The following is a listing (with links for the full story) of the most read Industry News stories on PowerPulse.Net for 2013, thus providing a window into the "pulse" of the trends and interests in the Power Electronics Industry. This is the final article in the series.
10: Eos Energy Raises $15 Million Series B Funding from Strategic Investors
Eos Energy Storage completed its $15 million Series B financing round with participation from a syndicate of 21 strategic and financial investors. The round supports Eos’s commercialization of its safe, low-cost and long-lasting grid-scale battery technology. Two high-profile investors in this round are NRG Energy, Inc. and Fisher Brothers. Eos is NRG’s first investment in the energy storage industry. more
9: Power-One and Panasonic to Collaborate in the Development of Grid-Connected Energy Storage Systems
Power-One, Inc. and Panasonic Corporation have entered into a strategic alliance to develop, produce and market energy storage systems for the residential and non-residential markets worldwide combining Power-One inverters with Panasonic lithium-ion batteries and systems. As part of the agreement, the companies will leverage their respective research and development and sales and marketing resources for joint product and market development around the world. more
8: Boeing Provides Extensive Details on 787 Battery Improvements
Boeing announced today that a comprehensive set of improvements that will add several layers of additional safety features to the lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries on 787 commercial jetliners are in production and could be ready for initial installation within the next few weeks. New enclosures for 787 batteries also are being built and will be installed in airplanes in the weeks ahead. Battery system changes include changes to the battery itself, the battery charging unit and the battery installation. more
7: DOE Selects Consortium to Develop Next-Generation Batteries for Automobiles
The U.S. Energy Department today announced the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium will lead an industry-wide effort to accelerate development of high-efficiency, cost-effective battery technologies for electric vehicles. By investing in these cutting-edge battery technologies, the Energy Department is helping to cut America’s oil imports and provide American families and businesses with more transportation options. more
6: More than Moore and Granular Powering - the Next Revolution in Power
Darnell Group, Inc. has embarked on a groundbreaking analysis of the next frontier in power conversion, so-called “granular power.†Granular power refers to deeply-embedded dc-dc converters that power individual microprocessor cores or similar partitions in large-scale integrated circuits such as SoCs, SiPs, FPGAs, and so on. Solving the complex technical challenges needed to implement granular power will not only provide efficient power for large-scale ICs, it will dramatically impact the power paradigm of a variety of portable devices including tablets and handsets which have dozens of power rails. more
5: Intel Charges Ahead with Alliance for Wireless Power, Joins Board
The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) today announced that Intel Corporation has joined the A4WP with a board of directors seat, taking an active role by supporting technical specifications and standards that will help fuel an ecosystem of innovative and interoperable charging solutions. Intel joins existing A4WP board member companies including Broadcom, Gill Industries, Integrated Device Technology (IDT), Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics. more
4: Airbus Activates "Plan NiCd" for the A350 XWB Batteries, Deplanes Li-Ion
According to a statement released today by Airbus, “the root causes of the two recent industry lithium-ion (Li-ion) main batteries incidents (on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner) remain unexplained to the best of our knowledge. In this context, and with a view to ensuring the highest level of program certainty, Airbus has decided to activate its “Plan B†and therefore to revert back to the proven and mastered nickel cadmium (NiCd) main batteries for its A350 XWB program at Entry into Service (EIS).†Airbus considers this to be the most appropriate way forward in the interest of program execution and A350 XWB reliability. more
3: Power Electronics in the U.S. Supreme Court — SynQor Wins
SynQor, Inc. announced today that the Supreme Court of the United States has denied the defendants’ request for review of a $95M jury verdict previously won by SynQor in the Eastern District of Texas. SynQor, Inc. v. Artesyn Technologies, Inc. et al Civil Action No. 2:07-CV-497 E.D. Texas. In the original case, SynQor asserted 5 patents against 11 of the largest industry suppliers of unregulated and semi-regulated bus converters in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. SynQor’s patents at issue in the lawsuit were U.S. Patent Nos. 7,072,190, 7,272,021, 7,558,083, 7,564,702 and 7,269,034. more
2: Samsung SDI and Xtreme Power Announce Partnership to Develop Energy Storage Solutions
Samsung SDI, an affiliate of Samsung Group, and Xtreme Power announced that they have been selected by the Center for the Commercialization of Electric Technologies (CCET) to install a 1MW/1MWh Lithium-Ion based Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) system at the Reese Technology Center in Lubbock, Texas as part of a Smart Grid Demonstration Project (SGDP). The $27 million demonstration project jointly funded by CCET partners and the US Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 managed by CCET. more
1: NTSB Finds Significant Fire Damage to the APU Li-Ion Battery in Boeing 787 Incident in Boston
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today released an update on its formal investigation of Monday’s fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston. The NTSB investigator on scene found that the auxiliary power unit battery had severe fire damage. Thermal damage to the surrounding structure and components is confined to the area immediately near the APU battery rack (within about 20 inches) in the aft electronics bay. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. more
