The world’s first oceangoing vessel powered by hydrogen and renewable energy, the Energy Observer, is on a six-year trip to 50 countries around the world to prove a potential energy system of the future. It has already covered more than 9,600 nautical miles. The vessel is also serving as a media platform, intending to provide…
Building efficiency into garment manufacturing
One of the industries ripe for more sustainability is the clothing/textile business. Fashion for Good is a platform for sustainable innovation that calls for industry-wide collaboration. Their aim is to make all fashion good, through their Accelorator and Scaling programs. According to the organization, on average, consumers purchase 60% more clothing than they did 15…
Panasonic expands battery product line in the U.S. at Georgia manufacturing facility
Panasonic, one of the world’s leading battery manufacturing companies, is expanding its manufacturing capabilities in the United States. The CR-2/3AZ lithium primary battery currently being manufactured in Indonesia will also be produced in Columbus, GA, by the end of 2018. The CR-2/3AZ cell offers important features, including: superior reliability, up to ten years; and high…
Panasonic high-temperature long-life Nickel Metal Hydride battery
Panasonic Corp. now sells a high-temperature long-life Nickel Metal Hydride battery. This Panasonic BK1100FHU NiMH battery has an ambient discharge range of -30° C to 85° C. The NiMH battery also has a minimum rated capacity of 11000 mAh. This battery is suitable for applications needing high capacity and a wide range of temperatures. It…
MPD’s new CR1632 lithium battery holder P/N BU1632-JJ-1-G
Part number “BU1632-JJ-1-G” holds a single CR1632 Lithium battery. Built with reliability as the first ideal, it’s designed to meet the stresses of handheld portable applications. A heavy duty plastic body and robust battery contacts meet those requirements for typical medical or consumer type products. Contacts were specifically designed for the rigors of portable applications…
Five ways jobsites are getting greener
The search for engineering efficiency can go beyond designing greener equipment in more environmentally friendly manufacturing plants. There are plenty of improvements that can be made on the jobsite when working with off-highway equipment in the construction and related industries. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) recently announced some green trends in this area, courtesy…
Can spuds become the new environmentally friendly paint?
For surfaces that need corrosion protection, 80% of the time that’s accomplished through a paint or varnish coating. Unfortunately, the proportion of bio-based, environmentally-friendly solutions in this space is quite small. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, are looking…
Surface mounting AAAA battery contact
Memory Protection Devices, Inc. expands its selection of available AAAA battery contacts. Newly released is AAAA battery contact part number BK-6223-TR. It is designed to be surface mounted on a pcb and to meet the application demands of portable equipment. Ultralight weight with exceptional strength this phosphor bronze contact is more than up to the…
New fans save energy, reduce carbon footprint
Ziehl-Abegg, a manufacturer of efficient fans and motors, recently replaced the fans that cool the BritNed converter station near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. BritNed is the operator of the high-voltage direct-current (HDVC) subsea power cable connecting the country with the United Kingdom. The new fans help BritNed lower energy consumption and reduce its carbon footprint.…
Freudenberg Sealing highlights advanced sealing technologies for mobility
For the second year in a row, visitors attending the North American International Auto Show in Detroit will be able to experience some of the newest developments in Mobility and E-Mobility at the Automobili-D exposition at Cobo Center. The event offers confirmation that groundbreaking changes are taking place in the automotive industry, and as advanced…
Cheap laughs: Looking inside public recycling containers
Leland Teschler, Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @DW_LeeTeschler Ready for a few laughs? Peek into a recycling bin sometime. The experience can be entertaining if you are amused by widespread misperceptions of what constitutes recyclable material. One glance inside a recycling container may lead you to conclude that the public is clueless about materials that…
Sager Electronics and RRC Power Solutions Sign Distribution Agreement
Sager Electronics, a North American distributor of Interconnect, Electromechanical and Power components and provider of value-add solutions, and RRC Power Solutions, a worldwide leader for smart batteries and battery charging technology, today announced a distribution partnership. The full offering of RRC Power Solutions smart lithium-ion batteries and chargers are now in stock at Sager Electronics.…
4 total solar eclipse tips from an engineer
I’ve chased the moon’s shadow before, and have been blessed enough to witness totality twice—in Mexico in 1991 and off the coast of Curacao in 1998. Halley’s Comet sparked the amateur astronomy bug in me in 1985 and my fascination for eclipses began soon thereafter. August 2017 and April 2024 have been circled on my…
Maplesoft and ETAS announce battery cell simulator package
ETAS Inc. and Maplesoft™ today announced the release of a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Battery Cell Simulator package which satisfies the highest demands for the test and calibration of Battery Management Systems. The solution is based on Maplesoft’s efficient, high-fidelity MapleSim battery model and ETAS’ high-precision Battery Cell Simulator (BCS) BCS-LABCAR. Suppliers of Battery Management Systems […]
Rubber from grass instead of gas?
A research team from the University of Delaware, the University of Minnesota and the University of Massachusetts has developed a process to make butadiene—a key component in synthetic rubber and plastic—from renewable sources such as trees, grasses and corn. As a result, products that range from tires to toys may become a lot greener in…
For cable vibration problems, think Lapp’s Skintop strain relief
The Skintop integrated locking mechanism includes an internal ratchet inside the sealing portion of the cord grip for vibration relief.
Electrochemical micro transformation opens doors to design of lightweight metal surfaces
What design engineer hasn’t wished that s/he could simply modify the surface properties of the metal they’re using to better fit the application? What once seemed like something from the realm of alchemists may now be a reality. The newly developed Micro Arc Oxidation (MAO) technology allows for the multifunctional modification of lightweight metals such…
2017 Sustainable Energy in America, a book of stats
The 2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook marks the fifth year that BCSE and BNEF have collaborated to document the transformation of the U.S.
What should wind technicians know about fall-protection equipment?
Good training is about meeting the specific needs of workers based on the type of work they’ll perform,” says John Eckel, Sr. Technical Training Specialist at Miller Fall Protection
What is changing the way wind farms are constructed?
Several trends underway are changing how wind farms are constructed.
Onerous mandates on performance impact reliability and are stifling RE innovation
Renewable energy finds itself in a bit of a Catch-22 when it comes to innovation.
Report: A new chapter begins for the U.S. offshore wind market
The last 12 months have seen remarkable developments in North America’s offshore wind industry.
Ideal Power unwraps Stabiliti, a next gen power conversion system
New features in the system including full galvanic isolation, seamless transfer in switching from grid-tied to off-grid modes, and paralleled microgrid functionality.
Eos Energy Storage partners with Environment One to manufacture grid-scale battery systems in upstate NY
Through this partnership, E/One will assume responsibility for manufacturing Eos’ flagship energy storage solution, the Eos Aurora.
Wind power jobs now top 100,000, says Department of Energy.
More Americans now have jobs in the wind industry than in nuclear, coal, natural gas or hydroelectric power plants.