entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, corporate executives and other domain experts. TiE is also pleased to acknowledge the nominee companies and those who publicly voted from around the world and contributed to the TiE50 selection process. TiE50 winners will present their companies in a live showcase over the two days of TiEcon 2011, on May 13th and 14th in Santa Clara, CA.
TiEcon 2011: Innovation Reigns, will feature session tracks and keynote speeches focused on key market segments: Cloud, Mobile, Social, Energy and Life Sciences. Fifteen panel sessions will cover the hottest issues for industry participants, customers, and investors in these high profile industry sectors. Keynotes at TiEcon 2011 include: Steve Case, Co-Founder of AOL and Chair of the Startup America Partnership; Sal Khan, Educator and Founder of the Khan Academy; and Vinod Khosla, Founding CEO of Sun Microsystems, Founder of Khosla Ventures.
2011年4月26日星期二
Coal Free IU finances 8 solar panels at IMU
Eight solar panels producing two kilowatts of clean energy were installed on the roof of the Indiana Memorial Union on Thursday.
The panels are each 250 watts and are located on the left side of the Whittenberger Auditorium entrance, said Jill Minor, Mann Plumbing Inc. solar website designer and School of Public and Environmental Affairs dual masters candidate.
“On the back of the panels, we use micro-inverters, and the panels create direct current electricity like a battery, and the micro-inverters change the direct current into alternating current,” Minor said.
The IU Student Foundation awarded the Sierra Club’s Coal Free IU project with a $12,000 grant to fund the installation of the solar panels.
University Engineer Jeff Kaden said while the grant wasn’t a lot of money to purchase these panels, the product the University purchased was good.
“Hopefully, this is the first of many projects that we can do like this, and hopefully, the next ones will be bigger,” he said.
Mann Plumbing Inc./MPI Solar installed the array, which took about nine hours, Minor said.
“The biggest challenge was definitely getting the panels up on the roof,” she said. “There was no direct access.”
However, because of a slight change in the way the micro inverters are connected, the solar panels aren’t fully operational yet, Kaden said.
“There are a couple electrical items that need to be completed, and quite frankly, it has not been sunny since they have been up so they couldn’t have been producing much energy anyway,” he said.
The amount of energy the IMU uses every day will affect how much of the difference is noticeable, Kaden said.
“The building uses thousands of kilowatts a day so there is going to be very little noticeable effect, quite frankly,” he said. “This is a very interesting demonstration project, and there will be a web-based opportunity for people to see the production, but as far as actually affecting usage of electricity in the Union building, it will not be that noticeable.”
Coal Free IU President Lauren Kastner said the club hopes for the solar panels to be functional by the end of next week and to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony to flip the switch on and connect the panels to the building.
“It is seriously such a huge move for students. It is both student run and funded, and it sends a huge message to the University that students are ready for clean energy,”
she said.
There will be a live monitor in the IMU for people to see how much energy is being used and how much sunlight is hitting the panels, Kastner said.
“We want to use them as an educational tool,” she said. “They are for the good of the campus. We want to make sure people have the access and use it as a learning tool. It is an onsite demonstration of clean energy not only for a better campus but education, research and awareness.”
Kastner said IU needs to take the clean energy seriously as 16 other universities have already made a public timeline to go off coal.
“It is so important that IU is on the path of clean energy now,” she said. “They need to start taking the competition seriously if they want to maintain progress and sustainability.”
The panels are each 250 watts and are located on the left side of the Whittenberger Auditorium entrance, said Jill Minor, Mann Plumbing Inc. solar website designer and School of Public and Environmental Affairs dual masters candidate.
“On the back of the panels, we use micro-inverters, and the panels create direct current electricity like a battery, and the micro-inverters change the direct current into alternating current,” Minor said.
The IU Student Foundation awarded the Sierra Club’s Coal Free IU project with a $12,000 grant to fund the installation of the solar panels.
University Engineer Jeff Kaden said while the grant wasn’t a lot of money to purchase these panels, the product the University purchased was good.
“Hopefully, this is the first of many projects that we can do like this, and hopefully, the next ones will be bigger,” he said.
Mann Plumbing Inc./MPI Solar installed the array, which took about nine hours, Minor said.
“The biggest challenge was definitely getting the panels up on the roof,” she said. “There was no direct access.”
However, because of a slight change in the way the micro inverters are connected, the solar panels aren’t fully operational yet, Kaden said.
“There are a couple electrical items that need to be completed, and quite frankly, it has not been sunny since they have been up so they couldn’t have been producing much energy anyway,” he said.
The amount of energy the IMU uses every day will affect how much of the difference is noticeable, Kaden said.
“The building uses thousands of kilowatts a day so there is going to be very little noticeable effect, quite frankly,” he said. “This is a very interesting demonstration project, and there will be a web-based opportunity for people to see the production, but as far as actually affecting usage of electricity in the Union building, it will not be that noticeable.”
Coal Free IU President Lauren Kastner said the club hopes for the solar panels to be functional by the end of next week and to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony to flip the switch on and connect the panels to the building.
“It is seriously such a huge move for students. It is both student run and funded, and it sends a huge message to the University that students are ready for clean energy,”
she said.
There will be a live monitor in the IMU for people to see how much energy is being used and how much sunlight is hitting the panels, Kastner said.
“We want to use them as an educational tool,” she said. “They are for the good of the campus. We want to make sure people have the access and use it as a learning tool. It is an onsite demonstration of clean energy not only for a better campus but education, research and awareness.”
Kastner said IU needs to take the clean energy seriously as 16 other universities have already made a public timeline to go off coal.
“It is so important that IU is on the path of clean energy now,” she said. “They need to start taking the competition seriously if they want to maintain progress and sustainability.”
SEMA Announces Speakers for Its 1st Technical Conference and Exhibition
The event will include training courses as well as a technical conference and exhibition. The technical conference will review the reliability issues associated with PV modules based on a new SEMA reliability report written by Robert Schwenke of SciTech Consultants, Kurt Scott of Atlas, and Dr. Dasgupta Das and Professor Patrick McCluskie of the University of CALCE inMaryland. The conference also will feature input from the SEMA membership and various industry research and development groups. The report will be available for free to conference attendees and SEMA members.
Speakers, including Allen Zielnik of Atlas, will review industry programs that address long-term module reliability implications with a discussion on understanding and determining the reliability of PV modules over their 25-year lifetime.
David Torp of IPC, along with other respected industry experts, will discuss existing and emerging solar standards during the standards session of the conference. This session also will include a review of gaps in standards as well as the challenges and development of international quality standards. Inverter and microinverter reliability issues and roadmaps/future trends, as well as the INEMI roadmap for PV will be presented by the session's speakers, one of these being Wayne Chang from Pivotry Consultancy. Additionally, PV module manufacturing leaders from Flextronics and Celestica will present module and manufacturing issues.
The outlook for the global solar industry will be discussed by industry experts Paula Mints from Navigant, Philip Heinz from Prismark and Jon Custer-Topai from Custer Consulting. Finally, speakers including Matthew Holzmann from Christopher Assocates will review hazards for modules, including fire, warranty, theft and traceability.
In addition to the training courses and technical conferences, there will be an exhibition consisting of many leading companies in the solar industry.
Speakers, including Allen Zielnik of Atlas, will review industry programs that address long-term module reliability implications with a discussion on understanding and determining the reliability of PV modules over their 25-year lifetime.
David Torp of IPC, along with other respected industry experts, will discuss existing and emerging solar standards during the standards session of the conference. This session also will include a review of gaps in standards as well as the challenges and development of international quality standards. Inverter and microinverter reliability issues and roadmaps/future trends, as well as the INEMI roadmap for PV will be presented by the session's speakers, one of these being Wayne Chang from Pivotry Consultancy. Additionally, PV module manufacturing leaders from Flextronics and Celestica will present module and manufacturing issues.
The outlook for the global solar industry will be discussed by industry experts Paula Mints from Navigant, Philip Heinz from Prismark and Jon Custer-Topai from Custer Consulting. Finally, speakers including Matthew Holzmann from Christopher Assocates will review hazards for modules, including fire, warranty, theft and traceability.
In addition to the training courses and technical conferences, there will be an exhibition consisting of many leading companies in the solar industry.
2011年4月24日星期日
Qualcomm with growth of only 12.4 percent
Samsung is racing to take top spot in electronics and semiconductor domain. As per the newly released semiconductor ranking by IHS iSuppli for 2010, the No. 2-ranked Samsung held 9.2 percent share of global chip revenue, up from 7.6 percent in 2009. This put the South Korean electronics giant a mere 4.1 percentage points behind perennial market leader Intel of the United States, says IHS iSuppli.
"The rise of Samsung is one of the biggest stories of the last decade in the worldwide semiconductor market," said IHS analyst Dale Ford. "When experts discuss competition for Intel, they almost always focus on Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD). While it is true that AMD is Intel's major competitor in the microprocessing unit (MPU) market, Samsung is the primary rival of Intel for overall semiconductor market share. And although they are mainly indirect competitors in the marketplace, Intel and Samsung have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, for a number of years."
IHS iSuppli findings and observations on semiconductor vendor ranking in 2010 include:
In 2001 Intel's market share at 14.9 percent was more than three times that of Samsung at 3.9 percent; Samsung ranked fifth then. Since that time, Intel's market share has ranged between 11.9 percent and 14.8 percent. Meanwhile, Samsung has seen its revenues grow by 355 percent from 2001 to 2010, allowing the company to expand market share and raise its ranking.
Samsung's strong performance in 2010 was driven by booming sales of its main semiconductor product: memory integrated circuits (ICs). Among the major semiconductor categories, memory ICs had the strongest growth at 52.4 percent. In comparison, the next fastest-rising area was sensors and actuators at 35.5 percent, followed by discretes at 34.5 percent.
The biggest growth driver in the memory segment in 2010 was dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which enjoyed 75.0 percent expansion. The other major segment of the memory market, NAND flash, grew 38.6 percent for the year.
For Samsung, given its position as the world's leading supplier of DRAM and NAND, the company's 59.1 percent rise in semiconductor revenue during 2010 meant it massively outperformed the overall semiconductor industry. Worldwide semiconductor revenue amounted to $304.1 billion in 2010, up 32.1 percent from $230.2 billion in 2009, according to the final IHS iSuppli 2010 semiconductor revenue ranking.
U.S.-based Micron Technology, Hynix Semiconductor of South Korea and Japan's Elpida Memory expanded their share of the total market by 1.1 percent, 0.7 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively. For Micron, the combination of strong memory market growth and its acquisition of Numonyx propelled Micron up five places into the Top 10 to No. 8. For their part, Hynix and Elpida achieved revenue expansion of 66.2 percent 63.3 percent, respectively-the largest increase among Top 20 semiconductor companies based entirely on organic growth. As a result, Elpida jumped up four spots in ranking from No. 15 in 2009 to No. 11 in 2010, while Hynix advanced one place to No. 6.
Renesas Electronics Corp. went up in the rankings from No. 9 in 2009 to No. 5 in 2010 by virtue of the merger between Renesas Technology and NEC Electronics. The two companies, which had combined revenues in 2009 of $9.5 billion, grew 24.7 percent, less than the overall market, to $11.9 billion in 2010.
The 3.9 percent market share in 2010 of Renesas Electronics Corp. is still lower than the 4.3 percent market share of Renesas Technology, formed in 2003 by the merger of Hitachi Semiconductor and Mitsubishi Semiconductor. Renesas Technology had seen its overall market share fall to 2.2 percent in 2009, but the most recent merger now boosts the merged entity back up close to the company's original share and into the Top 5 rankings.
A combination of impressive business execution and participation in strong market segments enabled Maxim Integrated Products, Marvell Technology Group, Elpida Memory, Broadcom Corp. and Xilinx Inc. to make the biggest strides in the Top 25 market rankings for 2010.
Maxim jumped six places to No. 24, followed by Marvell climbing five places to No. 18. The rest moved up four places, with Broadcom moving into the Top 10 for the first time. All five companies, driven primarily by organic growth, expanded their revenues between 36.0 percent and 63.3 percent in 2010.
Other semiconductor suppliers achieving strong growth in 2010 without the boost of a major acquisition were Texas Instruments with an increase of 34.4 percent, Analog Devices with 36.9 percent, Infineon Technologies with 41.8 percent and Panasonic Corp. with 52.5 percent. Infineon's revenue for 2010 still includes the wireless business it sold to Intel at the start of 2011.
NXP, which sold its set-top box business lines to Trident Microsystems in 2010, also delivered a healthy performance with 24.3 percent growth.
Suppliers among the Top 25 that struggled the most in 2010 were Taiwan-based MediaTek with flat revenue, Qualcomm with growth of only 12.4 percent and nVidia with 13.1 percent expansion. Qualcomm slipped from No. 6 to No. 9, and MediaTek fell from 16th to 19th in the rankings. nVidia was able to hang on to its No. 20 spot. AMD and Sony Corp. also fell in the rankings by four positions each, as their overall revenue growth significantly lagged market growth.
"The rise of Samsung is one of the biggest stories of the last decade in the worldwide semiconductor market," said IHS analyst Dale Ford. "When experts discuss competition for Intel, they almost always focus on Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD). While it is true that AMD is Intel's major competitor in the microprocessing unit (MPU) market, Samsung is the primary rival of Intel for overall semiconductor market share. And although they are mainly indirect competitors in the marketplace, Intel and Samsung have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, for a number of years."
IHS iSuppli findings and observations on semiconductor vendor ranking in 2010 include:
In 2001 Intel's market share at 14.9 percent was more than three times that of Samsung at 3.9 percent; Samsung ranked fifth then. Since that time, Intel's market share has ranged between 11.9 percent and 14.8 percent. Meanwhile, Samsung has seen its revenues grow by 355 percent from 2001 to 2010, allowing the company to expand market share and raise its ranking.
Samsung's strong performance in 2010 was driven by booming sales of its main semiconductor product: memory integrated circuits (ICs). Among the major semiconductor categories, memory ICs had the strongest growth at 52.4 percent. In comparison, the next fastest-rising area was sensors and actuators at 35.5 percent, followed by discretes at 34.5 percent.
The biggest growth driver in the memory segment in 2010 was dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which enjoyed 75.0 percent expansion. The other major segment of the memory market, NAND flash, grew 38.6 percent for the year.
For Samsung, given its position as the world's leading supplier of DRAM and NAND, the company's 59.1 percent rise in semiconductor revenue during 2010 meant it massively outperformed the overall semiconductor industry. Worldwide semiconductor revenue amounted to $304.1 billion in 2010, up 32.1 percent from $230.2 billion in 2009, according to the final IHS iSuppli 2010 semiconductor revenue ranking.
U.S.-based Micron Technology, Hynix Semiconductor of South Korea and Japan's Elpida Memory expanded their share of the total market by 1.1 percent, 0.7 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively. For Micron, the combination of strong memory market growth and its acquisition of Numonyx propelled Micron up five places into the Top 10 to No. 8. For their part, Hynix and Elpida achieved revenue expansion of 66.2 percent 63.3 percent, respectively-the largest increase among Top 20 semiconductor companies based entirely on organic growth. As a result, Elpida jumped up four spots in ranking from No. 15 in 2009 to No. 11 in 2010, while Hynix advanced one place to No. 6.
Renesas Electronics Corp. went up in the rankings from No. 9 in 2009 to No. 5 in 2010 by virtue of the merger between Renesas Technology and NEC Electronics. The two companies, which had combined revenues in 2009 of $9.5 billion, grew 24.7 percent, less than the overall market, to $11.9 billion in 2010.
The 3.9 percent market share in 2010 of Renesas Electronics Corp. is still lower than the 4.3 percent market share of Renesas Technology, formed in 2003 by the merger of Hitachi Semiconductor and Mitsubishi Semiconductor. Renesas Technology had seen its overall market share fall to 2.2 percent in 2009, but the most recent merger now boosts the merged entity back up close to the company's original share and into the Top 5 rankings.
A combination of impressive business execution and participation in strong market segments enabled Maxim Integrated Products, Marvell Technology Group, Elpida Memory, Broadcom Corp. and Xilinx Inc. to make the biggest strides in the Top 25 market rankings for 2010.
Maxim jumped six places to No. 24, followed by Marvell climbing five places to No. 18. The rest moved up four places, with Broadcom moving into the Top 10 for the first time. All five companies, driven primarily by organic growth, expanded their revenues between 36.0 percent and 63.3 percent in 2010.
Other semiconductor suppliers achieving strong growth in 2010 without the boost of a major acquisition were Texas Instruments with an increase of 34.4 percent, Analog Devices with 36.9 percent, Infineon Technologies with 41.8 percent and Panasonic Corp. with 52.5 percent. Infineon's revenue for 2010 still includes the wireless business it sold to Intel at the start of 2011.
NXP, which sold its set-top box business lines to Trident Microsystems in 2010, also delivered a healthy performance with 24.3 percent growth.
Suppliers among the Top 25 that struggled the most in 2010 were Taiwan-based MediaTek with flat revenue, Qualcomm with growth of only 12.4 percent and nVidia with 13.1 percent expansion. Qualcomm slipped from No. 6 to No. 9, and MediaTek fell from 16th to 19th in the rankings. nVidia was able to hang on to its No. 20 spot. AMD and Sony Corp. also fell in the rankings by four positions each, as their overall revenue growth significantly lagged market growth.
2011年4月21日星期四
UK solar firm discloses novel inverter topology
Cambridge-based solar inverter firm Enecsys has revealed details of its novel power architecture, which eliminates electrolytic capacitors to increase reliability.
The firm's designs are intended to be fixed to the back of solar panels, producing 240V 50Hz directly - called micro-inverters by the solar industry to distinguish then from larger remote-mounted inverters that take power from a string of solar panels.
Direct mounting means micro-inverters have to operate at high ambient temperature, and if they contain electrolytic capacitors, said Enecsys, these will cause the inverter to fail well before the panel's predicted 25 year life.
With a patented topology, the firm has eliminated electrolytics and has instead moved to film capacitors, custom made by Epcos, which are rated at 30,000 hours MTBF.
"The various bits of the topology are known. It is the configuration of the three stages that no one has done before," Enecsys founder and chief architect Dr Lesley Chisenga told Electronics Weekly.
The first stage is a boost converter that produces a DC link voltage of up to 600V.
This is followed by second stage: a current output buck converter which is tolerant of up to 120V of ripple on its input. "Another aspect of our intellectual property covers the significant ripple capability of the second stage," added Chisenga.
The main energy reservoir capacitor is connected to the 600V DC link, where the high voltage plus the ripple tolerance of the second stage mean that only 30µF is needed to deliver 240W at the output - a value that can be made from film capacitors without resorting to electrolytics.
A novel topology allows film capacitors to replace electrolytics in Enecsys
Custom capacitors have been sourced simply to keep the profile of the micro-inverter below 30mm.
The third stage is a bridge switch which flips the polarity of every second cosine pulse to produce a 50Hz sine wave.
To remove the need for opto-isolators, which the firm claims is the next most damaging component for MTBF, galvanic safety isolation is provided by a transformer in the first stage where no feedback is required.
"This stage uses a half-bridge with a transformer which has substantial benefits in terms of efficiency, simplicity, and it allows us to use zero-voltage switching for low losses," said Chisenga.
The all-important maximum power point tracking (MPPT) - a technique which extracts the most from a solar panel under varying lighting and temperature conditions - is provided in the second stage.
Usually MPPT would require a measure of voltage and current passing through, but in this case the significant ripple on the capacitor allows rate-of-change-of-voltage across the capacitor to substitute for the current measurement.
"Tracking is done on the DC link component. All the other solar inverters we know about track on the load side," said Chisenga.
The firm's designs are intended to be fixed to the back of solar panels, producing 240V 50Hz directly - called micro-inverters by the solar industry to distinguish then from larger remote-mounted inverters that take power from a string of solar panels.
Direct mounting means micro-inverters have to operate at high ambient temperature, and if they contain electrolytic capacitors, said Enecsys, these will cause the inverter to fail well before the panel's predicted 25 year life.
With a patented topology, the firm has eliminated electrolytics and has instead moved to film capacitors, custom made by Epcos, which are rated at 30,000 hours MTBF.
"The various bits of the topology are known. It is the configuration of the three stages that no one has done before," Enecsys founder and chief architect Dr Lesley Chisenga told Electronics Weekly.
The first stage is a boost converter that produces a DC link voltage of up to 600V.
This is followed by second stage: a current output buck converter which is tolerant of up to 120V of ripple on its input. "Another aspect of our intellectual property covers the significant ripple capability of the second stage," added Chisenga.
The main energy reservoir capacitor is connected to the 600V DC link, where the high voltage plus the ripple tolerance of the second stage mean that only 30µF is needed to deliver 240W at the output - a value that can be made from film capacitors without resorting to electrolytics.
A novel topology allows film capacitors to replace electrolytics in Enecsys
Custom capacitors have been sourced simply to keep the profile of the micro-inverter below 30mm.
The third stage is a bridge switch which flips the polarity of every second cosine pulse to produce a 50Hz sine wave.
To remove the need for opto-isolators, which the firm claims is the next most damaging component for MTBF, galvanic safety isolation is provided by a transformer in the first stage where no feedback is required.
"This stage uses a half-bridge with a transformer which has substantial benefits in terms of efficiency, simplicity, and it allows us to use zero-voltage switching for low losses," said Chisenga.
The all-important maximum power point tracking (MPPT) - a technique which extracts the most from a solar panel under varying lighting and temperature conditions - is provided in the second stage.
Usually MPPT would require a measure of voltage and current passing through, but in this case the significant ripple on the capacitor allows rate-of-change-of-voltage across the capacitor to substitute for the current measurement.
"Tracking is done on the DC link component. All the other solar inverters we know about track on the load side," said Chisenga.
2011年4月20日星期三
Agriculture: The Unlikely Earth Day Hero
For over 40 years, Earth Day has served as a call to action, mobilizing individuals and organizations around the world to address these challenges. This year Nourishing the Planet highlights agriculture -- often blamed as a driver of environmental problems -- as an emerging solution.
Agriculture is a source of food and income for the world's poor and a primary engine for economic growth. It also offers untapped potential for mitigating climate change and protecting biodiversity, and for lifting millions of people out of poverty.
This Earth Day, Nourishing the Planet offers 15 solutions to guide farmers, scientists, politicians, agribusinesses and aid agencies as they commit to promoting a healthier environment and a more food-secure future.
1. Guaranteeing the Right to Food. Guaranteeing the human right to adequate food -- now and for future generations -- requires that policymakers incorporate this right into food security laws and programs at the regional, national, and international level. Governments have a role in providing the public goods to support sustainable agriculture, including extension services, farmer-to-farmer transmission of knowledge, storage facilities, and infrastructure that links farmers to consumers.
2. Harnessing the Nutritional and Economic Potential of Vegetables. Micro-nutrient deficiencies, including lack of vitamin A, iodine, and iron, affect 1 billion people worldwide. Promoting indigenous vegetables that are rich in micro-nutrients could help reduce malnutrition. Locally adapted vegetable varieties are hardier and more dependable than staple crops, making them ideal for smallholder farmers. Research organizations like AVRDC/The World Vegetable Center are developing improved vegetable varieties, such as amaranth and African eggplant, and cultivating an appreciation for traditional foods among consumers.
3. Reducing Food Waste. Experts continue to emphasize increasing global food production, yet our money could be better spent on reducing food waste and post-harvest losses. Already, a number of low-input and regionally appropriate storage and preservation techniques are working to combat food waste around the world. In Pakistan, farmers cut their harvest losses by 70 percent by switching from jute bags and containers constructed with mud to more durable metal containers. And in West Africa, farmers have saved around 100,000 mangos by using solar dryers to dry the fruit after harvest.
4. Feeding Cities. The U.N. estimates that 70 percent of the world's people will live in cities by 2050, putting stress on available food. Urban agriculture projects are helping to improve food security, raise incomes, empower women, and improve urban environments. In sub-Saharan Africa, the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) has helped city farmers build food gardens, using old tires to create crop beds. And community supported agriculture (CSA) programs in Cape Town, South Africa, are helping to raise incomes and provide produce for school meals.
5. Getting More Crop per Drop. Many small farmers lack access to a reliable source of water, and water supplies are drying up as extraction exceeds sustainable levels. Only 4 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's cultivated land is equipped for irrigation, and a majority of households depend on rainfall to water their crops -- which climate scientists predict will decline in coming decades. Efficient water management in agriculture can boost crop productivity for these farmers. By practicing conservation tillage, weeding regularly, and constructing vegetative barriers and earthen dams, farmers can harness rainfall more effectively.
6. Using Farmers' Knowledge in Research and Development. Agricultural research and development processes typically exclude smallholder farmers and their wealth of knowledge, leading to less-efficient agricultural technologies that go unused. Research efforts that involve smallholder farmers alongside agricultural scientists can help meet specific local needs, strengthen farmers' leadership abilities, and improve how research and education systems operate. In southern Ethiopia's Amaro district, a community-led body carried out an evaluation of key problems and promising solutions using democratic decision-making to determine what type of research should be funded.
7. Improving Soil Fertility. Africa's declining soil fertility may lead to an imminent famine; already, it is causing harvest productivity to decline 15-25 percent, and farmers expect harvests to drop by half in the next five years. Green manure/cover crops, including living trees, bushes, and vines, help restore soil quality and are an inexpensive and feasible solution to this problem. In the drought-prone Sahel region, the Dogon people of Mali are using an innovative, three-tiered system and are now harvesting three times the yield achieved in other parts of the Sahel.
8. Safeguarding Local Food Biodiversity. Over the past few decades, traditional African agriculture based on local diversity has given way to monoculture crops destined for export. Less-healthy imports are replacing traditional, nutritionally rich foods, devastating local economies and diets. Awareness-raising initiatives and efforts to improve the quality of production and marketing are adding value to and encouraging diversification and consumption of local products. In Ethiopia's Wukro and Wenchi villages, honey producers are training with Italian and Ethiopian beekeepers to process and sell their honey more efficiently, promote appreciation for local food, and compete with imported products.
9. Coping with Climate Change and Building Resilience. Global climate change, including higher temperatures and increased periods of drought, will negatively impact agriculture by reducing soil fertility and decreasing crop yields. Although agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for about one-third of global emissions, agricultural practices, such as agro-forestry and the re-generation of natural resources, can help mitigate climate change. In Niger, farmers have planted nearly 5-million hectares of trees that conserve water, prevent soil erosion, and sequester carbon, making their farms more productive and drought-resistant without damaging the environment.
Agriculture is a source of food and income for the world's poor and a primary engine for economic growth. It also offers untapped potential for mitigating climate change and protecting biodiversity, and for lifting millions of people out of poverty.
This Earth Day, Nourishing the Planet offers 15 solutions to guide farmers, scientists, politicians, agribusinesses and aid agencies as they commit to promoting a healthier environment and a more food-secure future.
1. Guaranteeing the Right to Food. Guaranteeing the human right to adequate food -- now and for future generations -- requires that policymakers incorporate this right into food security laws and programs at the regional, national, and international level. Governments have a role in providing the public goods to support sustainable agriculture, including extension services, farmer-to-farmer transmission of knowledge, storage facilities, and infrastructure that links farmers to consumers.
2. Harnessing the Nutritional and Economic Potential of Vegetables. Micro-nutrient deficiencies, including lack of vitamin A, iodine, and iron, affect 1 billion people worldwide. Promoting indigenous vegetables that are rich in micro-nutrients could help reduce malnutrition. Locally adapted vegetable varieties are hardier and more dependable than staple crops, making them ideal for smallholder farmers. Research organizations like AVRDC/The World Vegetable Center are developing improved vegetable varieties, such as amaranth and African eggplant, and cultivating an appreciation for traditional foods among consumers.
3. Reducing Food Waste. Experts continue to emphasize increasing global food production, yet our money could be better spent on reducing food waste and post-harvest losses. Already, a number of low-input and regionally appropriate storage and preservation techniques are working to combat food waste around the world. In Pakistan, farmers cut their harvest losses by 70 percent by switching from jute bags and containers constructed with mud to more durable metal containers. And in West Africa, farmers have saved around 100,000 mangos by using solar dryers to dry the fruit after harvest.
4. Feeding Cities. The U.N. estimates that 70 percent of the world's people will live in cities by 2050, putting stress on available food. Urban agriculture projects are helping to improve food security, raise incomes, empower women, and improve urban environments. In sub-Saharan Africa, the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) has helped city farmers build food gardens, using old tires to create crop beds. And community supported agriculture (CSA) programs in Cape Town, South Africa, are helping to raise incomes and provide produce for school meals.
5. Getting More Crop per Drop. Many small farmers lack access to a reliable source of water, and water supplies are drying up as extraction exceeds sustainable levels. Only 4 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's cultivated land is equipped for irrigation, and a majority of households depend on rainfall to water their crops -- which climate scientists predict will decline in coming decades. Efficient water management in agriculture can boost crop productivity for these farmers. By practicing conservation tillage, weeding regularly, and constructing vegetative barriers and earthen dams, farmers can harness rainfall more effectively.
6. Using Farmers' Knowledge in Research and Development. Agricultural research and development processes typically exclude smallholder farmers and their wealth of knowledge, leading to less-efficient agricultural technologies that go unused. Research efforts that involve smallholder farmers alongside agricultural scientists can help meet specific local needs, strengthen farmers' leadership abilities, and improve how research and education systems operate. In southern Ethiopia's Amaro district, a community-led body carried out an evaluation of key problems and promising solutions using democratic decision-making to determine what type of research should be funded.
7. Improving Soil Fertility. Africa's declining soil fertility may lead to an imminent famine; already, it is causing harvest productivity to decline 15-25 percent, and farmers expect harvests to drop by half in the next five years. Green manure/cover crops, including living trees, bushes, and vines, help restore soil quality and are an inexpensive and feasible solution to this problem. In the drought-prone Sahel region, the Dogon people of Mali are using an innovative, three-tiered system and are now harvesting three times the yield achieved in other parts of the Sahel.
8. Safeguarding Local Food Biodiversity. Over the past few decades, traditional African agriculture based on local diversity has given way to monoculture crops destined for export. Less-healthy imports are replacing traditional, nutritionally rich foods, devastating local economies and diets. Awareness-raising initiatives and efforts to improve the quality of production and marketing are adding value to and encouraging diversification and consumption of local products. In Ethiopia's Wukro and Wenchi villages, honey producers are training with Italian and Ethiopian beekeepers to process and sell their honey more efficiently, promote appreciation for local food, and compete with imported products.
9. Coping with Climate Change and Building Resilience. Global climate change, including higher temperatures and increased periods of drought, will negatively impact agriculture by reducing soil fertility and decreasing crop yields. Although agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for about one-third of global emissions, agricultural practices, such as agro-forestry and the re-generation of natural resources, can help mitigate climate change. In Niger, farmers have planted nearly 5-million hectares of trees that conserve water, prevent soil erosion, and sequester carbon, making their farms more productive and drought-resistant without damaging the environment.
2011年4月19日星期二
America’s Most Promising Companies: Where Are They Now?
The last 18 months have been rough on plenty of small companies, but for the most part, the 20 members of Forbes’ America’s Most Promising Companies class of 2009 came through stronger than ever.
Thirteen companies raised a combined $92 million in fresh capital, including equity, debt and grants. (Recall that money wasn’t exactly sloshing around during this period.) No. 8, Auri Inc., (formerly called Auri Footwear), a men’s shoe manufacturer, did a reverse merger to go public and recently sported a $52 million market capitalization. Yet another company was purchased for a modest $3.2 million. The biggest casualty: No. 20–1st Products, maker of microwavable pastries–went bankrupt.
A vast majority of the companies achieved significant milestones–boosting revenues, developing new products, opening distribution channels and adding employees. A few overhauled their business models when the market moved against them. All learned valuable and often painful lessons.
Forbes aims to top that performance this year by assembling a larger list of dynamic privately held businesses with truly scintillating growth prospects—the kind of businesses investors love to bet on, customers love to buy from, and talented employees love to work for. All industries and geographies are welcome.
The search begins with a short, free survey, which takes just a few minutes to complete. Entrepreneurs can nominate themselves or be nominated by those who work closely with them. Click here to make your submission.
While many company lists are based on a few metrics (if that many), professional investors take a much more comprehensive approach to assessing the health and potential of any growing company.
That’s why Forbes teamed up with CB Insights, which tracks investment in high-growth, privately held companies. With financial support from the National Science Foundation, CB Insights has created software–called Beacon–which mines millions of online documents and applies statistical models to form a more detailed, nuanced and real-time view into a company’s health and prospects.
Thirteen companies raised a combined $92 million in fresh capital, including equity, debt and grants. (Recall that money wasn’t exactly sloshing around during this period.) No. 8, Auri Inc., (formerly called Auri Footwear), a men’s shoe manufacturer, did a reverse merger to go public and recently sported a $52 million market capitalization. Yet another company was purchased for a modest $3.2 million. The biggest casualty: No. 20–1st Products, maker of microwavable pastries–went bankrupt.
A vast majority of the companies achieved significant milestones–boosting revenues, developing new products, opening distribution channels and adding employees. A few overhauled their business models when the market moved against them. All learned valuable and often painful lessons.
Forbes aims to top that performance this year by assembling a larger list of dynamic privately held businesses with truly scintillating growth prospects—the kind of businesses investors love to bet on, customers love to buy from, and talented employees love to work for. All industries and geographies are welcome.
The search begins with a short, free survey, which takes just a few minutes to complete. Entrepreneurs can nominate themselves or be nominated by those who work closely with them. Click here to make your submission.
While many company lists are based on a few metrics (if that many), professional investors take a much more comprehensive approach to assessing the health and potential of any growing company.
That’s why Forbes teamed up with CB Insights, which tracks investment in high-growth, privately held companies. With financial support from the National Science Foundation, CB Insights has created software–called Beacon–which mines millions of online documents and applies statistical models to form a more detailed, nuanced and real-time view into a company’s health and prospects.
2011年4月18日星期一
Money for SunShot
The dollar-a-watt solar program is off and running. The Department of Energy is looking for innovative researchers to come forward with ways to start its SunShot program to dramatically lower the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently announced the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, the department has committed nearly $170 million in available funding over three years to support a range of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology research. The SunShot Initiative aims to reduce the total cost of solar energy systems by about 75 percent – to roughly $1 per watt – before the end of the decade.
The research and development funding will support four areas of investment, including improving the efficiency and performance of solar cells; developing new installation – or balance of systems – technologies; advancing solar energy grid integration; and researching new materials and processes for solar PV technologies.
“These investments will drive innovation in the solar energy field – laying the groundwork to meet our SunShot goal of dramatically reducing the cost of solar energy nationwide and helping America to win the race to produce the most cost-effective, high-quality photovoltaics in the world,” said Secretary Chu. “A robust American solar industry will boost our technological leadership and competitiveness, improve the nation's energy security, create skilled manufacturing jobs, and help reach the President’s goal of doubling our clean energy in the next 25 years.”
The four funding opportunities are intended to improve the performance of current and next generation PV cells, develop advanced power electronics that optimize the performance of PV installations, and reduce the costs of PV balance-of-system hardware. These include:
EnergyBiz Leadership Series Webcast
• Foundational Program to Advance Cell Efficiency (F-PACE): In a collaborative funding effort with the National Science Foundation, $39 million is available for research and development in solar device physics and PV technology to improve PV cell performance and reduce the costs of modules for grid-scale commercial applications.
• PV Balance of Systems: $60 million in funding is available for research, development, and demonstration of balance of system components. Projects may include new building-integrated photovoltaic products, new mounting and wiring technologies, and new building code language that can foster the use of innovative, low-cost hardware designs while maintaining safety and reliability.
• Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS)—Advanced Concepts: $40 million in funding is available to develop technologies that will help increase the integration of solar energy onto the electrical grid and facilitate interactions between solar energy systems and Smart Grid technologies. This could include projects focused on improved energy storage technologies and better system functionality. SEGIS-Advanced Concepts will also support projects like high voltage systems that reduce the overall installed costs associated with balance of systems components costs for installations, and projects focused on technologies like micro-inverters that are capable of harvesting more energy from the sun.
• PV Next Generation: $30 million in funding is available for early-stage applied research to demonstrate and prove new concepts in materials, processes, and device designs for solar PV component development at the laboratory scale.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory head Dan Arvizu told me the Sunshot initiative is more than research and development. “It's how do you deploy, how do you reduce the cost in installation, power conditioning and all of the things that relate to deployment?" he said.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently announced the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, the department has committed nearly $170 million in available funding over three years to support a range of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology research. The SunShot Initiative aims to reduce the total cost of solar energy systems by about 75 percent – to roughly $1 per watt – before the end of the decade.
The research and development funding will support four areas of investment, including improving the efficiency and performance of solar cells; developing new installation – or balance of systems – technologies; advancing solar energy grid integration; and researching new materials and processes for solar PV technologies.
“These investments will drive innovation in the solar energy field – laying the groundwork to meet our SunShot goal of dramatically reducing the cost of solar energy nationwide and helping America to win the race to produce the most cost-effective, high-quality photovoltaics in the world,” said Secretary Chu. “A robust American solar industry will boost our technological leadership and competitiveness, improve the nation's energy security, create skilled manufacturing jobs, and help reach the President’s goal of doubling our clean energy in the next 25 years.”
The four funding opportunities are intended to improve the performance of current and next generation PV cells, develop advanced power electronics that optimize the performance of PV installations, and reduce the costs of PV balance-of-system hardware. These include:
EnergyBiz Leadership Series Webcast
• Foundational Program to Advance Cell Efficiency (F-PACE): In a collaborative funding effort with the National Science Foundation, $39 million is available for research and development in solar device physics and PV technology to improve PV cell performance and reduce the costs of modules for grid-scale commercial applications.
• PV Balance of Systems: $60 million in funding is available for research, development, and demonstration of balance of system components. Projects may include new building-integrated photovoltaic products, new mounting and wiring technologies, and new building code language that can foster the use of innovative, low-cost hardware designs while maintaining safety and reliability.
• Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS)—Advanced Concepts: $40 million in funding is available to develop technologies that will help increase the integration of solar energy onto the electrical grid and facilitate interactions between solar energy systems and Smart Grid technologies. This could include projects focused on improved energy storage technologies and better system functionality. SEGIS-Advanced Concepts will also support projects like high voltage systems that reduce the overall installed costs associated with balance of systems components costs for installations, and projects focused on technologies like micro-inverters that are capable of harvesting more energy from the sun.
• PV Next Generation: $30 million in funding is available for early-stage applied research to demonstrate and prove new concepts in materials, processes, and device designs for solar PV component development at the laboratory scale.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory head Dan Arvizu told me the Sunshot initiative is more than research and development. “It's how do you deploy, how do you reduce the cost in installation, power conditioning and all of the things that relate to deployment?" he said.
2011年4月17日星期日
Grote energiebedrijven geloven niet in zonne-energie, dus kan het niets wezen
Shell is al eerder uit zonne-energie gestapt. Exxon doet er niets aan. Vele grote energiebedrijven investeren ook liever in kolencentrales. Echter, je verwacht niet van een slachthuis dat ze goed worden in de productie van duurzame vegetarische hamburgers. Bij Shell stroomt olie door de aderen en organisatie. Dit soort maatschappijen zijn als olietankers op de oceaan; moeilijk wendbaar voor snelle koersveranderingen.
Zonne-energie is een sport voor snelle gemakkelijk wendbare en innovatieve ondernemers. De markt verandert snel. Het is soms opkruisen bij tegenwind, maar verder veel wind mee of heerlijk half aan de wind, maar nooit windstil...
Overigens bewijst electronica gigant Sharp, een van ‘s werelds marktleiders op het gebied van zonnepanelen, dat ook grote bedrijven kunnen geloven in zonnepanelen. Bij Sharp begrijpen ze ook dat grootschalige productie helpt om de kostprijs te verlagen: “massa is kassa”, en die massa afzet markt komt er aan. Niet alleen in Japan.
Shell heeft zelf voorspeld dat in 2040 50% van de energie in de wereld zal komen van duurzame bronnen. Meer waarschijnlijk is dat Shell over niet al te lange tijd een ‘winnaar’ uit de zonne-energie markt zal opkopen. Tenslotte zijn enkele van de ‘kleine’ zonnepaneel producenten al uitgegroeid tot respectabele ondernemingen met duizenden medewerkers en een omzet van enkele miljarden per jaar.
Google groeide binnen 10 jaar uit tot een van de grootste bedrijven ter wereld. Dit is de tijd van de nieuwe economie, dus waarom kan er niet zo een zonne-energie gigant ontstaan?
Zonne-energie speelt geen rol in de mondiale energievoorziening
De bijdrage van zonne-energie aan de wereld energiebehoefte is nu nog minder dan 1 procent, maar deze bijdrage kan snel toenemen. Duitsland is als gidsland op weg om te groeien naar een bijdrage uit zonnepanelen van circa 10 procent van de elektriciteitsbehoefte binnen 5 jaar.
En wat in Duitsland kan, kan in andere landen ook. Voor zich snel ontwikkelende economiën heeft het bouwen van grote centrale kolen- of kerncentrales geen zin meer, als zonnepanelen zo snel zo goedkoop worden. Vergelijk de komst van mobiele telefonie in landen die geen (uitgebreid) telefoonnetwerk hadden, zoals India.
Dat netwerk kwam en komt er ook niet meer. En zo kan en zal het ook gaan met zonne-energie. Het maakt de komst van nieuwe grote centrale energie centrales overbodig, omdat decentrale energie-opwekking effectiever, flexibeler en goedkoper is.
De wereldmarkt voor zonne-energie groeide het afgelopen jaar met meer dan 100 procent. Dat deed het ook al in 2008. Een continuering van zo’n logaritmisch groeiscenario van 100 procent per jaar, is overigens voldoende om in 10 jaar de mondiale elektriciteitsbehoefte te dekken.
Zonne-energie is een sport voor snelle gemakkelijk wendbare en innovatieve ondernemers. De markt verandert snel. Het is soms opkruisen bij tegenwind, maar verder veel wind mee of heerlijk half aan de wind, maar nooit windstil...
Overigens bewijst electronica gigant Sharp, een van ‘s werelds marktleiders op het gebied van zonnepanelen, dat ook grote bedrijven kunnen geloven in zonnepanelen. Bij Sharp begrijpen ze ook dat grootschalige productie helpt om de kostprijs te verlagen: “massa is kassa”, en die massa afzet markt komt er aan. Niet alleen in Japan.
Shell heeft zelf voorspeld dat in 2040 50% van de energie in de wereld zal komen van duurzame bronnen. Meer waarschijnlijk is dat Shell over niet al te lange tijd een ‘winnaar’ uit de zonne-energie markt zal opkopen. Tenslotte zijn enkele van de ‘kleine’ zonnepaneel producenten al uitgegroeid tot respectabele ondernemingen met duizenden medewerkers en een omzet van enkele miljarden per jaar.
Google groeide binnen 10 jaar uit tot een van de grootste bedrijven ter wereld. Dit is de tijd van de nieuwe economie, dus waarom kan er niet zo een zonne-energie gigant ontstaan?
Zonne-energie speelt geen rol in de mondiale energievoorziening
De bijdrage van zonne-energie aan de wereld energiebehoefte is nu nog minder dan 1 procent, maar deze bijdrage kan snel toenemen. Duitsland is als gidsland op weg om te groeien naar een bijdrage uit zonnepanelen van circa 10 procent van de elektriciteitsbehoefte binnen 5 jaar.
En wat in Duitsland kan, kan in andere landen ook. Voor zich snel ontwikkelende economiën heeft het bouwen van grote centrale kolen- of kerncentrales geen zin meer, als zonnepanelen zo snel zo goedkoop worden. Vergelijk de komst van mobiele telefonie in landen die geen (uitgebreid) telefoonnetwerk hadden, zoals India.
Dat netwerk kwam en komt er ook niet meer. En zo kan en zal het ook gaan met zonne-energie. Het maakt de komst van nieuwe grote centrale energie centrales overbodig, omdat decentrale energie-opwekking effectiever, flexibeler en goedkoper is.
De wereldmarkt voor zonne-energie groeide het afgelopen jaar met meer dan 100 procent. Dat deed het ook al in 2008. Een continuering van zo’n logaritmisch groeiscenario van 100 procent per jaar, is overigens voldoende om in 10 jaar de mondiale elektriciteitsbehoefte te dekken.
2011年4月14日星期四
Enphase to launch road show
PETALUMA – Solar microinverters maker Enphase Energy is launching a 24-city North American roadshow tour to provide a sneak peek of its third generation microinverter system. The Enphase Sneak Preview Roadshow will begin with a kick off event in Petaluma on April 18, 2011, and the customized truck and trailer will then embark on a 60-day tour across the U.S. and Canada.
“One of the best ways for installers to understand the Enphase difference is to experience it firsthand,” said Paul Nahi, Enphase CEO. “This roadshow will let us share our latest product vision with the people who build their success on high-quality, high efficiency solar systems.”
Solar, HVAC, electrical and other building professionals, as well as solar enthusiasts are the tour’s targets.
Each city’s event will showcase a mock Enphase installation featuring the soon-to-be-released M215 microinverter and new advanced cabling scheme, which makes installation even faster than previous generations.
Attendees will experience Enphase’s newly redesigned installation process and receive free hands-on training with the new cabling and termination systems. Free food, contests and giveaways will happen throughout the day’s event.
“One of the best ways for installers to understand the Enphase difference is to experience it firsthand,” said Paul Nahi, Enphase CEO. “This roadshow will let us share our latest product vision with the people who build their success on high-quality, high efficiency solar systems.”
Solar, HVAC, electrical and other building professionals, as well as solar enthusiasts are the tour’s targets.
Each city’s event will showcase a mock Enphase installation featuring the soon-to-be-released M215 microinverter and new advanced cabling scheme, which makes installation even faster than previous generations.
Attendees will experience Enphase’s newly redesigned installation process and receive free hands-on training with the new cabling and termination systems. Free food, contests and giveaways will happen throughout the day’s event.
2011年4月13日星期三
In response to the sharp rise in demand
The Tigo Energy Solution enables owners of PV projects of any size (residential, commercial or utility scale) to increase power production by reducing the effects of shade, dust, clouds and uneven temperature on system performance. Tigo Energy also delivers accurate data and analysis (at the module level) to keep long-term system operations at peak performance while enhancing safety of rooftop PV systems. Tigo Energy's low part-count, unsurpassed efficiency and high reliability bring the benefits of distributed electronics to PV system owners in a more cost effective manner than deploying microinverter.
"Our investors recognize that distributed PV electronics has emerged as an exciting new market segment, and Tigo Energy's Maximizer technology is helping take PV solar arrays to new levels of efficiency, productivity, safety and manageability," said Sam Arditi, Tigo Energy CEO.
"Tigo Energy is a prime example of a company with innovative technology aimed at accelerating the adoption of PV solar use to support the transition to a low carbon economy," said David Blood, one of the co-founders of Generation Investment Management.
PV installers worldwide have adopted the Tigo Energy solution on new installations and to retrofit existing sites that are underperforming. In response to the sharp rise in demand, Tigo Energy's monthly output has grown to 10 megawatts. Demand for Tigo Energy products has doubled each of the past four quarters and is projected to do so throughout this year.
"Tigo Energy is an integral part of our product offering for our customers. We offer it as a recommended option to help our customers get the most from their investment," said Josh Price, Vice President, REC Solar.
"By raising harvest efficiency and lowering operation and maintenance costs, we are accelerating the path to grid parity," said Ron Hadar, Tigo Energy COO. "As Tigo Energy's volume grows, we expect to deliver this value with very little incremental system cost."
With power electronics and software, the Tigo Energy Maximizer Solution boosts the output of solar arrays by implementing maximum power point control at the module level. PV system developers and owners also benefit from Tigo Energy's comprehensive panel-level monitoring and analytics, along with advanced safety features. Tigo Energy products are available in high volume and solutions have been installed across North America, Europe, Middle East, Japan and Asia.
"Our investors recognize that distributed PV electronics has emerged as an exciting new market segment, and Tigo Energy's Maximizer technology is helping take PV solar arrays to new levels of efficiency, productivity, safety and manageability," said Sam Arditi, Tigo Energy CEO.
"Tigo Energy is a prime example of a company with innovative technology aimed at accelerating the adoption of PV solar use to support the transition to a low carbon economy," said David Blood, one of the co-founders of Generation Investment Management.
PV installers worldwide have adopted the Tigo Energy solution on new installations and to retrofit existing sites that are underperforming. In response to the sharp rise in demand, Tigo Energy's monthly output has grown to 10 megawatts. Demand for Tigo Energy products has doubled each of the past four quarters and is projected to do so throughout this year.
"Tigo Energy is an integral part of our product offering for our customers. We offer it as a recommended option to help our customers get the most from their investment," said Josh Price, Vice President, REC Solar.
"By raising harvest efficiency and lowering operation and maintenance costs, we are accelerating the path to grid parity," said Ron Hadar, Tigo Energy COO. "As Tigo Energy's volume grows, we expect to deliver this value with very little incremental system cost."
With power electronics and software, the Tigo Energy Maximizer Solution boosts the output of solar arrays by implementing maximum power point control at the module level. PV system developers and owners also benefit from Tigo Energy's comprehensive panel-level monitoring and analytics, along with advanced safety features. Tigo Energy products are available in high volume and solutions have been installed across North America, Europe, Middle East, Japan and Asia.
2011年4月11日星期一
Tigo Raises $10 Million For Solar Electronics
Tigo Energy, one of a growing flock of startups touting chips and equipment to boost the output of solar panels, has raised $10 million.
Tigo’s technology effectively lets solar panels in an array controlled by a centralized inverter operate independently from each other. In conventional string inverter deployments, individual solar panels can only produce as much power as the weakest one. Tigo routes the power from the panels through a device called the Maximizer and thereby masks the real power output of each individual panel for the inverter. In the end, this leads to an increase in power production of 7 to 12 percent.
To date, the company has shipped most of its products to the residential market but will place a greater emphasis on the commercial market this year. It will also try to reduce the size and cost of its components through the magic of Moore's Law. Integrating the components directly into solar panels could drop the cost by 33 to 50 percent. Tigo says that demand will double this year and that 10 megawatts of power courses through its chips (on various solar arrays) a month.
Once a somewhat obscure niche in solar, solar electronics are now a big deal. Enphase Energy, which popularized the microinverter, is arguably the best known and most successful new type of solar electronics company to date. It swaps out the traditional string inverter for individual inverters for each panel. It will come out with a third generation product in June. Competitors like SolarBridge will also soon start to market microinverters.
Tigo, and competitors like InfiniRel, take a slightly different tack. Instead of replacing central inverters, they enhance them.
Whose vision is the correct one? Who knows at this juncture. We will likely see a plethora of different configurations and concepts. There is one thing for certain: there is no lost love between them all. Many companies in this market are fond at taking swipes at each other.
Tigo will also have to watch out for competition from Texas Instruments. Earlier this month, TI announced plans to buy National Semiconductor, which makes solar maximization chips.
Tigo’s technology effectively lets solar panels in an array controlled by a centralized inverter operate independently from each other. In conventional string inverter deployments, individual solar panels can only produce as much power as the weakest one. Tigo routes the power from the panels through a device called the Maximizer and thereby masks the real power output of each individual panel for the inverter. In the end, this leads to an increase in power production of 7 to 12 percent.
To date, the company has shipped most of its products to the residential market but will place a greater emphasis on the commercial market this year. It will also try to reduce the size and cost of its components through the magic of Moore's Law. Integrating the components directly into solar panels could drop the cost by 33 to 50 percent. Tigo says that demand will double this year and that 10 megawatts of power courses through its chips (on various solar arrays) a month.
Once a somewhat obscure niche in solar, solar electronics are now a big deal. Enphase Energy, which popularized the microinverter, is arguably the best known and most successful new type of solar electronics company to date. It swaps out the traditional string inverter for individual inverters for each panel. It will come out with a third generation product in June. Competitors like SolarBridge will also soon start to market microinverters.
Tigo, and competitors like InfiniRel, take a slightly different tack. Instead of replacing central inverters, they enhance them.
Whose vision is the correct one? Who knows at this juncture. We will likely see a plethora of different configurations and concepts. There is one thing for certain: there is no lost love between them all. Many companies in this market are fond at taking swipes at each other.
Tigo will also have to watch out for competition from Texas Instruments. Earlier this month, TI announced plans to buy National Semiconductor, which makes solar maximization chips.
DOE Announces Nearly $170M In Available Funding To Advance Solar Energy Technologies
As part of the Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative, Energy Secretary Steven
Chu announced recently nearly $170M in available funding over three years to support
a range of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology areas. The SunShot Initiative aims to
reduce the total cost of solar energy systems by about 75 percent – to roughly $1
per watt – before the end of the decade. The research and development funding
announced recently will support four areas of investment, including improving the
efficiency and performance of solar cells; developing new installation – or balance
of systems – technologies; advancing solar energy grid integration; and researching
new materials and processes for solar PV technologies. Together, these investments
will help reduce the cost for utility-scale solar energy installations, increase
American economic competitiveness, and help the U.S. lead the world in the global
market for solar photovoltaics.
"These investments will drive innovation in the solar energy field – laying the
groundwork to meet our SunShot goal of dramatically reducing the cost of solar
energy nationwide and helping America to win the race to produce the most cost-
effective, high-quality photovoltaics in the world," said Secretary Chu. "A robust
American solar industry will boost our technological leadership and competitiveness,
improve the nation's energy security, create skilled manufacturing jobs, and help
reach the President's goal of doubling our clean energy in the next 25 years."
The four funding opportunities announced today build on the Department's strong
portfolio of research and development efforts in solar energy. Activities under
these funding areas will help improve the performance of current and next generation
PV cells, develop advanced power electronics that optimize the performance of PV
installations, and reduce the costs of PV balance-of-system hardware.
Chu announced recently nearly $170M in available funding over three years to support
a range of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology areas. The SunShot Initiative aims to
reduce the total cost of solar energy systems by about 75 percent – to roughly $1
per watt – before the end of the decade. The research and development funding
announced recently will support four areas of investment, including improving the
efficiency and performance of solar cells; developing new installation – or balance
of systems – technologies; advancing solar energy grid integration; and researching
new materials and processes for solar PV technologies. Together, these investments
will help reduce the cost for utility-scale solar energy installations, increase
American economic competitiveness, and help the U.S. lead the world in the global
market for solar photovoltaics.
"These investments will drive innovation in the solar energy field – laying the
groundwork to meet our SunShot goal of dramatically reducing the cost of solar
energy nationwide and helping America to win the race to produce the most cost-
effective, high-quality photovoltaics in the world," said Secretary Chu. "A robust
American solar industry will boost our technological leadership and competitiveness,
improve the nation's energy security, create skilled manufacturing jobs, and help
reach the President's goal of doubling our clean energy in the next 25 years."
The four funding opportunities announced today build on the Department's strong
portfolio of research and development efforts in solar energy. Activities under
these funding areas will help improve the performance of current and next generation
PV cells, develop advanced power electronics that optimize the performance of PV
installations, and reduce the costs of PV balance-of-system hardware.
2011年4月7日星期四
Ahead in the solar sector
It's 9am on a Monday morning and Enecsys' Danish ceo Henrik Raunkjaer is in ebullient mood.
"There's no one else in Europe with our technology," he tells me in the firm's Harston Mill space as people get set up for the week ahead.
"There's only one other company – in the US – doing this. Here in the UK people are now starting to be aware of it and I'm very positive." Indeed he is. And rightfully so, as Enecsys' micro-inverter technology is finally getting the recognition – from the public and the installation trade – it deserves. As we speak – actually as Henrik speaks since he's clearly in the zone and I'm playing catch-up via coffee – there's a huge media furore raging about the way the Government's feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme is allegedly being abused by commercially-organised solar farms who are taking big chunks out of the £400m set aside to help convert the nation's homes to solar power. But Henrik's already on an unstoppable roll.
"We're right now looking for investors to take us to the next level and due diligence is ongoing." I can see the vision and the mettle shining in his eyes. "We're expecting to close third round funding at the end of March and we'll be using that for the US, expanding our operations and bringing costs down." Henrik's right, of course. There's no such thing as bad publicity and the row over how the £400m should be divvied up brings the topic of renewable energy back into the public consciousness at an absolutely crucial time for the world's energy markets. And Enecsys, whose new micro-inverter technology went on sale last year, is now perfectly positioned to be a global player.
"We are now hiring a lot of people. Why? Because this technology is fantastic and we have the chance to change the game globally." The key development has been to shift from string inverters to micro-inverters. To harness solar power you need a solar panel and Enecsys' box of tricks to convert the sun's rays for use in the national grid. With a string inverter you collect all the energy harvested from the panels into one box which then feeds the current into the national grid. But the micro-inverter means that each panel has its own inverter, so each panel feeds separately directly into the grid, so less power is lost, because previously if one panel went down (maybe it was in the shade for a while), it would slow down the collective feed-in.
"There's no one else in Europe with our technology," he tells me in the firm's Harston Mill space as people get set up for the week ahead.
"There's only one other company – in the US – doing this. Here in the UK people are now starting to be aware of it and I'm very positive." Indeed he is. And rightfully so, as Enecsys' micro-inverter technology is finally getting the recognition – from the public and the installation trade – it deserves. As we speak – actually as Henrik speaks since he's clearly in the zone and I'm playing catch-up via coffee – there's a huge media furore raging about the way the Government's feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme is allegedly being abused by commercially-organised solar farms who are taking big chunks out of the £400m set aside to help convert the nation's homes to solar power. But Henrik's already on an unstoppable roll.
"We're right now looking for investors to take us to the next level and due diligence is ongoing." I can see the vision and the mettle shining in his eyes. "We're expecting to close third round funding at the end of March and we'll be using that for the US, expanding our operations and bringing costs down." Henrik's right, of course. There's no such thing as bad publicity and the row over how the £400m should be divvied up brings the topic of renewable energy back into the public consciousness at an absolutely crucial time for the world's energy markets. And Enecsys, whose new micro-inverter technology went on sale last year, is now perfectly positioned to be a global player.
"We are now hiring a lot of people. Why? Because this technology is fantastic and we have the chance to change the game globally." The key development has been to shift from string inverters to micro-inverters. To harness solar power you need a solar panel and Enecsys' box of tricks to convert the sun's rays for use in the national grid. With a string inverter you collect all the energy harvested from the panels into one box which then feeds the current into the national grid. But the micro-inverter means that each panel has its own inverter, so each panel feeds separately directly into the grid, so less power is lost, because previously if one panel went down (maybe it was in the shade for a while), it would slow down the collective feed-in.
2011年4月6日星期三
A company with solar flair
Albert Einstein said you cannot solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created it. Martin Fornage, the co-founder and chief technology officer of Enphase Energy, thought far outside the proverbial box and translated geek smarts into a solar revolution.
The engaging entrepreneur, who moved from Paris to Petaluma in 1992, explains how solar power works: "A solar panel puts out DC (direct current) energy like a car battery. It's a continuous stream of current when the sun is shining: always 'on.' But the electrical grid runs on AC (alternating current). It only works when you throw a switch, or plug something in (for example, a toaster).
Inverters convert DC power to AC, in order to push energy from solar panels onto the grid. While inverters have existed for more than a century — and solar-specific inverters for half that long — they've been neither efficient nor cost-effective.
Enter the hardware engineer. Fornage began working in the technology arena when "computer" meant a huge mainframe in a cold room, and VDTs (video display terminals) on each user's desk. Anyone under 35 may only know of such antiquated technology from visiting a data museum.
When the PC revolution happened, the guts of the computer migrated to the desktop, so that what the end user sat in front of contained the complete system. This became Fornage's template for creating a breakthrough solar inverter. He and partner Raghu Belur launched Enphase Energy in 2006.
The engaging entrepreneur, who moved from Paris to Petaluma in 1992, explains how solar power works: "A solar panel puts out DC (direct current) energy like a car battery. It's a continuous stream of current when the sun is shining: always 'on.' But the electrical grid runs on AC (alternating current). It only works when you throw a switch, or plug something in (for example, a toaster).
Inverters convert DC power to AC, in order to push energy from solar panels onto the grid. While inverters have existed for more than a century — and solar-specific inverters for half that long — they've been neither efficient nor cost-effective.
Enter the hardware engineer. Fornage began working in the technology arena when "computer" meant a huge mainframe in a cold room, and VDTs (video display terminals) on each user's desk. Anyone under 35 may only know of such antiquated technology from visiting a data museum.
When the PC revolution happened, the guts of the computer migrated to the desktop, so that what the end user sat in front of contained the complete system. This became Fornage's template for creating a breakthrough solar inverter. He and partner Raghu Belur launched Enphase Energy in 2006.
2011年4月5日星期二
Allied Building Products Distributing Enecsys Micro-Inverters
The solar division of Allied Building Products, a division of Oldcastle Inc. (the North American holding company for CRH PLC), has entered into a distribution partnership with Enecsys, a provider of solar micro-inverter systems for residential and commercial applications.
Allied will be the first North American distributor for Enecsys and will be the first in the U.S. to hold inventory of its micro-inverters, the companies state. The products are on schedule to be stocked this month at Allied's New Jersey; Santa Ana, Calif.; and Hawaii warehouse locations.
Allied will be the first North American distributor for Enecsys and will be the first in the U.S. to hold inventory of its micro-inverters, the companies state. The products are on schedule to be stocked this month at Allied's New Jersey; Santa Ana, Calif.; and Hawaii warehouse locations.
2011年4月1日星期五
Echelon and Direct Grid bring the benefits of energy control networks to Solar Power
Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) announced that Direct Grid Technologies, LLC, a manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) micro‐inverters for utility and commercial grade solar power generation, will be adding Echelon energy control networking to its micro-inverter products. Micro-inverters convert electricity generated by PV panels from direct to alternating current at the individual panel. This increases the overall reliability and efficiency of the entire solar power installation. By integrating the solar panels into a power line communicating energy control network with Echelon's technology, Direct Grid can offer improved diagnostics, remote management and control, and lower the life cycle cost of the installation. The energy control network can be leveraged by Direct Grid and its customers over the lifetime of the panel installation, even as PV panel technology advances.
"PV panel efficiency is constantly improving but by small increments. Adding energy control networking to our micro-inverter products allows us to address efficiency at a system level and provide substantial additional performance improvement"
As part of its strategy to transform the electricity grid into a distributed, reliable and survivable energy control network, Echelon is working with its commercial customers to inject intelligence into their products so that they can analyze and act immediately in response to dynamic grid conditions to maximize efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness. Echelon is focusing this work with companies providing solar power solutions, smart street lighting and building energy management. Today's announcement with Direct Grid is the latest deliverable on this strategy.
"PV panel efficiency is constantly improving but by small increments. Adding energy control networking to our micro-inverter products allows us to address efficiency at a system level and provide substantial additional performance improvement," said Frank Cooper, Direct Grid's president and principal. "Echelon's energy control network multiplies the benefits of micro-inverters and gives us tremendous system control capabilities as well as insight into what is happening throughout the installation – system wide, by rows of panels, and at the individual panel. Efficiency and control are the combination that our customers want."
According to Direct Grid, using Echelon's energy control networking technology was the right choice because it integrates well with other equipment, scales easily and cost effectively to meet the expanding needs of Direct Grid customers because it is more reliable and less costly to install and maintain than competing systems. Echelon's power line signaling technology, combined with its industry-leading SmartServer energy manager, has proven field reliability in the energy industry, delivering exceptional performance in utility and commercial applications with tens of millions of homes and more than a 100 million devices.
Anders Axelsson, Echelon's senior vice president, commercial markets added, "Our energy control networking technology coupled with innovations like Direct Grid's micro-inverters combine control of energy supply and demand right at the edge of the grid, facilitating the evolution of the smart grid. This combination is a big step forward in delivering low-cost, reliable, manageable, renewable energy."
"PV panel efficiency is constantly improving but by small increments. Adding energy control networking to our micro-inverter products allows us to address efficiency at a system level and provide substantial additional performance improvement"
As part of its strategy to transform the electricity grid into a distributed, reliable and survivable energy control network, Echelon is working with its commercial customers to inject intelligence into their products so that they can analyze and act immediately in response to dynamic grid conditions to maximize efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness. Echelon is focusing this work with companies providing solar power solutions, smart street lighting and building energy management. Today's announcement with Direct Grid is the latest deliverable on this strategy.
"PV panel efficiency is constantly improving but by small increments. Adding energy control networking to our micro-inverter products allows us to address efficiency at a system level and provide substantial additional performance improvement," said Frank Cooper, Direct Grid's president and principal. "Echelon's energy control network multiplies the benefits of micro-inverters and gives us tremendous system control capabilities as well as insight into what is happening throughout the installation – system wide, by rows of panels, and at the individual panel. Efficiency and control are the combination that our customers want."
According to Direct Grid, using Echelon's energy control networking technology was the right choice because it integrates well with other equipment, scales easily and cost effectively to meet the expanding needs of Direct Grid customers because it is more reliable and less costly to install and maintain than competing systems. Echelon's power line signaling technology, combined with its industry-leading SmartServer energy manager, has proven field reliability in the energy industry, delivering exceptional performance in utility and commercial applications with tens of millions of homes and more than a 100 million devices.
Anders Axelsson, Echelon's senior vice president, commercial markets added, "Our energy control networking technology coupled with innovations like Direct Grid's micro-inverters combine control of energy supply and demand right at the edge of the grid, facilitating the evolution of the smart grid. This combination is a big step forward in delivering low-cost, reliable, manageable, renewable energy."
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