While the use of high-voltage DC (HVDC) results in lower transmission losses compared with high-voltage AC (HVAC), 5-6% losses for HVDC versus 8-10% for HVAC, the overall cost-justification for HVDC is more complicated. HVAC terminals are much less expensive than the power electronics-intensive HVDC terminals. But HVDC cabling can be less costly than an HVAC […]
FAQ
Over a century of high voltage DC power transmission
Even though ac power transmission dominates due to its flexibility in delivering power to end users, dc power transmission has been used to send higher power levels over longer distances for over a century. The earliest high-voltage DC (HVDC) power transmission systems, starting in the 1890s and continuing through the 1930s, used motor-generators’ Thury system. […]
Power converter output filter capacitors – Virtual Roundtable (part 2 of 2)
Hosted by Jeff Shepard, EE World has organized this “virtual roundtable” into “Power Converter Output Filter Capacitors” with Eduardo Drehmer (ED), Director of Marketing Film Capacitors & Power Quality Solutions with TDK Electronics, Norton Brissac (NB), Sr. Marketing Manager for Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors with TDK Electronics and Daniel West (DW) Field Application Engineer with AVX […]
X and Y safety capacitor applications – Virtual Roundtable (part 1 of 2)
Hosted by Jeff Shepard, EE World has organized this “virtual roundtable” into “X and Y Safety Capacitor Applications” with Eduardo Drehmer (ED), Director of Marketing for Film Capacitors & Power Quality Solutions with TDK Electronics, Inc. and Daniel West (DW), Field Application Engineer with AVX Corp. JS: What are the most confusing aspects of X […]
Fuel cells power buses, trucks, trains, planes and ships
Fuel cells have begun to get traction in various transportation systems. Recent announcements include Honda’s withdrawal from FIA Formula One racing to focus more resources on developing battery and fuel cell-powered electric vehicles and ZeroAvia’s announcement of the world’s first flight of a hydrogen-electric fuel cell-powered passenger plane. Fuel cells are being incorporated into heavy-duty […]
Fuel cells for backup power, microgrids and renewable energy
Fuel cells are increasingly being used in stationary power applications such as backup power, microgrids, and renewable energy systems. This is part two of a three-part FAQ series and digs into a wide variety of fuel cells in stationary power applications ranging from low power systems for residential backup power to the use of large-scale […]
Fuel cell technologies and operating characteristics
There are over 20 categories and subcategories of fuel cell technologies. This article will review several of the most common fuel cell technologies, especially related to commercialization. This is the first of a three-part FAQ series. Part two will look into “Fuel Cells for Backup Power, Microgrids and Renewable Energy” and part three will look […]
Solar systems’ maximum power point trackers
by Abdullah Jumaah, Dialog Semiconductor The photovoltaic (PV) panels are special power supplies that deliver green and renewable power. PV panels have non-constant power based on many parameters (sun irradiation and angle, shadow percentage, temperature, and hotspot effect issue). The solar panel contains a matrix of solar cells that converts the sun irradiation to power. […]
And the LEAP Gold for Power Electronics goes to…Cornell Dubilier
The winners of the 2020 LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) were announced last week in a digital ceremony, with products across 12 categories, including embedded computing, power electronics, and test and measurement. Critical to LEAP’s success is the involvement of the engineering community. No one at WTWH Media selected the winners. Instead, our […]
How to design modular dc-dc systems, Part 2: Filter design
The previous tutorial in this series highlighted the performance, flexibility, and speed benefits of using power modules to design power systems then provided an overview of the modular design process. A modular design strategy is powerful, but it requires support circuitry in the power delivery network (PDN) to form a complete power system. This second […]