A Penton Publication

JULY/AUGUST 09
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Sun shines brightly on Demand response and
clever inverter design the Smart Grid
Pg. 10 Pg. 40

Love that lighting – Motor drives

In quest of the L-Prize for eco-efficient A/C
Pg. 26 Pg. 46

Pulling the plug on inefficient

power supplies
Pg. 30

The Importance of

Energy Efficiency & Technology

to Our World’s Future

W W W. E E T W E B . C O M

I N A U G U R A L I S S U E
 1200 Volt Solar Inverter Solutions
IR’s Energy Efficient Portfolio for Grid-Connected Solar Inverter Output Circuits

11200V
200V
0 V Low
o Switching
w c n IGBTs
B s for
o PWM*
PW *

Part Number Rated Current TCASE = 100C , VGE = 15V Vce(on) td(on) tr td(off) tf

IRG4PH40UDPBF
G P 4 U P F 21.0A
21.0A
A 22.43V
43V
3 422 nss 32 ns 240
4 nns 5100 nss
IRG4PH50UDPBF
G P 5 U P F 24.0A
. A 22.78V
8 466 nss 27 ns 240
4 nns 3300 nss
IRG4PSH71UDPBF
G P H 1 D B 70.0A
70.0A
A 22.52V
52V
2 433 nss 78 ns 330
3 nns 4800 nss
IRGP20B120UDPBF
G 2 B 2 20.0A
. A 33.05V
5 500 nss 20 ns 204
0 nns 244 nss
IRGPS40B120UDPBF
G S 0 1 U B 40.0A
40.0A
A 33.12V
12V
2 766 nss 39 ns 332
3 nns 255 nss
IRG7PH42UDPBF
G P 4 U P F 30.0A
30.0A
A 11.7V
7V
7 200 nss 31 ns 310
1 nns 633 nss

Features
e t
1200V
0 V Half
H f Bridge
r g Gate Driver
i ICsICs*
C *
,
$'!*

 &



$ !       
Part Number Package Type Io+ Io- &'"%
&'"%
&$
 &
"


#%
'

   &$   &

"
" 
#% ''
"(%'%
"(%'%
&
( ' & 
IR2213STRPBF
R 1 S R B SOIC
O 2.0
. A 2.55 A
IR2214SSTRPBF
R 1 S T P F SOIC
O 22.0
.0 A 33.00 A
  ®  &
"

,
%'       
& #&
##&
 '"
'"
%(%
#%
'



" %(%
( #%% ' 


&
&

  (%
(%
&'
+
 &'
 ' +")

")
 "
,
 #&
#  '"
%(%


"
"  (  &
1200V
0 V LLow
o UUce(sat)
c (s t)
t IGBT
IGBTs
G T fforr 50H
50Hz
0 z orr 60H
60Hz*
0 z*
&)&'!
&)&'!
&#
 &## '#""
Part Number Package Type Ic at 10°C VCE(on) at Rated Current Qg Rth(j-c)

IRG4PH50SDPBF
G P 5 S P F TTO-247
O-2477 33A
A 1.47V
4 167 nC .644 °C/W
00.64 C/W
W

**Also
s available
v a in 6600V
V

for
o more
mo e information
n o m t o call
ca 11.800.981.8699
800
8 0 981
8 .8699
6 9 or visit
v i usu att www.irf.com

THE POWER MANAGEMENT LEADER
 E A L L Y
R
WHO WAS ^ FIRST?
Regardless of location...PMI offers
1U, 2U and 3U Products: 750 Watts to > 10kW’s
Low Voltage/High Current with Redundancy
Intelligence: Unit , Shelf and Systems
Liquid Cooled Products

PARAM, GREG OR ARVIN WILL HELP CHANGE YOUR IMAGINATION INTO REALITY

1745 Berkeley Street, Santa Monica CA 90404 USA TEL: (310) 829-6751 FAX: (310) 453-3929
www.PioneerMagnetics.com TOLL FREE: (800) 269-6426 EMAIL: Sales@PioneerMagnetics.com
 JULY / AUGUST 09

Energy Efficiency & Technology

Contents VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1

A Penton Publication
JULY/AUGUST 09
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Sun shines brightly on Demand response and
clever inverter design the Smart Grid
Pg. 10 Pg. 40

Love that lighting – Motor drives

In quest of the L-Prize for eco-efficient A/C
Pg. 26 Pg. 46

Pulling the plug on inefficient

power supplies
Pg. 30

The Importance of
26 36 46
Energy Efficiency & Technology

Features to Our World’s Future

26 Searching for a better bulb

L-Prize competitors weigh in on the challenges of field- I N A U G U R A L I S S U E

ing a super-efficient prize-winning bulb.

The Cover
Designed by Walt Wagner
and Bill Simon
30 Power and light show shines
under new management
Improved power supply technologies are proving to be
crucial to national energy strategies. Departments
8 Editorial
Who says the Smart Grid is
36 Gearing up for efficiency a new idea?
It pays to know the efficiencies characterizing various 10 Invention of the month
SolarMagic technology
kinds of gearbox configurations.
12 Viewpoint
Brian Halla, National
Semiconductor Corp.
40 Smart Grid ushers in new 14 Energy figures of
the month
era of energy conservation
16 Efficiency news
Here’s how engineers are building the architecture
24 In the news
behind an intelligent energy grid. Working with the
wind industry
52 On the energy
46 Energy efficient motor legislation front
control for appliances 54 Careers in energy
Variable-speed control is proving to be important for efficiency
managing motor energy budgets.
56 Cary Eskow on lighting
58 Energy efficient products
64 Lighten up

2 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

Support Across The Board.
From Design to Delivery

Now, you can have it all.™

Faster and easier than ever before. Our commitment
to customer service is backed by an extensive product
offering combined with our supply chain and design
chain services – which can swiftly be tailored to meet
your exact needs. We have dedicated employees who
have the experience to provide the highest level of
customer service with accuracy and efficiency. All of
our technical experts are factory certified on the latest
technologies, providing you the expertise to move
projects forward with speed and confidence.

Avnet offers the best of both worlds: extensive product

and supply chain knowledge, and specialized technical
skill which translates into faster time to market – and
the peace of mind that comes from working with the
industry’s best. Avnet is ranked Best-In-Class*
for well-informed sales reps, knowledgeable
application engineers and our design engineering
services – proof that we consistently deliver:

> Industry recognized product expertise

> Specialized technical skills

Ready. Set. Go to Market.™

Visit the Avnet Design Resource Center™ at:
www.em.avnet.com/drc

1 800 332 8638

www.em.avnet.com
*As rated by Hearst Electronics Group: The Engineer & Supplier Interface Study, 2009.
©Avnet, Inc. 2009. All rights reserved. AVNET is a registered trademark of Avnet, Inc.
 ENERGY WEBSITES
Editorial
Advisory Board
Tony Armstrong
Director of Product Marketing for
WHAT’S NEW AT EETWEB.COM Power Products, Linear Technology
Make eetweb.com your one-stop
resource for all things related to energy- David Ballard
efficient engineering. Highlights of the Corporate Manager, Engineering
and Marketing,
site include:
SEW-Eurodrive
Efficiency updates. The latest news
from industry and government agencies Ronald D. Bullock, Chairman
that affects designers of energy efficient CEO, Bison Gear and Engineering
products and systems.
Cary Eskow
Product briefs. A quick look at new
Director, Solid state Lighting and
products that focus on reducing energy LED Business Unit,
demand. Current postings range from Avnet Electronics Marketing
wireless energy meters and high-density
motors to low-power MOSFETs and breakaway couplings for wind applications. Howard Lind
Cicoil Corp.
Videos. EE&T’s video library showcases the latest innovations and presents great
“how-to” information. New postings include a two-part discussion on design consider- Gary Malmberg
ations for standby power; axial-flux technology for wind turbines; and Thinergy micro- ON Semiconductor
energy cells, ultra-thin, solid-state, rechargeable energy-storage devices.
Basics of Energy Efficiency. Here’s the engineering reference section devoted to John Malinowski
Product Manager - AC & DC Motors,
selecting and sizing products such as electric motors and lighting systems for highest effi-
Baldor Electric Co.
ciency, as well as considerations for total system design.
Events. Learn about upcoming shows, conferences, and events sponsored by trade David Mayne
associations, government agencies, and private companies. Director of Business Development,
Digi International
EFFICIENCY UPDATES ON YOUR DESKTOP Tom Morrow
The Energy Efficiency & Technology enewsletter is a monthly roundup of the latest Vice President, Global Expositions
trends in energy efficiency technology, components, applications, and legislation. It goes and Marketing,
to energy efficiency engineers, those who are now chartered to focus on designing prod- SEMI PV Manufacturing group
ucts and processes with the sole purpose of improving energy efficiency. The enewsletter
Kaveh Parsi
features sections on industry news, legislative developments, new products, as well as
Intersil Corp.
practical ideas on energy efficient design. Subscribe to the free newsletter at eetweb.com.
Mark Price
LOOK MOM, NO FRICTION Energy Business Unit Manager,
Engineering TV looks at the nuances of Fluke Corp.
the air bearing ATBT from Festo. It offers a
Robbie Queen
new way to transport flat-panel displays and Business Development Manager,
photovoltaic substrates. An air-permeable material with a micro-porous structure guaran- Moog Components Group
tees even air flow and contactless motion via an air cushion, while minimizing the use of
compressed air. The bearing is suited for loading and unloading, as intermediate buffer, Graham Robertson
International Rectifier
for lifting and centering, holding and clamping using a vacuum, or for use in inspection
and test equipment, precise X-Y-movement systems, or photolithography equipment. View Albert Rooyakkers
the episode at engineeringtv.com. Business Development,
Maxim Integrated Products
VIBRATION MOUNTS
Rajiv Salhotra
A new CD-ROM catalog from Advanced Antivibration
Idec Corp.
Components features more than 3,000 antivibration and
shock-isolation products, including mounts, bumpers, Aaron Thurlow
shock absorbers, bushings, and couplings in a wide range Global Sales Channel Manager,
of rubbers, elastomers, gels, and stainless-steel mesh and Renewable-energy Segment,
National Semiconductor Corp.
springs. Technical sections cover vibration fundamentals,
vibration-isolation analysis, applications considerations, and Vestal Tutterow
design problems. Users can request quotes, order online, and Program Manager, Industrial Practice,
download 3D models. Visit www.vibrationmounts.com. Alliance to Save Energy

4 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

 2A to 12A, High VIN Synchronous Bucks
Efficiency vs Load Current
95

90

Efficiency (%)
85

80

75

70 LTC3605
VIN = 12V
65
VOUT = 3.3V
60
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0
18mm Load Current (A)

Load Current vs Ambient Temperature

6

18mm Load Current (A)

5
LTC®3605
Demo Board 4
(Actual Size) LTC3605
VIN = 12V
3 VOUT = 3.3V
No Airflow
2
20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Ambient Temperature (°C)

Up to 95% Efficient, 32VIN, 4MHz and Easy to Use

Our high voltage monolithic synchronous buck converters offer input voltages as high as 32V and can deliver output currents
ranging from 2A to 12A full scale with minimal thermal derating. Operating efficiencies up to 95% are possible while operating at
switching frequencies of 1MHz or more. Our converters greatly simplify point-of-load conversion in systems with intermediate
bus architectures while simultaneously keeping the external inductor and ceramic capacitors small and low profile.

High VIN Monolithic Synchronous Buck Converters Info & Free Samples

Part Output Switching Synchro- Package www.linear.com/36XX

VIN Range Architecture
Number Current Frequency nizable (mm) 1-800-4-LINEAR
3x3 QFN-16,
LTC3601* 4V to 15V 2.5A 800kHz to 4MHz Yes Controlled On-Time
MSOP-16E

LTC3603 4x4 QFN-16,

4.5V to 15V 2.5A 300kHz to 3MHz Yes Constant Frequency
MSOP-16E
LTC3605 4V to 15V 5A 800kHz to 4MHz Yes Controlled On-Time 4x4 QFN-24
LTC3609 4V to 32V 6A 300kHz to 1MHz No Controlled On-Time 7x8 QFN-52
LTC3608 4V to 18V 8A 300kHz to 1MHz No Controlled On-Time 7x8 QFN-52
LTC3611 4V to 32V 10A 300kHz to 1MHz No Controlled On-Time 9x9 QFN-64
, LTC, LT and LTM are registered trademarks of Linear
LTC3610 4V to 24V 12A 300kHz to 1MHz No Controlled On-Time 9x9 QFN-64 Technology Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.

*Future product. Contact LTC marketing for information.

 
 

&#
,)"
1+"/"
'+
+#/%6
$9!'#+!6



'+!#
,2/
#%'++'+%

)",/
&0
)#"
1&#
'+"201/6
“For the first time, one
'+
"#3#),-'+%
-/,"2!10
manufacturer will carry
1&1
"#)'3#/
%/#1#/
all qualifying products.”
-#/$,/*+!#
–&#
,+0,/1'2*
$,/

+"
/#)' ')'16

4&')#
20'+%
)#00
+#/%6
$9!'#+!6
#)#!1/'!'16
2/

$,2+"#/0
"#!)/#"

'+


1&#6
4,2)"
Trust the Sign
8 2')"

#11#/
*,1,/

4&'!&
/#.2'/#0

*'+'*2*

of Quality
,$
#+#/%6;
&1
!,**'1*#+1



11!&#"
1,
#3#/6
)",/

)'3#0
,+
1,"6
4'1&
,2/
*,1,/
'0

+*#-)1#
1&1

)'+#
,$
2-#/
*,1,/0
+
Quality is in +,1
,+)6
/#-/#0#+10
1&#

&,/0#-,4#/
/1'+%0
$/,*

$/!1',+)
1,

2-#/
the Details 0-#!'9!1',+0
$,/
1&1
*,1,/

21
)0,
1&#
'+"'3'"2)
-/'"#




&#
)",/ :#)'+!#
)'+#


*,1,/0
/#
1&#
/,"#01
+"
!/$10*+0&'-
1&1
&0

,$
2-#/
-/#*'2*
#$9!'#+!6

,$$#/'+%
,$
#+#/%6
#$9!'#+1
*"#
)",/
1&#
)#"#/
'+

*,1,/0
/#-/#0#+10
.2)'16
,$

*,1,/0
3') )#
'+
1&#
.2)'16
/#)' ')'16
+"
#+#/%6

1&#
&'%&#01
"#%/##
3#/6

'+"201/6 #$9!'#+!6
$,/
*,/#
1&+


2-#/
*,1,/
'0
"#0'%+#"

6#/0
&#+
/#)' ')'16
!,2+10

+"
2')1
1,
*##1
,/
#5!##"

!!#-1
+,1&'+%
)#00
1&+

1&#
#$9!'#+!6
)#3#)0
"#9+#"

)",/
*,1,/0
6

/#*'2*
!1

Lifetime Cost '+
1&#


'+
+"

of an Electric Motor +"

#$$
'+
2/,-#

)",/:#)'+!#

2-#/
*,1,/0

4#/#
/#!,%+'7#"

6
1&#
,+0,/1'2*

$,/
+#/%6

$9!'#+!6
0
1&#

9/01
-/#*'2*

Energy 97.3% Initial Purchase 2% #$9!'#+!6
*,1,/

)'+#
1,
*##1
1&#'/

One Rewind 0.7%
01/'+%#+1
!/'1#/'

,,(
'+0'"#

2-#/
Compare the initial purchase price 
*,1,/
+"
6,2))

of an electric motor with the cost 9+"
-/#*'2*%/"#

it uses over its working lifetime. !,--#/
4'+"'+%0
++#)#"

For most motors, this initial cost )*'+1',+0
4'1&
-/#*'2*
represents less than two percent %/"#
01##)
+"
'+02)1#"

of its lifetime cost. Electricity ,5'"#
!,1'+%
02-#/',/

#/'+%0
+"
),4),00
$+0


consumption accounts for more
than 97 percent of the motor’s
#+ )'+%
)",/:#)'+!#


)",/
)#!1/'!
,*-+6
2-#/
*,1,/0
1,
/2+
!,,)#/

lifetime cost.
.2'#1#/
+"
),+%#/
4'1&
#11#/

/#)' ')'16
1&+
+6
,1&#/

'+"201/')
*,1,/

 



Electric motors consume 63 percent of all electricity used  Energy Efficient

in U.S. industry. Designed and built to meet or exceed
NEMA Premium® efficiency standards, Baldor
Reliance®
Super-E® motors run cooler, last longer and cost less every
minute they operate.
 Unmatched Quality

Fractional to 15,000 Hp, Baldor
Reliance Super-E

motors reduce your electricity costs with a return on your  Superior Reliability
investment that’s as good as gold.

baldor.com  Quickest Delivery Available






 


EDITOR
LELAND TESCHLER,
LTESCHLER@PENTON.COM
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 
ROGER ALLAN, RSALLAN@OPTONLINE.NET
VINCENT BIANCOMANO,
VBIANCOMANO@VERIZON.NET
KENNETH KORANE, KKORANE@PENTON.COM
STEPHEN J. MRAZ, SMRAZ@PENTON.COM
FRANCIS RICHARDS,
FRICHARDS@PENTON.COM
ART DIRECTORS
WILLIAM SIMON,
BILL.SIMON@PENTON.COM
WALT WAGNER,
WALT.WAGNER@PENTON.COM
CUSTOMER SERVICE
For all customer service inquires call:
(847) 763-9670
CIRCULATION AND ADDRESS
CHANGES VIA EMAIL:
DEBBIE.BRADY@PENTON.COM
FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT ARTICLES,
RELEASES, AND LITERATURE:
FAX inquiries to (216) 621-8469
e-mail: lteschler@penton.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Please include your name, address, and
daytime phone number. Letters may be
edited for brevity and focus on essential
points. e-mail: lteschler@penton.com
© 2009 Penton Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
CORPORATE OFFICERS
SHARON ROWLANDS,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
JEAN CLIFTON , CHIEF FINANCIAL
OFFICER / EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
ENERGY EFFFICIENCY & TECHNOLOGY
PENTON MEDIA INC.
Penton Media Building, 1300 E.9th St.,
Cleveland, OH 44114-2543
PRINTED IN THE USA.
8 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
EDITORIAL EDITORIAL
Who says the Smart Grid
is a new idea?
B
ack in the time of Thomas Edison, the first electric meters merely measured how
much current was used between readings, much the way the electric meter on your
house still works. That changed when electricity magnate Samuel Insull found an
inventor who had come up with a meter also able to track when electricity was used.
Historians might someday relate Smart Grid ideas to Insull’s more intelligent metering. The first
year the new demand-tracking meter went into service in Chicago, electric rates dropped 32% and
demand soared. By 1910 one Chicago household in six was electrified and by the 1920s, gaslights were
all but extinct.
The price of electricity got down to point where it made sense to install numerous small elec-
tric motors on machines and home appliances. Electric motors were more efficient than the steam
engines that powered nineteenth century factories. So productivity climbed precipitously, increasing
output per worker by about 22% in the 1920s.
Fast forward to the year 2009. Once again, we have some interesting ideas about how to better
manage electricity and boost efficiency. The magazine you are now reading is one outcome of this
trend. In the coming months we will deliver new ideas that engineers need to know about to design
efficient products and processes. We’ll also explore the energy related technologies that are exciting
the imaginations of scientists and engineers worldwide.
And speaking of exciting ideas, let’s reflect a moment on LEDs. About two years ago, GE hosted a
press event that included an advanced look at a new incandescent bulb it was developing. The bulb’s
claim to fame was an efficiency level equal or better than that of compact fluorescent lights, but
without the few milligrams of mercury that coat the inside of every CFL tube.
Today, GE has ash-canned the incandescent bulb project. It is instead concentrating on LEDs,
apparently because its engineers were making such rapid progress there that the handwriting was on
the wall for improved versions of incandescents.
The economical production of solid-state lighting promises to be a game-changing event. It will
likely be helped along by developments coming out of the L Prize competition, an event patterned after
the Ansari X Prize quest that put SpaceShipOne at the edge of the atmosphere.
You can read more about the L Prize in this issue, but you won’t read about the attitudes among
LED companies that we encountered as we looked into L Prize activities: More than one group smugly
told us they had a lock on the Prize, and that their main concern was in figuring out how to best
protect the L-Prize intellectual property they’d devised.
This sort of cockiness makes us think either the Prize criteria was set too low or there are a few
groups around Silicon Valley that are about to receive the kind of lesson dished out to overconfident
poker players holding trip aces when their hand falls to a straight.
The bigger fear about LEDs and other energy saving technology is that as good as they are, they
won’t overcome what’s called the base problem: The old technology is paid for, so there is little reason
to replace it until it wears out. That’s the reason the Erie Canal carried freight until 1970 though it was
obsoleted by railroads in the 1850s. Let’s hope consumers 120 years from now will only know about
incandescent bulbs by reading about them in history books.
LELAND TESCHLER
EDITOR
 INVENTION
OF THE MONTH

The team of engineers and designers at

National Semiconductors who developed
the SolarMagic Power Optimizer.

Squeezing
more power
from shaded and
soiled solar panels
P
icture an array of brand new solar panels
not shaded by trees or clouds. All of
them are at the same temperature and
unbesmirched by accumulated dust.
A solar array in this happy state will generate
electricity at its optimum efficiency. But spots
of shade on the array, a layer of dirt, and even
different temperatures on different parts of the
arry will cause problems that affect the array
output. The difficulty stems from the practice of
feeding the output of all panels into one central
inverter. Shade or dirt on a panel can lower its
output, as can a temperature difference. But the
central inverter cannot compensate for one or
more panels with low output. Modern inverters
10 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
with their algorithms for tracking maximum
power points cannot optimize an individual
panel’s output.
To solve this problem, engineers at National
Semiconductor Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., (www.
national.com) developed SolarMagic, which is
essentially an intelligent inverter that is installed
on each panel in the array.. With this addition,
arrays can recoup up to 57% of the energy lost to
shade and other panel mismatches, including
panels with different shapes. National engineers
are a bit cagey about exactly how SolarMagic
accomplishes its “Magic.” But in essence, the
device implements power point tracking for each
panel to deliver a maximum output. ■
 INVENTION
OF THE MONTH

The left image shows the schematic

ORDINARY SOLAR CELL ARRAY
of a typical solar array unaffected by
shade. Under uniform conditions, each
panel operates at its optimal current and
voltage and the panel generates 200 W.
The right image shows what happens
when shade covers one panel in the
array. In this scenario, the partially
shaded panel receives 50% of full
sunlight. This causes the output of the
shaded panel to drop to 25 W, and the
output of unshaded panels drops to 135
W. This phenomenon, where shaded
panels reduce the output power of
unshaded panels within the same array,
is the primary reason why shading losses
are disproportional to the amount of
shading. In this case, output power
drops by 44%.

ARRAY WITH SOLARMAGIC INSTALLED

NATIONAL
SEMICONDUCTOR
CORP.
2900 Semiconductor Drive
POB 58090
Santa Clara, CA 95052-8090
(408) 721-5000
www.national.com

FIELD TRIAL RESULTS:

The diagram Array with SolarMagic Installed shows what happens
when shade covers a panel in an array equipped with SolarMagic Power SOLARMAGIC RECOUPES UP TO 66%
Optimizers. The affected panel now turns out 100 W instead of 25 W, a net
gain of 75 W. The panel generates more power because SolarMagic changes
OF THE POWER LOST DUE TO SHADE
its output voltage and current to a new max power point of 27 V at 3.7 A ON SOLAR CELLS
for shaded conditions. The panel gets only half the sunlight it previously Time % of array Power loss % of lost power
received and puts out only half the power. Meanwhile, unshaded panels still in shade due to shade recouped by SolarMagic
produce their maximum power of 200 W. The distributed max-power-point
9:30 am 13% 44% 50%
tracking of SolarMagic Power Optimizers continues to keep the unshaded
panels operating at their peak power point. 10:30 am 11% 47% 58%
In this case, the array voltage remains at 150 V, and SolarMagic Power units 11:30 am 9% 54% 66%
adjust their output voltage and current to maximize the power of each 12:30 am 6.5% 44% 65%
panel in the string. In effect, it boosts up output voltages for unshaded 2:20 pm 3% 25% 40%
panels and bucks down those of the shaded panels. Resources: National Semiconductors Inc., www.national.com

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 11

 VIEWPOINT
Energy efficiency and
the quality of life megatrend
T
BRIAN HALLA hose of us in the semicon-
CEO
NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORP. ductor industry are quite
familiar with Moore’s Law
— the number of transis-
tors that can be placed inexpensively
on an IC doubles about every two
years. I was recently reminded by
my former boss Gordon Moore that
Moore’s Law never said anything
about power efficiency. Nevertheless,
I believe we have an opportunity
where electronics meets energy.
Semiconductors can make many
things in our everyday life more efficient. And energy effi-
ciency is a critical issue regardless of oil price and no matter
how clean we can eventually make coal. The political ramifica-
tions of where we get our oil makes efficiency a critical issue
for us.
One of Gordon Moore’s lesser one in front of us I would submit is
known statements is that if any other the quality of life cycle. It is driven by
industry performed as well as the semi- megatrends largely defined by renew-
conductor industry in price efficiency, able energy and better health care.
today you could buy a Rolls Royce for 25 Many of us have been shifting our R&D
cents, drive it downtown and throw it over the last couple of years away from
away. That is what the semiconductor LCD TVs, video games, and gadgets,
industry can bring to renewable energy into solving these types of problems.
and we are on our way there. We will soon make many kinds of
No question that on the power health care equipment portable instead
and efficiency front we face a lot of of using energy off the grid. They will
challenges. But they are challenges I run from batteries that will be much
believe the semiconductor industry can more intelligent than ever before.
meet. And we have already started. Battery packs will become dramatically
Consider the electronics industry as smart and powerful.
having been driven by four cycles. The Today, for example, the battery
first cycle was in the mainframe era packs in electric cars are normalized
and is symbolized by DRAM replacing to the lowest performing battery in the
magnetic core memory. In the second pack so there is no chance of explosion
cycle, PCs drove demand. In the third, or overcharging. In the future, smart
the connected PC, the Internet, and battery packs will extend the range
cell phones were in the driver’s seat. of electric cars and in so doing, make
You might say the cycle we are just them viable.
completing is the gadget cycle. The In health care, today all of us can
12 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
go to the drug store and pick up a blood
pressure monitor for less than $50.
Tomorrow, thanks to energy efficient
circuits, you will be able to go to the
same drug counter and pick up a heart
monitoring device or perhaps even an
early detector of breast cancer that
tells you to go for a mammogram. You’ll
have devices perhaps driven by your
iPod that put data online for remote
viewing and diagnosis by a specialist.
You might compare where we are
today in health care with the main-
frame industry. It was originally almost
completely centralized but evolved
to the point where all of us have a
computer in our pocket in the form of
a cell phone that is more powerful than
those early mainframes. We distributed
computing power to our shirt pockets.
Thanks to semiconductor technology,
we can expect to distribute health care
in a similar way.
We have similar opportunities
with renewable energy and with solar
power in particular. When National
Semiconductor jumped into solar
energy in 2007, it was perhaps six
times more expensive to generate
power with solar than with fossil fuel
or coal. Now two years later it is only
twice as expensive. We will continue to
come down the cost curve partly due to
the addition of electronics.
But I would say there needs to be a
note of caution here. We in the semicon-
ductor industry can divert R&D dollars
to the energy field, but at the same time
we know public policies must encourage
investment in R&D and rapid adoption
of new technologies. So we look forward
to working with the administration and
with Congress to support policies that
will help realize the enormous poten-
tial available to us that will help realize
energy efficiencies. ■
ENERGY PROFILE

It is the goal of SEW-EURODRIVE to provide to you, through the help of our

trusted and experienced people, intelligent combinations of efficient drives,
motors, and gear reducers that deliver optimal energy reduction for your
machine or process.

Energy Initiatives
SEW’s modular energy saving concept is multi-faceted and
offers a specific solution for every system. Each individual compo-
nent in the system is designed for maximum efficiency. In the
right combination, they create significant economic benefits and
generate more added value in the system. Different requirements,
objectives and individual system concepts can be factored into
the systems design. Regardless of whether you want to implement
components into an existing system or create a new one, the
modular energy-saving system from
SEW- EURODRIVE can be integrated
into any system that requires
more energy-efficient
drive solutions.

Benefits to
Engineers
Gearmotors,
Rising energy costs, government mandates
frequency inverters,
and an increased ecological awareness are the main
mechatronic drive
reasons why the industry is focusing more and more on energy-
systems, energy-
efficient drive technology. SEW-EURODRIVE’s answer to the ques-
efficient motors,
tion of what energy-saving potential can be achieved by modern-
motion controllers
izing the plant or making new investments is a three-part energy
saving strategy:

■ Modular energy-saving concept

■ Application consulting
■ Energy efficient solution

Energy-saving solutions from SEW-EURODRIVE are based on

our proven modular concept. The modular energy-saving concept
saves power and conserves resources. Just one individual drive
component with the proper energy efficiency may be sufficient to
achieve a positive energy balance. But scalable combinations that
can be adapted to the customer application turn energy-efficient
drive components into impressive energy savers. This ensures
an energy-efficient application. And it’s all built with application SEW-Eurodrive, Inc.
consulting from SEW-EURODRIVE, based on comprehensive expe-
P.O. Box 518
rience with all drive technology components and close contact
Lyman, SC 29365
with our customers.
Tel: (864) 439-8792
Fax: (864) 949-3039
http://www.seweurodrive.com/
 ENERGY FIGURES OF THE MONTH

ON THE ENERGY FRONT >

LESSONS FROM GOOGLE TRENDS
Google trends (www.google.com/trends) can be a source of
some interesting statistics. It is basically a plot of popularity
for specific search terms. Entering the search term “energy ef-
ficiency” brings up the accompanying graph this month. There
we can see one of the reasons why the magazine you are read-
RESULTS OF BEST-IN-CLASS ing came into existence: News about energy efficiency has been
SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMERS
rising at a rapid pace over the last two years. And its popularity
as a search term has as well. Another lesson here: At the end of
Reduction in most years, energy efficiency isn’t top-of-mind.
carbon footprint
Increase in
customer retention 9%
16% Reduction in
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR
energy costs
6% SUSTAINABILITY
Reduction in
Reduction in facilities costs How do you know whether or not your company is ahead
transportation /
logistics cost Reduction in 7% of its peers in sustainability? That was a question the re-
paper costs
7% search organization Aberdeen Research Group recently
10%
explored. After surveying companies with sustainability ef-
SOURCE: Aberdeen Research forts in various stages of completion, researchers there came
up with a series of measures that could serve as a dashboard
NEW U.S. GENERATING CAPACITY BY ENERGY SOURCE
for the effectiveness of sustainability directives. The best
100% companies, for example, fold sustainability into measures of
their value chain and typically have organization-wide sus-
tainability policies in place.
80%

60%
THE WIND POWER OUTLOOK
OTHER
The American Wind Energy Association recently com-
piled statistics about new sources of energy generating capac-
DUAL-FIRED
40% ity. A quick look at their graph shows why there is a lot of en-
PETROLEUM
thusiasm for wind energy. New wind projects installed in 2008
COAL represent an investment of $17 billion, the largest capital in-
20% NATURAL GAS vestment in the U.S. electricity sector last year. AWEA also says
WIND about 85,000 people worked in the wind industry as of the end
of 2008, up from 50,000 the year before.
0%
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

SOURCE: Ventyx, SNL, AWEA, SEIA, Berkeley Lab

WHO MONITORS ENERGY?
MATURITY OF ENERGY MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE Energy management strategies are increasingly common
100% among manufacturers. But some organizations have been
8% 26% measuring their energy use longer than others. It turns out
5%
26% 11% that some of the companies that are best at measuring en-
50% 19% ergy have been at it for more than three years, according to
49% Aberdeen Research Group . In their survey of manufacturers,
38% they found, not surprisingly, that about half the companies
0% considered best-in-class at energy management had been
BIC OTHER
More than 3 years 1 to 3 years watching their own energy habits for a long time.
Less that 1 year Currently in planning stages
SOURCE: Aberdeen Group, April 2009

14 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

ENERGY PROFILE

Founded 50 years ago, National

Semiconductor creates analog-
intensive solutions and energy-efficient
ICs. Maximizing energy efficiency is
absolutely critical especially as millions
of circuits are now packed into dense
digital cores, consuming greater amounts
of power and generating more heat. A
world leader in power management,
National helps its customers solve energy
challenges.

National’s energy focus includes:

t
Reducing energy consumption. National’s PowerWise® family of
energy-efficient circuits enables products to consume less energy,
generate less heat and last longer on a battery charge.

t
Renewable energy generation. Enabled by its analog power

management ICs, National’s award-winning SolarMagicTM power
optimizer enhances energy output when solar arrays are affected
by real-world conditions such as shade, debris and panel aging.

t
Energy management. Leveraging its expertise in energy efficiency,

National has extended its focus to include electric vehicle battery
management, battery charging and smart grid opportunities.

National Semiconductor Corp.

2900 Semiconductor Drive
POB 58090
Santa Clara, CA 95052-8090
(408) 721-5000
www.national.com
 ENERGY SHORTS
Where does all the juice go?
RESEARCHERS LAY OUT PLANS TO CUT ENERGY USE BY BEING CLEVER ABOUT NETWORKS, PCS, AND
BUILDINGS. GET READY FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT ETHERNET.
An article in a popular business
magazine published in 1999 claimed
that by 2009, half of all the electricity
consumed in the U.S. would go to power
the Internet. That claim never came
close to being true. In fact, electronics
of all sorts today accounts for about
1% of the total demand from utili-
ties. Nevertheless, that 1% comes to
roughly 290 terawatts of electricity, a
figure that should get our attention,
says Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
researcher Bruce Nordman. Speaking
at the recent Berkeley Symposium on
Energy Efficient Electronic Systems,
Nordman described the current
thinking aimed at dialing down the
power consumed by electronic products
in offices and homes.
Nordman claims that a lot of
insights about how to reduce power
dissipation come from examining data
network usage. Typically networks
are lightly used and they will almost
certainly remain that way in the future.
In fact, the average network operates
at about 2% of its maximum capacity in
most day to day chores. That opens up
an opportunity to power down network
resources when they aren’t active.
Another insight comes from how
the average office PC is used. It turns
out that most are active only about
2% of the time. So the PC could be
asleep rather than just idle when its
operator is away. “There is a small
benefit from convincing people to
switch their machine from on to off,
but there is a huge benefit available
from convincing them to go from on
to asleep,” Nordman says.
He also thinks usage statistics
for consumer items such as TVs and
set-top boxes are probably similar,
and so are the potential savings from
sleep modes.
These insights can be teamed with
16 EETweb.com
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
what we know about energy dissipa-
tion in electronics to attack unnec-
essary usage, Nordman says. For
example, networks such as Ethernet
are typically built to handle their
maximum capacity. And many of the
assumptions about how to build them
are tied to considerations for mini-
mizing latency. But for energy conser-
vation, it is better to consider the
average conditions. Of course, this is
only possible if there are statistical
profiles available of how the network
resources are utilized.
In most cases it is surprisingly
easy to assembly such statistics, says
Nordman. They can be a source of
opportunity for exposing ways that
devices “at the network edge” can
optimized for energy use. For example,
routers at LBNL know how many
devices connect to them. So they also
can detect when a PC gets turned off
or is asleep. IT people at the facility
used such information to ascertain that
three quarters of all PCs there are fully
on overnight and over weekends.
As more devices get networked
together, says Nordman, it will be
possible to get even more useful infor-
mation that can direct energy efficiency
efforts. One example of a project in this
area is the Energy Efficient Ethernet
(EEE). To guide efforts at adding power
management to Ethernet, it uses the
idea that most links are idle most of the
time. Researchers’ initial approach to
saving energy was to propose a way of
switching between transmission speeds
in a matter of milliseconds, much faster
than the facilities in the existing speci-
fication. A better way emerged when an
Intel researcher came up with the idea
of having network nodes stop listening
between packets. The switching can be
accomplished in microseconds, says
Nordman.
Look for EEE standards (dubbed
IEEE 802.3az) to begin emerging in
another year, says Nordman. The data
centers typically dissipate about one
watt per link per gigabit/sec of band-
width, so the gains from EEE are poten-
tially significant, he says.
Another power management
standard under development will
let network nodes such as PCs and
set-top boxes export their presence
on the network to some proxy device
(perhaps a router) before going into
a sleep mode. The proxy device would
respond to routine network traffic in
the name of the real device. The rest
of the network perceives the device
as still on. The upside: “We’ll be able
to save more than 50% of PCs’ current
consumption, a goal well worth
getting,” says Nordman.
Finally, the biggest source of poten-
tial energy savings is in consumer elec-
tronics, says Nordman, though there is
less of a distinction today between IT
equipment and consumer electronics.
The danger is rushing into standards in
this area too quickly, particularly when
considering standards for networks
inside buildings. Efforts today in this
area could easily lead to increased use
of electricity rather than savings due to
lack of foresight. Programmable ther-
mostats are an example: Energy use
goes up when they are installed rather
than down because they are generally
cumbersome to use, he says.
What is needed in buildings is not
digitally networked versions of building
controls, but something fundamentally
new. Specifically, he advocates a goal of
universal interoperability: Any energy
using device can operate in any room
or building on the planet and be used
by any person. Unfortunately, standards
reflecting this kind of goal are still in
the future. ■
China short of power by early next year
CHINESE TOLD THAT SOLAR the silicon that goes into its PV cells, will get traction among Chinese officials.
COULD BE A WAY OUT and the Chinese lack world-class tech- But there is reason to believe adoption
nology for producing high-purity silicon, of SEMI’s ideas could come quickly. “U.S.
China gets over 70% of its energy Martin says. “They lack technology energy policy is complex because you
from coal and is consuming the material and equipment because they haven’t have involvement among the 50 states,
at such a rapid rate that it may soon need invested sufficiently in R & D. So one individual localities, some 3,000 utilities,
to import the stuff, despite having large of our recommendations to them was to and of course the federal government. In
reserves of coal deposits. Meanwhile, strengthen their technological competi- China, there are far fewer entities whom
the Chinese are building up other power tiveness,” he says. you need to influence to make policy
sources such as nuclear plants and hydro- SEMI hopes its recommendations happen,” says Martin. ■
electric generators. But they probably
won’t be online soon enough to head off a
projected energy shortage expected to hit
6% by 2010 and more thereafter.
Leaky joints succumb
Photovoltaics could help fill this
gap, say energy experts. That was the
message delivered by a team from
to thermal imaging
SEMI, the overarching organization for AS STRUCTURES GET MORE EFFICIENT, THE PROCESS OF FINDING
semiconductor equipment manufac-
turers. The organization’s Photovoltaic THEIR ENERGY SAPPING WEAK POINTS BECOMES MORE INVOLVED.
(PV) Group recently issued a report
prepared by its China PV Advisory
Committee recommending that the
Chinese accelerate their adoption of
PV-generated electric power.
The situation is ironic because
China is the world’s second largest
solar cell manufacturer. Last year the
Chinese manufactured more than 2 GW
of solar power capacity, about 30% of the
world’s supply, with most of it crystal-
line rather than thin-film. But almost
none of Chinese-made cells get installed
in China itself. “The fact that they
export nearly every solar cell they make
subjects their manufacturing supply How do you find the energy leaks in to conserve energy, and here we have
chain to the risks of varying solar incen- a super-efficient house? Increasingly the built a home that exchanges air only twice
tives that other countries implement,” answer is thermal imaging, as builders every hour. Compare this to the average
says SEMI PV Group executive vice pres- wise up to plugging obvious air leaks. new construction home which exchanges
ident Dan Martin. That was the case recently as the air about 10 times an hour; an old home
Part of the difficulty in accelerating Zero Energy Idea House built by Shirey which has about 20 air exchanges per
PV use is that the relative few PV instal- Contracting in Bellevue, Wash. under- hour; even an Energy Star qualified home
lations in China are off grid and rural, went pressurized blower door tests and a needs to be just under 7.0. At 2.0 we think
says Martin. “They are generally out thermal imager inspection. Energy audit we are looking really good.”
in the boondocks where PV is the sole professionals from Fluke Corp. worked Thermal imaging uncovered a few
source of power,” he explains. So part of with the Washington State University unexpected areas of potential energy loss.
the Group’s advice was to put a priority (WSU) Extension Energy Program to There was some minor air infiltration
on larger grid-connected PV systems. perform the tests. around the windows and doors as well as
Martin characterizes PV manufac- The demonstration house is more than around one electrical lighting box. The
turing in China as competitive with three times as efficient as the standard for imaging also exposed problems at a few
those elsewhere. “In cell making they Energy Star homes. Said Donna Shirey, joints: where a support beam meets the
may even be the low-cost producers,” owner of Shirey Contracting. “Reducing back wall, in the space between a down-
he says. But China imports most of airflow in a house is one of the best ways stairs ceiling and the floorboards above,

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
EETweb.com 17

 ENERGY SHORTS
and where a support beam had been
enclosed near a ceiling.
“Finding air leaks in a home this effi-
cient is not simple,” said Michael Stuart,
Sr. Product Marketing Manager at Fluke
and certified Level II Thermographer and
infrared energy auditor. “But the sensi-
tivity to temperature variation provided by
thermal imaging technology makes little
things much more apparent. Without an
imager, it would be much more difficult to
find all the leaks and nearly impossible to
accurately document them.”
After minor repairs, Shirey Contracting
is shooting for a new milestone -- an air
exchange rate of 1.5 or better.
Thermal testing for buildings like the
Zero Energy house starts twenty-four
hours before the inspection, when all
known penetrations in the building enve-
lope are closed (including windows, doors
and vents). Radiant space heaters then
go inside the closed-up house to heat and
stabilize the inside temperature at a high
level, so there would be enough tempera-
ture differential between inside and
outside in time for the inspection. (When
the Zero Energy house was inspected, the
outside air temperature was 60°F. The
interior air temperature was approxi-
mately 88°F. Most accepted standards
require temperature differences of at least
18°F for best results.)
A blower door goes on the front entry
door, and the house is depressurized,
blowing the interior air out through the
front doorway. As a result, cool air from
outside the house enters the building
envelope through other areas, trying to
fill the vacuum created by the process.
At the Zero Energy house, Fluke thermal
imagers then could detect where the air
was entering unexpectedly with particular
attention to windows, doors, and other
areas penetrating the building envelope.
Infrared and visible images were captured
and saved for the creation of an official
report. ■
More info
Fluke Corp., Everett, WA, www.fluke.com
Shirey Contracting, www.zeroenergy-
ideahouse.com/
WSU Extension Energy Program, http://
www.energy.wsu.edu/

A first: The all-LED office building

Automation supplier IDEC Corp. got
some attention last year when it finished
outfitting one of its sales offices in Japan
with LED illumination inside and out. The
building is lit by 11,000 LED devices and
250,000 LED chips which handle the inte-
rior, parking lot, and garden.
IDEC designed and manufactured all
the LEDs and fixtures. Recently IDEC
explained to EE&T some of the chal-
lenges of the project. Getting heat out
of the LED packages and fixtures was
a key, engineers there say. They also
say some of the structural elements
they came up with to dissipate heat
were ingenious. Fixtures included
heat sinks and a housing design that
promoted heat dispersion.
Effort also went into devising LED fixtures are built to dissipate heat and
special constant-current power minimize glare.
supplies able to drive the LED fixtures.
The resulting supplies incorporate a fixture, IDEC says. But glare is more of
modulation circuit that meters power a problem with LED fixtures, says IDEC.
demands depending on ambient light So the company incorporated light- temperatures, white and warm white.
levels. shielding plates between LED modules This serves further reduce glare and
The LED fixtures are a one-for-one angled with the line-of-sight to divert create a natural color temperature.
substitute for conventional fixtures. direct lighting. Diffusing acrylic panels Designers first simulated the illu-
A single 600×600-mm LED fixture for also keep down glare. minance to determine how the lights
dropped ceilings puts out the same Modules also incorporate LEDs should be laid out, then measured real
brightness as a conventional 100-W alternating between two different color values to make sure targets were hit. ■

18 EETweb.com
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

 Super-Bright LED Strip

-VNFOT8BUU
*1
BOE
*1G
EFHSFF
PG
QSPUFDUJPO

tt
6OJRVF
-&%
UFDIOPMPHZ
6OJRVF -&% UFDIOPMPHZ
Free pply



Su

t
1PMZDBSCPOBUF
BOE
3FJOGPSDFE
HMBTT
MFOT
Power Z
BO
-'
%



XIFO
ZP
V
CV USJQ














t
"MVNJOVN
IPVTJOH
XJUI
4UBJOMFTT
TUFFM
DPWFS
IU
T
-&%
MJH
GGFS

UJNF
P
-JNJUFE

'PS
NPSF
EFUBJMT

WJTJU
http://Lumifa.IDEC.com/usa
 ENERGY SHORTS
Different route to energy efficiency:
Polymer-based mold material
Manufacturers that must demon-
strate energy savings in their
operations can do so by substituting
polymer mineral castings for steel
structures. The total casting produc-
tion process is can save up to 80% of
the energy typically used to produce a
steel weldment.
So says Precision Polymer Casting
LLC, Mentor, Ohio. The firm’s mate-
rial, called Castinite, follows a much
more efficient manufacturing path
than does steel. The raw materials,
which can include agricultural
content, are mixed in a reactor. The
resulting resin is mixed with a hard-
ener and various-sized quartz aggre-
gates. The quartz is surface mined,
crushed and sized. The resulting mate-
rial can be molded and can substitute
for structures of welded steel.
The liquid Castinite material
pours into the mold and cures at room
temperature. Because it is polymer
based, the finished part needn’t be
painted. Parts can also be cast in color.
Once a mold is ready, finished parts
come in a few days, complete with
tapped holes.
In contrast, steel or cast-iron
parts start out as ore smelted into
pig iron, which is melted and mixed
with various elements to produce
steel ingots. The ingots are heated
Visible in this image of the Castinite base (left) are the
cast-in PVC pipes used for wire ways. The steel version
(right) used external ways that were more expensive.
20 EETweb.com
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
and rolled into steel shapes. The steel
shapes are then machined to size
necessary for producing the weldment.
The steel components are welded
together, then stress relieved. After
stress relieving, they can be machined
to the final configuration, after which
holes are drilled and tapped.
Cast iron follows a similar path,
except billets are formed which are
then melted and poured into a mold.
The part then must be machined,
stress relieved, and finish-machined.
A final stress relieve finishing opera-
tion may be needed.
In one case a manufacturer of
high-speed printing equipment for
plastic containers and bottle caps
substituted Castinite for the weld-
ments serving as a base for its equip-
ment. The equipment is used to print
multicolored images on items ranging
from bottle caps, at 600 per minute, to
caulk tubes, plastic bottles and plastic
pails.
The steel weldments typically
measured 2,300×2,300×200 mm. They
had to be stress relieved and painted
for protection against rust, especially
for use in some Asian factories.
The Castinite polymer mineral
castings that replace them dampen
vibration 40 times better than steel,
says PPC. The resulting performance
permits faster machine speeds with
more accurate resolution and less
machine noise. Moreover, the finished
Castinite casting was only 40% of the
cost for a weldment.
The bases in this application
needed a mounting area with a flat-
ness of only 0.010 in, easy to realize
even in a wood mold, says PPC. The
Castinite part made to this tolerance
used an inexpensive mold made with
composite materials and which cost
less than $5,000.
The Castinite bases were also
fabricated with cast-in consumer-
grade PVC pipes for wire ways, with
outlets located where needed. The
steel version had needed external wire
ways that were more expensive, easily
damaged and required extra wire
to reach the proper locations. PVC
pipes are also used to run hydraulic
lines thru the base, making them less
susceptible to damage and producing a
much cleaner machine. ■
More info
Precision Polymer Casting LLC,
Mentor, Ohio, (440) 343-0461,
www.castinite.com
 How do you know if
you have a $1,000,000
opportunity in your facility?

Three step process

consisting of an
energy audit prepa-
ration, executing the
audit, and sustaining
the results.





 

Even lean organizations are fi nding they can reduce waste and energy expenditures
by up to 30 % with an energy audit program. In just one audit using the Fluke Energy
Answers program, one company identified over $1,400,000 in savings.


A Fluke energy program gives actionable answers that will help you save money
now, and in the future. Learn how you can quickly reduce fi xed costs, continue



 
 
innovating and stay competitive.

Fluke. Energy Answers. Designed to help companies like yours manage energy costs.

A program of
Fluke Corporation.

©2009 Fluke Corporation. 8/2009 Ad 02368

 ENERGY SHORTS
Plenty of payback from variable-
frequency drives
Energy-efficient motors and
variable-frequency drives
can cut power consumption
in half in some industrial
applications.

60%. If the load factor

is 70%, the reduction in
kilowatt usage is 50%.
Numerous rebate
programs can apply to
many other application
retrofits and upgrades
which can save energy.
According to the Energy
Center of Wisconsin,
applications for pumps
and compressors could
realize up to 25%
energy savings; fans,
blowers and centrif-
It is no secret that utilities in totaled $7,650, representing 75% ugal refrigeration systems up to 35%
various states run rebate programs of the hardware costs, Kaman says. savings; and boiler fans and feed water
for motor installations that aid in “The incentives on rebates can be as pumps up to 50% savings. Utilities are
conserving and improving energy high as $13,000 for a 200-hp drive in willing to discuss methods of saving
efficiency. Less well known is the fact some markets in the Northeast,” says energy and users are encouraged to
that these programs may cover vari- Kaman automation program manager contact their local utility. ■
able speed drives (VSD), also known Ted Clayton.
as adjustable speed The Baldor More info
drives (ASD) or EXAMPLE: ENERGY VS1PF family Kaman Industrial Technologies
variable frequency EFFICIENT MOTOR REBATES covers the range Corp., Windsor, CT, (800) 526-2626,
drives (VFD). The from 5 to 700 hp www.Kaman.com
IN CENTRAL NEW YORK
rebate amount and targets vari- Baldor Electric Co., Fort Smith, AR,
depends upon the 50 HP - $3,000 able-speed fan (479) 646-4711, www.Baldor.com
size of the drive and 25 HP - $2,000 and pump appli- Energy Center of Wisconsin,
motor, and varies by 20 HP - $1,750 cations. The Madison, Wis., www.ecw.org/
state. 5 HP - $900 VSDs can adjust
In one recent output auto-
installation, indus- matically based
trial distributor Kaman Industrial on load to save energy. A manual mode
Technologies Corp. (Windsor, Ct.) lets users set the amount of savings
worked with a customer in central New manually. As an example, for an appli-
York that used five Baldor Electric Co. cation with a 60% motor load factor,
VS1PF drives on various boiler and operation with a VSD will reduce the
kiln fan applications. Utility rebates annual kilowatt usage approximately

22 EETweb.com
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

(QHUJ\(IILFLHQW
&XVWRP)UDFWLRQDO+3 *HDUPRWRU
VROXWLRQVHQJLQHHUHGQRWWRIDLOGXULQJ\RXU
DSSOLFDWLRQ
VLQWHQGHGGHVLJQOLIHWLPH

%LVRQ
V*UHHQ,QLWLDWLYHV
%LVRQOHDGVE\H[DPSOH LQYHVWLQJLQHQHUJ\
HIILFLHQF\LQLWVRZQSURGXFWLRQIDFLOLW\KDVUHGXFHG
%LVRQ
VHQHUJ\FRQVXPSWLRQE\

%LVRQLQIOXHQFHVRWKHUV WRDGRSWPRUHHIILFLHQW
VXVWDLQDEOHSURGXFWVWKURXJKLWV9HUGDQW'XW\Œ$&
JHDUPRWRUV )OH[7RUTŒZRUPJHDULQJDOWHUQDWLYHV %LVRQ&XVWRP *HDUPRWRU 6ROXWLRQV
DQG 7LJKW'ULYHŒLQWHJUDOVSHHGFRQWUROV
$&'&DQG %UXVKOHVV '&GULYHPRWRUV
%LVRQLVFRPPLWWHG WRGHYHORSLQJPRUHHQHUJ\
HIILFLHQWVXVWDLQDEOHSURGXFWVWKDWRIIHULPSURYHG 3DUDOOHOVKDIWRIIVHWSDUDOOHOVKDIWDQGULJKWDQJOH
52,ORQJHUOLIHWLPHVDUHPDLQWHQDQFHIUHHDQG LQWHJUDO JHDUPRWRUVDQGVHSDUDEOHJHDUUHGXFHUV
FRQVHUYHPDWHULDOUHVRXUFHV
6\VWHPPDWFKHGDQGLQWHJUDOFRQWUROOHUV
%LVRQHGXFDWHV LWVHPSOR\HHVVXSSOLHUVFKDQQHO
SDUWQHUVDQGFXVWRPHUVWKURXJKZKLWHSDSHUV %URDGYDULHW\RIVWDQGDUGSODWIRUPVZKLFKFDQEH
YLGHRVWUDLQLQJDQG ,QQRSUHQHXULDOŒMRLQWSURGXFW DGDSWHGWR\RXUUHTXLUHPHQW
GHYHORSPHQWWKDWFRQWULEXWHWRWKHJUHHQLQJRIRXU
SODQHW ,QQRSUHQHXULDOŒDSSOLFDWLRQDQGGHVLJQ
HQJLQHHULQJWRWXUQDURXQGFOHDQVKHHWFXVWRP
GHVLJQVDQGH[SHGLWHGUDSLGSURWRW\SHV
'RZQORDG
:KLWH3DSHUVDW
%LVRQ*HDUFRP

ZZZ%LVRQ*HDUFRP
LQIR#%LVRQ*HDUFRP
$7%,621RU
KWWSWZLWWHUFRPELVRQJHDU
 NEW ENERGY NEWS

How to get
the wind
into

industry
Wind turbine makers are exploring new supply
chains as they open production operations in the U.S.

L
ast year, ten new wind turbine manufacturing facili-
ties came online in the U.S. Another 17 expanded, and
wind turbine manufacturers announced plans for 30
more, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Supply Management’s survey of
manufacturers continues to show that the U.S. manufacturing
economy is contracting.
With these kinds of economic winds Richard Carlson. Harting builds cable
blowing, small wonder that component assemblies for the wind industry as well as
suppliers of all stripes are trying to figure connectors, slip rings, and lights.
out how to get their products designed into One payoff for becoming a turbine
megawatt-scale turbines or to earn a spot component supplier is that once in produc-
on the supplier list for wind farms. tion, turbines don’t change much. “A
Until recently, getting a place on a turbine is going to be manufactured for
wind turbine bill-of-materials required a years,” says Carlson. “But if you aren’t
close association with business partners there in the initial stages of engineering,
in Europe because most turbine markers you aren’t going to be successful later on
are European. And most wind turbine as manufacturing moves to other parts of
design offices were on the Continent as the world.”
well. Moreover, wind turbine designs have The supply situation is changing as the
a long lead time, so suppliers interested wind market in the U.S. has mushroomed.
in the wind market had to be patient. Many European wind turbine makers have
“Wind turbine makers have had a backlog opened design facilities in the States. And
of orders spanning a year or two. So their while a connection to the Continent still
design window is longer than you’ll typi- helps, it is becoming less imperative for
cally see in project work,” says Harting Inc. some kinds of components thanks to the
North America Senior Product Manager nature of wind farm operation.

24 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

 Wind farm operators are RESOURCES
typically called operations & EGC Enterprises, RotaBolt page,http://egc-ent.com/html/rotabolt.html
management companies. O&M NTN Bearing Corp. of America, www.ntnamerica.com
outfits have clout with turbine Harting Inc. of North America, www.harting.com
manufacturers, particularly
in matters affecting mainte-
nance, reliability, and wind design decisions still reside items such as fasteners.
turbine up time. So suppliers in Europe. “Though there “In highly engineered parts like bear-
able to demonstrate a pay-back are design facilities here, ings, turbine makers are hesitant to let
in one of these areas often can in the end, the specifica- their American counterparts take care of
get a hearing with U.S. opera- tion is still written in the things,” says NTN Bearing Corp. of America
tors, regardless of whether or parent office. But we have Marketing Manager Joe Kahn. “Even when
not their product line is priced been appealing to the O&M the purchasing function for those types of
in Euros. groups as much as the components is in the U.S., the engineering
But most wind turbines RotaBolts get specified in engineering groups. Wind control still tends to be in Europe. With the
are sold with a one or two- a variety of spots on wind turbine makers do some exception of GE and Clipper Windpower,
turbines because they can
year warranty. Consequently of the maintenance on the there is no engineering design control
reduce maintenance costs.
wind farm O&M organizations units they sell so they have taking place here.”
may have less at stake on their own O&M people. NTN has the advantage of a European
their newer installations. Responsibility They are the ones who are concerned with division that has been working with turbine
for maintenance and repairs on freshly maintaining the equipment over time.” makers for years. The firm supplies bear-
minted turbines frequently falls on the Bernthisel figures the biggest allure ings for turbine drive shafts, yaw drives,
manufacturer. And in some cases, wind of RotaBolts to the wind industry is in the generators, and other assemblies. For engi-
farm operators may contract for upkeep opportunity to cut maintenance costs. neered components like these, the design
with the turbine OEM which, in turn, may “We can show a payback at the end of 500 cycle can be lengthy, says Kahn, much like
have its own O&M organization handle hours of use. That is often enough to get the automotive business. And no two wind
these chores. the attention of wind turbine operators,” turbine makers do things exactly the same.
With these various relationships, part he says. He also shares advice for other “Sometimes they’ll continue to source in
suppliers say it can be difficult to figure out suppliers interested in the wind market: Europe, sometimes they move work here.
where responsibilities lie for purchasing “It is a fast-growing niche. You have to be There’s little commonality in how compa-
decisions. And wind turbine makers gener- patient and understand that it takes time to nies handle their sourcing,” he says.
ally won’t clarify these relationships. For get recognition. But there is a tremendous And the sourcing hot buttons in the
example, most won’t talk about how main- opportunity for component suppliers as wind industry periodically change. “Last
tenance and repair duties are taken care of the wind industry builds supply chains in year it was capacity, this year it is cost.
on wind farms containing their equipment. the U.S. This is particularly true for stan- But I suspect it will trend back toward
Turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems, for dard commodity items because the wind capacity,” he says. ■
example, says it doesn’t comment on how it purchasing community is
handles its warranty work or how it works looking for these kinds of WHO’S WHO IN WIND TURBINE COMPONENT
with wind farm operators. items.” BUYING INFLUENCE
No surprise, then, that suppliers have EGC’s RotaBolt OEM Wind
trouble navigating through channels to fasteners are not really Components farms
see the right people. “It’s a lot of hard a commodity item, but Wind Wind farm
work getting parts spec’d in,” says Jeff they don’t need to be turbine operators,
Bernthisel, general sales manager for EGC designed-in initially in OEM org. maintenance
Enterprises Inc. EGC supplies tensioning order to make a sale. organizations
fasteners called RotaBolts for wind turbine Suppliers that have Repair,
towers. Bernthisel claims EGC strives to get cracked the wind market Wind maintain
in front of both OEMs and O&M firms when in more heavily engi- turbine components
trying to crack a wind account. “We’ve built neered components O&M org.
a story not on technology but on a broader Turbine warranty work,
say the environment
O&M contract work
base pertaining to long-term benefits of for getting on a turbine
cost and time savings,” he says. supplier list differs from Repair,
Bernthisel also has found that many that for more widely used maintenance components

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 25

 NEW ENERGY NEWS

Thomas Little, associate director of Boston

University’s Smart Lighting Center, holds a
consumer LED light bulb. The Smart Lighting
Engineering Research Center is part of an $18.5
million, multi-year NSF program awarded to Boston
University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and
the University of New Mexico to develop optical
communication technology that would make an
LED light the equivalent of a WiFi access point.

The L Prize came out of the Energy

Independence and Security Act of 2007
and was officially announced by DOE in
May 2008. It is the first contest of its kind
to be sponsored by Uncle Sam and its goal
is nothing short of revolutionizing the way

Image courtesy of Boston University

America lights up. The DOE estimates that
if every 60-W bulb socket across the country
converted from today’s incandescent bulb to
the L Prize winner, consumers would reap
more than $2 billion in energy savings.
Contest rules make it clear that the
winner won’t be a one-of-a-kind lab experi-

Searching for
ment. The complete entry must include
2,000 samples and a manufacturing plan
that details capabilities for mass produc-

a better bulb
tion. Contest entrants must be U.S. compa-
nies using U.S.-made LED chips in their
designs. All entries will undergo stringent
tests during a yearlong process to determine
Energy-efficient lighting gets its own version performance, manufacturing capabilities,
of the X Prize. and finally, 6,000 hours of lifetime testing.
Tests will put entries through extreme
BY FRANCES RICHARDS
environments, humidity, high heat, voltage
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR fluctuations, electromagnetic interference,

W
and more to determine failure modes and
atch out, Edison: A new contest aims to replace the product weaknesses.

inefficient common light bulb with brighter and better Game on: Ready, set, glow
concepts in solid-state lighting. That’s because tradi- The degree of difficulty involved in the
tional incandescent bulbs waste a lot of energy, converting creation of a winning replacement bulb
is anybody’s guess. Opinions vary widely.
less than 10% of their total energy into useful light. To speed
For example, Jordon Papanier, marketing
the search for a better bulb, a competition sponsored by the manager for LEDtronics Inc., Torrance,
U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) will award significant cash prizes, Calif., believes thermal management issues
as well as opportunities for federal purchase orders and other could be sticking points.
“Thermal management requirements
incentives. Named the “Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes” — “L for the high-power LEDs, including 1, 2, 3,
Prize” for short — the contest will pay $10 million for the first and 5-W models, are the biggest problem in
60-W A-19 incandescent bulb to match the contest specs, and designing and making an LED bulb that puts
out an even 900 lumens of light in 360° in a
another $5 million for the first PAR 38 halogen replacement. A standard A-19 bulb package size. There’s just
third prize, called “21st Century Lamp,” will be awarded for a new not enough room in the A-19 bulb to achieve
concept in lighting, going beyond the two retrofit prizes. this with the LEDs currently available,” says
Papanier. “The other limitation is price. Not

26 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

 A LITTLE LED HISTORY
The first LED, developed at General Electric in 1962, was a red
LED producing 0.001 lumens. During the 1960s through 1980s,
first red and then green LEDs were developed, and light output
grew from 0.01 to 0.1 lumens. In the 1990s, Nichia created the first
blue LED, which emitted 1 lumen and led the way to the develop-

Image courtesy of Philips Color Kinetics

ment of white light from LEDs — achieved either by mixing light
from red, green, and blue LEDs (known as RGB systems) or by
coating a blue LED with phosphor to emit white light, known as
phosphor-converted or PC LEDs. In 2008, white LED devices ca-
pable of emitting close to 100 lumens from a nominal 1-W device
became commercially available, with further improvements taking
place throughout 2009.
Major research challenges must still be addressed before the
The Peace Bridge, recently illuminated using LEDs, connects Buffalo,
full promise of solid-state lighting is realized. Color quality contin-
N.Y., and Fort Erie, Ontario.
ues to improve; many white LEDs available today have high color
many homeowners will be willing to pay $90 temperature, meaning they look cool/blue,
and up for a general room light LED bulb. and there is significant drop-off in efficacy
The payback in energy saving is just not with warm white LEDs. Thermal management
that attractive for the average home. There is also critical to LED system operations. While
are some LED bulbs on the market claimed LEDs don’t emit infrared radiation from the
to be equal in light to an A-19 incandescent front (i.e., the “bulb” is cool to the touch), they
bulb, but they’re only putting out 440 lumens produce heat that must be removed from
in a narrow beam angle, like 112° from the the diode to avoid a drop in light output and
top of the bulb. This is misleading and gives shortened life. Over time, LEDs get dimmer
LED bulbs a bad name in the general room and their light output diminishes faster in
lighting marketplace.” high temperature environments. They are
“The current bases [of existing 60-W considered “done” when light output falls
bulbs] are not well suited for thermal below 70% of initial brightness.
management, which makes it difficult to Source: Kelly Gordon, Pacific Northwest
design LEDs that will be a retrofit into the National Laboratory
Image courtesy of LEDtronics

installed base of sockets out there,” says Dr.

Kevin Dowling, vice president of innovation
at Philips Color Kinetics, Burlington, Mass.
In the long run, he believes new bases and
new lighting schemes will likely be devel-
oped, allowing designs that can incorporate
better thermal management and better
optics as well. Some of the new systems
could also involve Ethernet-based control
LEDs adorn a chandelier in the UK’s
Buckingham Palace.
systems, where lighting could be controlled for general illumination are relatively close
remotely over a Web browser. to becoming an everyday lighting option.
Dowling is among those who think LEDs He believes lighting technology is evolving

CALIPER COMPARES PRODUCTS

Commercially available products are independently tested through a program called CALiPER (Commercially Available LED Product
Evaluation and Reporting) run by DOE and available on their website. The testing helps consumers and manufacturers alike compare
LED products.
As far as lifetime testing, the hype touting LEDs as having a useful life of 100,000 hr is incorrect. So say engineers at Philips Lumileds
Lighting Co., San Jose, Calif. “The technology for 100,000-hr, high-brightness LEDs doesn’t exist,” says application engineer Pat Good-
man. “We have published what is probably the longest database on lifetime data and it only goes out to 9,000 hours. To extrapolate
from 9,000 to 100,000 hours is quite a stretch.” To learn more, visit www.machinedesign.com and type “100,000-hour LEDs” into the
search box.

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 27

 NEW ENERGY NEWS

LEDS MOVING TO PRIME TIME

Ever more white light LED products are coming to
market. Readily available LEDs include portable desk and
task lights, under-cabinet lights, recessed downlights, retail

Image courtesy of Philips Color Kinetics

display lights, and outdoor lighting for street, parking lot,
and path illumination.

LEDs illuminate inventor Dean Kamen’s living room at his

residence on North Dumpling Island.

at the rate of Moore’s Law, similar to the a good idea,” Dowling emphasizes. “The form factor of an A-19 lamp does present a
exponential advances seen in computer DOE is looking for all the quality ideas out challenge for thermal management, in that
technology and says we’re less than two there, and the prize criteria is not meant to there is limited area to use as heat sinking
years away from general illumination prod- exclude anyone. A small company may need to material to dissipate heat from the LEDs and
ucts on store shelves. “We’re already seeing partner with a larger one to produce the 2,000 associated electronics. The PAR38 replace-
commercial scale installations of LEDs at required samples, or to go into mass produc- ment has more heat sink area to work with,
churches, restaurants, and large construc- tion, but the contest is open to everyone.” but also higher flux (1,350 lumens) and
tion projects, as well as in high-end residen- The consensus among experts seems to efficacy (123 lm/W) requirements to be met,”
tial settings,” notes Dowling. be that winning the L Prize will not be easy. says Gordon.
However, he feels the most difficult “The L Prize performance requirements are Nevertheless, the L Prize is getting a lot
L Prize specs involve color issues, due to definitely challenging, and it’s the combina- of support. Some 30 utilities and regional
manufacturing variation. “The problem tion of requirements, all to be met in one entities have joined DOE as L Prize Partners.
is that even small wavelength shifts can product, that’s the trick,” says Kelly Gordon, Sally Lee, applications marketing
be detected by the eye and will register as program manager at Pacific Northwest manager at Osram Sylvania, Danvers, Mass.,
slightly different colors or brightness levels. National Laboratory. “But to be a truly viable also calls the L Prize requirements difficult,
The color issues must be worked out before replacement for a 60-Watt A-19 incandescent but says the challenge is good for the lighting
bulbs can be sold to consumers on a mass bulb, the LED product must provide equiva- industry. “The L-Prize will be a great gate
scale,” he explains. lent light output (900 lumens), warm color review of how accurately DOE predictions
Right now, there don’t seem to be any appearance (2,700 K to 3,000 K), and excel- for SSL advancements align with the U.S
L Prize frontrunners. “Anyone can submit lent color rendering (at least 90 CRI). The market’s interest in a new tradition in warm
white architectural lighting technology,” she
says.
CONTEST SPECIFICATIONS “Benchmarking approximately seven
times lm/W and much longer than 25 times
Meeting the L Prize requirements will not be an easy task, though the rewards are average rated life is exciting for manufac-
great. Here are some of the specifications the DOE is looking for: turers because it sets a level playing field.
L PRIZE 60-W INCANDESCENT PAR 38 HALOGEN In addition, there are further challenges
REQUIREMENTS EQUIVALENT EQUIVALENT in the requirement for even intensity
Light output More than 900 lumens More than 1,350 lumens from 0° to 150° from what is essentially
Wattage Less than 10 W Less than 11 W a Lambertian source. The same can be
Efficacy More than 90 lm/W More than 123 lm/W said for the >90 CRI requirement when
Lifetime More than 25,000 hour CIE (The International Commission on
Correlated color temperature (CCT) 2,700 to 3,000 K Illumination) has flatly stated — in a DOE
Color rendering index (CRI) More than 90 SSL publication — that CRI is not an accu-
Thermal management Manufacturers must adhere to LED device manufacturer rate metric, in its current state, to describe
guidelines, certification programs, and test procedures for thermal management. SSL. I’m excited that the entries must all
Dimming Products must be compatible with at least three residential dimmers, and be dimmable to 20%, a target that CFLs
must be dimmable to at least 20% of maximum light output. (compact fluorescent bulbs) missed, which
Visit www.lightingprize.org for complete L Prize requirements. is a sign that lessons were learned from
CFL technology,” says Lee. ■

28 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

Space-Saving Shapes Bring on the Heat...and Cold! NEW Motion Series Cables

Got tight spaces? Our custom manufacturing
process can deliver the most efficiently
shaped assemblies available. Any wire
combination in a single cable, designed to fit
exactly into your design. Compatible with all
aerospace and other connectors. No assembly
is too complex for Cicoil.
Cicoil delivers exceptional reliability under
a broad range of temperatures. Our cables
retain their electrical properties and flexibility
in temperatures from -65°C to +260°C. They
also withstand exposure to high levels of
ultraviolet, radiation and ozone with no
adverse effects.
Cicoil’s new product line is designed for high
performance motion applications. Combines
power and signal in one cable for 1, 2 or 3 axis
motion systems, with power rating up to 3KW.
High flex cables are rated for over 10 million
cycles. In stock for immediate delivery.

Tiny Cables. Just What the Doctor Ordered

The Clear Choice

Soft and pliable cables encapsulated in
medical grade silicone incorporate wires
as small as 44 AWG. Resists alcohol and
chlorine bleach washes, and easily withstands
autoclaving. Compatible with all medical
connectors.

Wet and Wild

Not just for looks

Silicone’s water-repellent characteristics
make our cables immune to immersion,
high humidity, fungus, and damp operating
environments. Ideal for washdown, auto-
clave, and other wet applications.
Flexibility: The King of Motion
Cicoil crystal-clear cables also
deliver unsurpassed performance!
„ Perfect Fit: Cicoil’s exclusive
silicone extrusion process gives
you exactly the cable you need,
$(
.#
-'&& -.
*)--$&
*%" 
„ Flexible:

#
')-.
9exible cable
you can buy, for the toughest
').$)(
**&$.$)(- ANY ANY ANY
WIRE SHAPE SIZE
„ Extreme Environments: Excels
$(
. '* ,./, -
!,)'

7
5 Bare Wire, Insulated and Shielded
7
(
/( ,
2*)-/,

Flexibility and flat profile make them the
undisputed champion of motion control
applications. Also available with our Gliderite
coating that prevents binding in densely
packed carriers. Our Motion Series cables are
ready for 1-, 2- or 3-axes systems. Bulk cables
are available in continuous lengths; or have
Cicoil provide a complete assembly, 100%
tested and ready to install.

Conductors, Twisted Pair, Coax,
.)

Fiber Optics, Tubing
to water, oil and the harshest
# '$&-

5 Any exterior profile available.
5 4 to 44 AWG
„ Quality: Jet fighters rely on
Cicoil cables, and so can you.
Our ISO 9001 (AS9100) quality
-3-. '
(-/, -
4'$--$)(,$.$&6

4HE#LEAR#HOICE
reliability.



5

111$)$&)'
 POWER SUPPLIES >

Advanced power supply

topologies and ICs lead
the efficiency parade.

Power
and
light show
shines under new management

Typical power
supply efficiencies
Type Typical efficiency

Buck, boost, buck-boost 75 - 78%

Resonant, zero-voltage switched 85 - 95%

Improved power supply technologies

Vince Biancomano, Contributing editor
With “green-power” and energy -efficiency issues more
important than ever, advancing power supply technologies are
the brightest spot on the economic horizon. Energy sources
continue to improve as a result of more attractive govern-
ment stimulus plans, more exacting efficiency standardds
and regulations, in the last reckoning, more ingenious power
architectures.
will be crucial to national energy strategies.
The International Energy Agency (IEA), an
intergovernmental energy policy advisory
organization, gives one clue why: It figures
electricity consumption from residential
home computers, iPods, and other con-
sumer electronics could be cut by more
than half through the use of state-of-the-art
power saving methods. This will ideally
slow the growth in energy consumption
to less than 1% per annum through 2030.
Such savings represent a cut in consumer
energy bills by over USD 130 billion in 2030
and the avoidance of 260 GW in additional
power generation capacity – more than the
current electrical generating capacity of
Japan.
These realities are forcing supply de-

30 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

 DIGITALLY CONTROLLED MULTI-PHASE INTERLEAVED SYNCHRONOUS BUCK
TMS320F2806
Gate drivers
Digital signal controller
PWM
FC ADC
Current Sense
Temperature Sense
PMBus
signers to figure out ways of maintaining
high system efficiency from full load down
to the milliwatt level. Heat dissipation and
thermal costs are the enemy, often esti-
mated at $1 per year for every wasted watt.
Circuit-wise, system designs are migrat-
ing to more quasi-resonant and resonant
systems, more power-factor correction,
lower-loss synchronous rectification compo-
nents and topologies on the secondary side,
and greater use of digital power techniques.
And IC manufacturers are coming to more
finely match their controllers to the capabili-
ties of their power MOSFETs on a single
chip. Power management issues and smart
power extend into the lighting arena, no sur-
prise because lighting reportedly consumes
more than 20% of the nation’s power draw,
with 11% of that in the home. Moreover,
Synchronous buck power
components
One example of an MCU-based
power supply comes from Texas
Instruments Inc., wherein a TI
digital signal controller handles
six interleaved synchronous
buck converters. Interleaving
Vout individual converters this way
allows some of them to be
turned off if loads are light,
thus boosting efficiency. The
approach also reduces the
size of required magnetic
components to keep costs
down.
Vin
Voltage Sense
Understanding
digital power supplies
Microcontrollers are increasingly integrated into power conversion applica-
tions. The competing “digital power” philosophies, generally categorized in four
levels of complexity from 1 to 4, are widely perceived as the “state machine” ana-
log method for low-end applications; the microcontroller-with-hardware accel-
erator approach (often called DSP-like) for midlevel tasks; and the digital signal
processor technique at the high end for full digital control. But “state machine”
doesn’t necessarily equate to “analog circuitry.” Digital circuitry can be found at
any of the four levels, and DSP versus DSP-like may often be far apart. Level 1 dig-
ital power supplies typically use an MCU to provide low-power standby modes,
programmable soft start, and to sequence multiple power supply stages. Level
2 applications include output voltage margining, load sharing and balancing,
and historical performance logging. Level 3 control applications use an analog
control loop to regulate the power supply output. However, the MCU can change
and optimize the control loop configuration, increasing power supply efficiency
across multiple load levels. Level 3 applications provide a common, configurable
platform that can be programmed to support multiple applications. And Level
4 supplies replace the analog control loop with an analog/digital converter to
acquire power supply feedback and a digital pulse-width modulator for power
stage control. Level 4 devices allow for dynamic adjustment of control loops and
predictive control algorithms that optimize power supply efficiency.
light-emitting diodes are being called on to Power drain
match up against cold-cathode fluorescent There are generally three separate operat-
lamps (CCFL) for backlighting in portables ing modes in which designers define power
and the like; large-panel LEDs are fighting consumption efficiency. These can be broadly
for recognition against the compact fluo- defined as shutdown, standby, and full-load
rescent lamp (CFL) in the home and com- operation. There’s a separate category for
mercial sectors, and high-brightness LEDs power-factor correction (PFC), though this is
(HB-LEDs) compete against sodium-based more closely tied to cutting the reactive power
technologies in industrial settings. With it the electric grid must supply than with improv-
all, the Power Sources Manufacturers Asso- ing supply efficiency. Typical techniques now
ciation (www.psma.com) has developed an employed to improve the light-load efficiency of
extensive online Energy Efficiency Database today’s switching supplies are to shut off power-
to update designers on trends and develop- factor correction circuitry, and use frequency
ments in major areas. scaling and burst-mode operation.
JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 31
 POWER SUPPLIES >
Inside resonant converters -
Quasi-resonant and resonant topologies are replacing traditional flyback and two-switch ing at ON Semiconductor (Phoenix, Az.). “We
forward topologies for higher efficiency and lower EMI. Both the resonant and quasi-resonant try to improve the parameters of the power
reduce the turn-on switching losses by introducing a sinusoidal waveform to the system’s power supplies----a combination of factors. You can
stage and switching the stage at zero voltage (or zero-current). A resonant (tank) circuit is certainly improve components---use MOSFETs
required for this type of operation. In a resonant converter, two MOSFETs or equivalent circuitry with lower RDS-on, or Schottky rectifiers with
generate a square wave to excite the resonant circuit. The output from the tank is sinusoidal; shorter recovery times. You can also secure
higher-order components are attenuated. The current lags the voltage. During the time the changes on the architectural side. Power sup-
current reverses across the power switch at the zero-crossing voltage, the switch consumes plies traditionally were (80% of them) using
virtually no power.
flyback. However, that topology has a limita-
tion regarding efficiency. We’ve moved to
GENERAL BLOCK DIAGRAM OF A RESONANT CONVERTER
soft-switching topologies such as half-bridge
resonant (see for example the company’s new
Resonant Inverter NCP1901, which contains power factor correc-
tion stage and a half-bridge resonant control-
Resonant Low-pass ler). In the past that was reserved for products
Vindc Switch Rectifier Voutdc
tank circuit filter from Tyco or Lucent, which were in the 400-500
network
W range. This topology is now used at 90 W and
even lower. We’ve got products at 20 W. No one
would have followed that five years ago.”
Resonant Converter On a larger scale -- as for server systems
employing so-called virtualization -- power
A resonant converter, as diagramed here by STMicroelectronics, uses a resonant tank circuit to
management involves multiphase converter
convert square waves into sinusoids for more efficient rectification. In particular, LLC resonant
shedding techniques. Shedding schemes dy-
converters can provide a substantial improvement over fixed-frequency PWM and traditional
half-bridge converters. namically shut down various servers and let the
IT specialist move a Web site between differ-
LLC RESONANT HALFBRDGE SCHEMATIC ent computers as the demand (e.g., Web hits)
changes on a given server.
Half-bridge quasi-resonant and resonant
DC/DC converters, generally useful to a few
Half-bridge driver

Full-wave rectification hundred watts, are often applied to flat-panel

Vin +
_ TVs and computer supplies. “These convert-
Vout ers use zero-voltage switching for high effi-
LLC tank circuit ciency and very low EMI,” says Van Niemela,
technical marketing manager for industrial
power conversion at Fairchild Semiconduc-
Bridge rectification tor (San Jose, Calif.). “It’s more complex
Single magnetic structure than the standard forward converter or fly-
back, but these days with the push towards
Vout
higher efficiency, power supply makers are
adopting more complex topologies (and usu-
ally a few more components) where it makes
sense to drive efficiency higher,” he says. He
The drawback of these supplies is that at light loads, the frequency of operation goes up and so cites the company’s LLC resonant converter
then does the system’s turn-off losses. On the other hand, typical discontinuous/continuous- as a substantial improvement over fixed-fre-
conduction mode (DCM/CCM) flyback systems (switching not synchronized) have the highest
quency PWM and traditional half-bridge con-
switching losses, and their efficiency is a function of the switching point. The quasi-resonant
verters. One example is the company’s just-
converter, used up to about 100 watts, can be viewed as an extension of a DCM flyback design
but the switching is timed; thus, losses are reduced. Similarly, the resonant converter appears released FAN7621. Niemela cites a FAN9612
somewhat like the two-switch design, but it’s very different. For instance, the LLC resonant controller running a PFC stage followed by
converter (named for its two inductors and a capacitor in the supply’s tank circuit, and used in the FAN7621 for an LLC resonant converter
applications up to about 500 watts) doesn’t need an inductor in the output rectifier stage, as as a superior off-line power supply design.
does a two-switch forward design. In addition, the circuit/ transformer topology is such that Beyond these issues, there’s topological
the resonant converter will usually be physically smaller for a given power output. On the other innovation across the system. “In the past,
hand, its ability to handle widely varying voltages without appropriate front-end circuitry when designers concentrated on primary-side power
used in an AC-input supply is not particularly good. switches to cut losses,” said Eric Persson, ex-
ecutive director at International Rectifier (El
A rise in power system efficiency of just board costs and size. “But it’s not all about im- Segundo, Calif.), noting primary-side controller
1% brings a significant trickle-down effect by proving the ICs,” says Laurent Jenck, director of issues can involve expensive tradeoffs of isola-
cutting the thermal load and reducing chip and system applications engineering and market- tion, speed, and cost.

32 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

 < POWER SUPPLIES

In many applications today, though, the is- to make a 94% efficiency supply,” says Bill it goes back to the requirements of the control-
sue hinges on maximizing efficiency at output Hutchings. “To do that, I need to implement a ler and relates to the efficiency of the supply
operating voltages down in the 1.x-V range, zero-voltage transition, zero-current switching in a cost-competitive way. We’re speaking of
and getting away from traditional diode-based scheme. To get that switching scheme, I need a an adaptive control technique to get half-a-
designs. To that end, the company’s IR1167 and controller that has both a high-resolution PWM percent more efficiency here, half-a-percent
IR1168 SmartRectifier drivers, for advanced for duty cycle and high resolution in frequency more there. And getting efficiency at a certain
(secondary-side) synchronous rectification in to implement full-bridge technology. In the end, practical cost level.” In that context, Microchip’s
resonant half-bridges, are designed with atten-
tion to turn-on and turn-off times of zero-cur-
rent switching transitions in MOSFET power
stages. The combination can improve overall
system efficiency by 1.5% in AC/DC systems for
LCD TVs, reduce operating temperatures by up
STAINLESS STEEL BELTS
to 25°C, and cut board space requirements by
two thirds.
In addition, IR’s second generation of
Designed For Today’s Technology
compact SupIRBuck regulators, for point-of-
load applications, provides an ultra-optimized
synchronous buck PWM controller, control FET,
and sync FET in a single package. The regula-
tor boasts 96% efficiency for server, storage,
and netcom applications. Integrated chips that
include better matched controller-driver-output
stages often extend to all-in-one reference de-
signs. These products are exemplified in such
expanding lines as Fairchild’s Green Power
Switches and ON Semiconductor’s GreenPoint
reference designs.
Complete Conveyor Systems
Whither digital power?
Viewed by most practitioners as a po-
tentially valuable tool for enhancing power
supply performance, digital power tech-
niques are slowly making their way into the
designer’s arsenal.
“People are moving to digital power to meet
efficiency standards in a low-cost flexible way,”
says Bill Hutchings, power product marketing
Automated Assembly Coated Steel Belts
manager for high performance microcon-
trollers at Microchip Technology (Chandler, VERSATILE OPTIONAL FEATURES
Az.). Microchip defines “digital power” in four
segments that extend from on-off functions in *
&#( %!

  * ! ) !%
power management to full control using a digi- * '%#
"#%&#$ * %
#
tal feedback loop for DC/DC conversion. * 
!!
!"% * #!#%

%% %$
“We’re in the third phase of the evolu- * #$!
 '  * !!%
&#
tion,” adds Jeff Shepard, director of the Dar-
nell Group (Corona, Calif.). “The first phase
was focused on components. The second fo-
cused on optimized devices as substitutes for
analog components. The present phase cen-
ters on adaptive control and nonlinear func-
tions. When you can adjust poles and zeroes www.BeltTechnologies.com
on the fly, you can operate in regions that






  

 





would not be possible in the analog world,”
800-732-2358
he says. “And digital is hitting price points Teflon is a registered
that analog won’t be able to match.” trademark of DuPont.
But how are new chips directly contribut- ISO 9001 Registered
ing to power supply efficiency? “Say you want

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 33

 POWER SUPPLIES >
second-generation dsPIC33 Digital Signal Con-
troller (i.e., providing certain functions of a DSP
and MCU) doubles the speed of its predecessor,
provides more options for its PWM and Flash
memory, and consumes half the power.
The range of controllers encompasses
all four segments of digital-power. Given the
pros and cons, Texas Instruments (Dallas)
has made what’s perhaps the biggest state-
ment on the future of digital power. Just a
year ago, TI was content to play at levels 2
and 3 with non-DSP architectures. But its
newly released Piccolo line of microcon-
trollers can work in level-4 applications suit-
able for, say, resonant-mode converters.
Another new arrival suited to level-4 is Ana-
log Devices’ (Norwood, Mass.) new ADP1043
controller IC. It boasts a full digital control loop
for both fixed-frequency and resonant-mode
applications. Also, National Semiconductor Inc.
(Santa Clara, Calif.) just released its LM5553
energy management unit, an adaptive-voltage
scaling (AVS) product, which complies with the
System Power Management Interface, SPMI.
Other strategies, widely applied across
industry, selectively apply digital circuitry
for control. One example is Fairchild’s new
FAN9612 interleaved boundary conduction PFC
controller. The control topology boosts a supply’s
robustness (start-up/shut-down, fault recovery,
multiple recovery conditions) using internal
(digital) multipliers.
Lighting up
Beyond power ICs for basic DC/DC con-
version, designers are heavily focused on
carefully conserving power in the subsys-
tems most users can visually identify with---
displays and lighting. Most notable are newer
devices that self-monitor ambient light to save
battery power. “We look at the usage model,
human-condition cases,” said Joy Wrigley,
marketing manager for portable power solu-
tions at Analog Devices. The company’s ambi-
ent light products, for example, let systems
sense the light environment and throttle back
on backlighting for keypads. ADP5520 and
ADP5501 backlight drivers, launched within
the last six months, detect ambient light lev-
els for up to six white LEDs and accordingly
adjust LED current (up to 128 levels) for the
right amount of backlighting. The ADP8860
is an LED charge pump with automatic pho-
totransistor control stage (i.e., processor-free
monitoring of the control stage).
At the other end of the usage spectrum,
various controllers for compact fluorescent
lamps (CFLs), and especially LED lighting
34 EETweb.com • JULY / AUGUST 2009
More info
STMicroelectronics, www.st.com
Texas Instruments Inc., www.ti.com
Darnell Group, www.darnell.com
National Semiconductor Corp.,
www.national.com
Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc.,
www.fairchildsemi.com
International Rectifier, www.irf.com
Microchip Technology Inc.,
www.microchip.com
ON Semiconductor, www.onsemi.com
Analog Devices Inc., www.analog.com
Linear Technology, www.linear.com
Power Sources Manufacturers Association
(www.psma.com) online Energy Efficiency
Database
(though largely not yet economical) for the
home are well along on the learning curve.
Says Rick Zarr, National Semiconductor’s
technologist for PowerWise® Products, “CFLs
were a step forward, but they have their own
problems. It’s mainly the environmental
impact (mercury). You can’t throw them in
the trash.”
There are also wavelength issues for a
product that many see as an interim solution
until LEDs mature. But nobody thinks the in-
terim period will end any time soon.
“In Asia they prefer white light, a cul-
tural thing maybe; the western world prefers
amber,” says Zarr. “The CFL manufacturers
have tried to adjust to that, tried to make
their bulbs warm so they don’t look washed
out.” And CFLs can smoke during multiple
transients on loss of mains power. Beyond
that, “The CFL isn’t easily dimmable,” says
Zarr. There are two problems from mov-
ing from CFLs to LEDs, or incandescents to
LEDs, he notes. The heat from LEDs must be
conducted away, creating a thermal issue.
Second is the issue of dimming and imple-
menting LEDs using existing infrastructure
(e.g., backward compatibility with existing
wall dimmers).
Triacs are the typical means of dimming
incandescents, and they can adjust light
levels smoothly and gradually. Dimmable
CFL circuitry, on the other hand, generally
provides only coarse control of light output.
When it comes to LEDs, National’s LM3445
triac dim decoder driver chip, a constant-cur-
rent controller that the company says is the
first dimmable off-line chip for zero-to-100%
dimming, reads the triac signature and auto-
matically adjusts LED currents up to 1 A.
How long will it take LEDs to mature?
Perhaps the better part of a decade for the
numerous applications designers envision.
But what about CFLs? “The CFL has a sub-
stantial future,” says Persson. To that end,
IR’s IRS2530D is a linear ballast control IC
for CFLs with the capability to dim to below
10%. This 600-V part is the world’s first 8-pin
dimming IC, and as such addresses one big
issue for dimmer ICs: the higher costs asso-
ciated with the wire bonding of larger chips.
Most observers agree though that, with
LEDs, it’s just a matter of time. One needs
only go to Europe to see immediate opportu-
nities for high-brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs).
Linear Technology’s HB-LED drivers are
being used in a European oil refinery right
now, says Tony Armstrong, because they
make sense. “Take a look at the oil refinery--
-they run 24/7. They use (high pressure) so-
dium lighting, off yellow/orange. The lamps
are inefficient and costly and not very nice
to the environment. The cost of (HB-LED)
conversion for the oil refinery is $500k. But
you can save $160,000/yr using LED light-
ing. So after three and a half years, you have
a payback. And no maintenance costs for
11 years. And you have the ability to detect
differences between smoke from a fire, and
steam, something you get with HB-LEDs that
the human eye cannot detect with sodium.”
Things to come
Looking at power management a year
or two out, “you’re going to see a lot more
products in production,” said Bill Hutchings.
“A broadening of applications. We won’t
see changes in peak efficiency in servers
and computer supplies, but what we will see
is somewhat better efficiency over all load
conditions. The entire power chain is not
particularly efficient in a server farm. There
are UPSes hanging off the system, a lot of
point-of-loads too. In the whole scheme of
things, your 98% supply is buried in a morass
of a whole bunch of power conversions so the
power to the load is not that much. Things are
going to get a lot smarter, efficiency of the en-
tire system will increase.”
These factors will ultimately descend
on thermal issues. “The bulk of power used
in server farms is all in cooling, so any 1° of
temperature you can take things down will
benefit,” says Hutchings. Thus we can expect
to see a change in the metrics as they relate
to the cost per transaction as a function of
cooling units and so on, he says. Meanwhile,
power management ICs will be coming into
play for solar cells, smart metering, and en-
ergy harvesting applications. ■
Energy Savings Estimator
for Centrifigual Fans & Pumps

Calculate the Benefits!

Compare Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) performance to other methods of volume control
(based on motor output or shaft horsepower).

Here’s how to make this quick and simple analysis.

Step 1. Convert motor HP to Kw: Example: A 60HP fan motor is now operating 24 Hrs per day (or
___________HP x .746 = _______ Kw1
8760 Hrs per year) riding the fan curve for variable volume control

Step 2. Multiply the Variable Frequency Drive Power Ratio and the local utility charges $0.12 per KwHr:
(from Table below) times Kw1 from Step 1: Step 1. 60 HP x .746 = 44.76 Kw1
______Ratio x ______Kw1 = ______ Kw2 (using VFD)
Step 2. .28 Ratio x 44.76 Kw1 = 12.53 Kw2

Step 3. Multiply the power ratio of the control method now Step 3. .88 Ratio x 44.76 Kw1 = 39.39 Kw3
being used (see table below) times Kw1 from Step 1:
______ Ratio x ______ Kw1 = ______ Kw3 (method now Step 4. 39.39 Kw3 - 12.53 Kw2 = 26.86 Kw4
being used)
Step 5. 26.86 Kw4 x 8760 hrs x $0.12/kwHr = $28235
Annual savings!
Step 4. Subtract Step2 Kw2 from Step 3 Kw3:

______ Kw3 minus ______ Kw2 = ______ Kw4 (savings using VFD)

Step 5. Multiply Step 4 Kw4 savings times hoours per year

of operation times cost per KwHr of electricity:
____ Kw4 x ______ Hrs x $______/KwHr = $______
(Annual savings using VFD **)

Fans at 60% of maximum flow* Pumps at 70% of maximum flow*

Ratio Flow control method Ratio Flow control method
.28 Variable Frequency Drive .40 Variable Frequency Drive
.62 Inlet Guide vane .94 Discharge valve
.88 Outlet Damper 1.0 Bypass value
.88 Ride the Fan Curve 1.0 No Control
1.0 Bypass Damper

* The Power Ratio Data is a conservative assumption based on HVAC applications which have shown that fans and pumps
operate, on average, at 60% and 70% of maximum flow rate respectively.
** Remember, this result is only an estimate based on averages and assumptions. You should also consider additional savings
to be gained from VFD application over and above the electricity rate, such as power factor improvement to.98 and reduced
demand charges.

1-800-YASKAWA • www.yaskawa.com
AC INVERTER DRIVES • SERVOMOTORS • MOTION CONTROLLERS • ROBOTICS The Drive for Quality™
 LINEAR DRIVES >
Gearing up
for
efficiency
Here’s how power losses
and inertia matching
affect the efficiency
of linear drives.
Andrew Stock
Applications Engineer
Wittenstein Inc.
Bartlett, Ill.
The operating efficiency of
linear drives is of growing
concern to machine
designers. Here’s a look
at three common linear
actuators — linear induction
motors, rolled and ground
ball screws, and rack and pin-
ions – and how they impact a
machine’s overall efficiency.
36 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
DRIVE-TRAIN EFFICIENCY
100
90
80
70
efficency %
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
ratio of inertia ħ
Ball screws and lead screws have
been around for years and are used in all
types of industrial applications. Among
their advantages over other linear drives,
ball screws are economical for short travel
lengths, so they’re often preferred for ap-
plications such as Z-axis drives. And lead
screws and high-lead ball screws can be
non-back drivable – meaning a vertical-
axis load will lock in place and not fall if
power fails.
On the downside, a ball screw can be
treated as a large spring sensitive to jerk
(change in acceleration) and to impact
loads that can cause damage and harm per-
formance. The design also limits accelera-
tion and deceleration capabilities and the
maximum output force.
Maximum length is another limitation.
Ball screws mount to a structure at both
This graph of efficiency η shows how
obtainable power relates to drive-
train inertia. The coupling factor λ is a
correlation of external and other inertias.
ģ
ã
ħ
1àħ
6 7 8 9 10
ends, as there is really no good support
mechanism anywhere else. So as travel
length increases, unsupported length
grows, the screw sags, and that hurts per-
formance. Maximum axis length is typically
around six meters.
It also means linear stiffness is not
constant but depends on the nut position,
which can create headaches in dynamic
applications. Eliminating lost motion or
backlash in ball screws usually requires
preloading, incurring more friction, power
loss, and potential for abrasion.
By design, a ball screw has a series of
ball bearings that travel and recirculate
through the nut and screw, lubricating the
balls and evenly distributing load, friction,
and wear. However, it can make the screws
noisy. Short-stroke applications prevent
complete recirculation of the balls. In such

cases, dynamic loads must be derated.
Linear motors gained wide use in
the 1980s with rapid technical advance and
the introduction of many innovative prod-
ucts, though the pace of development has
tapered off of late. A prime benefit is the
moving carriage of a linear motor typically
has low mass, permitting high acceleration
rates and peak speeds. It also saves time
when motion frequently changes direction.
Brushless linear motors run quietly and the
drive systems typically have long lives.
On the downside, despite improvements
linear motors are still rather inefficient –
energy consumption is up to five times that
of similarly rated rack-and-pinion actua-
tors. Higher energy demands may mean
higher up-front infrastructure investments,
as for high-power lines, transformers, and
electrical drives. And linear motors gener-
ate a lot of heat and often need a second-
ary cooling system, which adds to cost and
complexity and further hurts overall system
efficiency. Heat generation can be extreme
in low-speed, high-force operations, such
as drilling.
Because of their direct-drive nature,
linear motors cannot take advantage of gear
reduction. Gearboxes are commonly used
to match a rotary motor’s speed and torque
to the load. With a linear motor, that’s not
possible and it sometimes leads to a less ef-
ficient system.
From a closed-loop control standpoint,
oscillations or resonances can result if
external loads induce position deviations.
Without the reduction in inertia and damp-
ing inherent in a mechanical system, con-
trols issues may surface at the work piece.
Among other considerations, contami-
nation from metal chips, particles, and even
small parts can be a problem due to strong
magnetic attraction if the linear motor isn’t
protected. And with rack-and-pinion and
ball screw systems, brakes can be built-into
the back of a standard servomotor. Linear
motors, on the other hand, require an add-
on secondary brake that’s typically more
expensive.
Engineers should weigh a linear mo-
tor’s potentially higher investment and en-
ergy costs against performance advantages
and machine productivity. In some cases,
for instance, linear motors cannot reach
top speed if acceleration and deceleration
distances exceed the total travel distance.
This can make the linear motor’s technical
advantages a moot point.
< LINEAR DRIVES
Rack-and-pinion drives are have free operation and unlimited travel length.
been around for centuries, but recent devel- In fact, a significant benefit over other de-
opments in electronic preloading (See “Ba- signs is lower costs over long travel lengths.
sics of electronic preloading”) have boosted Helical gearing gives smooth engagement
overall performance and energy efficiency. of teeth and quiet operation. Smooth run-
Advantages include long-term, backlash- ning also helps ensure good part quality and
Basics of electronic preloading
For an example of state-of-the-art mechatronic systems, look no further than electronic
preloading of rack-and-pinion linear actuators. These systems use a single rack with two
pinions and two motors, working
in tandem, along with an electronic STANDSTILL
controller. It gives backlash-free
motion while minimizing frictional
F F
losses, making these systems more
precise and energy efficient than
Master Slave
ever. Consider the four different
stages of motion. Master and slave axes generate
Standstill. Electronic preloaded opposing torque.
rack-and pinion drives have master
ACCELERATION
and slave axes. At standstill, they
generate opposing torque and the Movement of axis
restraint, or electronic preload, is at
its maximum. The master and slave
engage tooth flanks facing in oppo-
site directions to eliminate backlash Master Slave
or “play” in the system.
Acceleration. During accelera- Slave axis reduces opposing force.
tion, electronic preload is reduced. ACCELERATION
As the master axis causes motion, the
slave axis eases the opposing force Acceleration
preload. As the unit accelerates, the
slave axis transitions to the opposite
tooth flank and both actuators act in
Master Slave
tandem, but still without backlash.
This is important because traditional Slave axis transitions to opposite tooth flank.
preloading systems do not let both
axes work together. Instead, one axis
CONSTANT SPEED
always pushes against the other,
creating inefficiencies.
Constant speed. During
constant-speed movements, elec-
tronic preloading is disabled and
both axes work together to carry the Master Slave
load. Inertia and workpiece resistance
maintain backlash-free operation. Both axes carry the load.
Deceleration. During decelera-
DECELERATION
tion, the slave axis again transitions
Deceleration
to the opposite tooth flank, increas-
ing restraint to help slow the load
and eliminate backlash. There is
no backlash during load changes Master Slave
because the tooth and flanks never
lose contact. Slave transitions and helps slow the load.
JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 37
 LINEAR DRIVES >
Comparing linear-drive
efficiencies
}
Linear motors have overall efficiency as high as 85%, though some are considerably
lower.
}
Ball screws, depending whether or not preloaded, can have efficiencies up to 90%.
}
Rack-and-pinion systems can push efficiency to 97%.
HORIZONTAL DRIVE
Load
Motor
surface finish, for instance, when machin-
ing tight-tolerance parts. For high-precision
systems, single-pitch error between helical
teeth can be around 3 μm, and cumulative
pitch error only 12 μm/500 mm.
Rather than connecting the drive di-
rectly to the workpiece, the mechanical
transmission elements let engineers vary
gear ratios and pinion size, and add damp-
ing that can eliminate closed-loop instabili-
ties. In essence, it gives designers an extra
element to tune the system and optimize
performance and efficiency.
On the downside, the rack must be
kept clean and lubricated, and the lube can
splash at high speeds.
Rack-and-pinion actuators often have
acceleration rates and peak speeds nearly
as good as those of linear motors. In many
cases, the machine frame and structure
-- not the actuator -- limit peak speeds from
rack-and pinion and linear-motor systems.
Ball screws tend to have somewhat lower
peak speeds and accelerations.
In general, linear motors have overall
efficiency as high as 85%, though some are
considerably lower. Ball screws, depending
38 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
Gears
Dynamic torque requirements depend
on how the entire mass reacts in the
drive train.
whether or not preloaded, can have effi-
ciencies up to 90%. Rack-and-pinion sys-
tems can push efficiency to 97%.
The impact of inertia
Mechanical linear-motion systems
are, therefore, typically quite efficient.
But designers who merely look at catalog
efficiency ratings of components can get
fooled if they assume total efficiency is the
sum of the individual ratings. Users also
need to consider the effects of inertia on
the system.
For instance, a system with a servomo-
tor, coupling, and gearhead tends to have a
high moment of inertia and low mechani-
cal stiffness. Such systems require a low,
robust inertia match – a ratio of the motor
inertia to the load inertia of about 1:3 – to
perform well.
Actuators that eliminate the coupling
and mount the pinion directly into the mo-
tor shaft, in contrast, increase torsional
and tilting rigidity and limit backlash. This
reduces system inertia, increases stiffness,
and tolerates inertia ratios of 10:1. For the
system designer, that permits smaller mo-
tors for the same application and, in turn,
smaller cables and drives, less energy con-
sumption, and overall greater efficiency.
Here’s a look at the underlying math.
Consider the simple system shown in
the “Horizontal drive” graphic. For dynamic
tasks, torque requirements depend on the
entire mass reacting in the drive train, so
designers must compare load inertia to
motor inertia. With JM = motor inertia, JL =
load inertia, and i = gear reduction ratio,
the necessary moment for a given accelera-
tion depends directly on the sum of the mo-
ments of inertia,
JT = JL + i2 JM.
The coupling factor λ, sometimes de-
scribed as the inertia match or mismatch,
is a correlation of the external moments
of inertia to the moment of inertia of the
motor.
λ = JL /( i2 JM );
JM = JL /( i2 λ);
JT = JL + JL / λ = JL (1 + 1 / λ).
With torque M = Jα and α = angular ac-
celeration, total power in the system PT and
power delivered to the load PL relate as:
PT = PL(1 + 1 / λ);
or efficiency is
η = PL /PT = λ / (1 + λ).
The “Drive-train efficiency” graphic
shows that obtainable torque with respect
to obtainable power is proportional to the
mass moment of inertia in the drive train.
It describes the total inertia in the system
that must be accelerated in terms of power
and efficiency.
Most people would think that a 1:1
inertia ratio would be an ideal match.
But looking at the graph, only 50% of the
total power is delivered to the load. It’s
really an inefficient system. With robust
controls, high stiffness, and low backlash,
systems can tolerate higher inertia mis-
match and use smaller motors for a given
load -- transferring more energy in the
system directly to the load. In addition to
a more-efficient system, a smaller, less
expensive motor requires less energy to
produce the same output. ■
 Why “Green” Designs?
Studies show that electric motors and gearmotors are responsible
for over 60% of the electricity consumed by American industry.
Gearmotor and motor solutions from Bodine Electric can help you
optimize your power management and system efficiency.

We Offer:
sBRUSHLESS$#ORPERMANENTMAGNET$#MOTORSTHATACHIEVEUP
to 85% efficiency.
sE 4/21DIRECT DRIVEBRUSHLESS$#MOTORWINDINGSTHATAREUP
to 95% efficient.
sA WIDE RANGE OF LOW VOLTAGE WINDING OPTIONS   6$# FOR
BATTERYANDSOLARPOWERED/%-APPLICATIONS
sFRACTIONALHORSEPOWERINVERTER DUTY PHASE!#GEARMOTORSAND
MOTORS   6!# AND  6!#  AND MANY SPECIAL !#
WINDINGOPTIONSFORTHREE PHASEMOTORAPPLICATIONS 6!# 

Benefits to Engineers
/UREXPERTISEINGEARDESIGNANDELECTRICALDESIGNALLOWSUSTO
PROPOSEMANYSMALLDESIGNMODIlCATIONSTHATADDUPTOAHIGH
PERFORMANCESOLUTION&OREXAMPLEOURENGINEERSCANSUGGESTA
winding and gear ratio combination that is optimized for efficiency.
7HENPOSSIBLE"ODINEUTILIZESSYNTHETICLUBRICATIONANDPARALLEL
shaft gearheads with helical gears for better performance.

,OWER GEAR RATIOS WITH FEWER STAGES ARE MORE EFlCIENT 4HE
winding can be optimized for the chosen speed by changing wire
SIZE NUMBER OF TURNS AND SLOT lLL TO INCREASE EFlCIENCY AT THE
REQUIRED SPEEDLOAD POINT 4AKEN TOGETHER THESE MODIlCATIONS
create the most efficient product possible. Bodine gearmotors
AREDESIGNEDTOLASTANDNOTTOBEREPLACED

"ODINES COMPACT AND COST EFlCIENT PRODUCTS PROVIDE THE

PREDICTABLE PERFORMANCE REQUIRED FOR LOW VOLTAGE BATTERY
POWERED REMOTE LOCATION OR SOLAR APPLICATIONS 7HEN THESE
GEARMOTORS AND CONTROLS ARE USED TOGETHER THEY PROVIDE A
COMPLETESINGLE SOURCEMOTIONCONTROLSYSTEM

Design Solutions from Bodine

s2O(3COMPLIANT
s3YSTEM MATCHEDCOMPONENTSFORMAXIMUMEFlCIENCY
s#USTOMWINDINGGEARINGANDLUBRICATIONFOROPTIMIZED
PERFORMANCEANDLONGESTLIFE

7EST"RADLEY0LACE\#HICAGO),53!

0HONE  \EMAILINFO BODINE ELECTRICCOM\WWWBODINE ELECTRICCOM
 SMART GRID >

Smart Grid
New Era Of
Ushers In
Energy Conservation
Roger Allan, Contributing Editor
anticipated natural and unnatural events.
It will also be overlaid with a level of se-
When President Obama signed into law the American Recovery curity. Advanced meter reading (AMR)
of energy usage and sending usage data
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in February, he set into motion over an advanced meter infrastructure
(AMI) are all key elements of the grid.
an ambitious effort to modernize the nation’s energy infra- The smart grid is not just for elec-
tricity from conventional power plants.
structure. The legislation appropriated $43 billion for the In fact, as of this writing, a Florida de-
veloper has announced plans to build a
U.S. energy sector, of which roughly $4.5 billion go toward a 195,000-home development in Fort Myers,
the first powered by zero-emission solar
“smart” grid. The bill calls for a Smart Grid Task Force to run energy. The photovoltaic plant will be the
largest such entity to be operated by the
up to five demonstration projects focused on smart grids and electric utility Florida Power & Light. The
utility is presently working with suppliers
energy reliability. of AMR components for the smart grid.
To put things into perspective, a crude
The deployment of a smart grid be- from the point-of-generation to the end form of a smart grid has been around for
came policy with passage of Title 13, the user. The smart grid uses information years in the form of DR systems for large
Energy Independence and Security Act transmitted over the network to make customers that provide uninterruptable
of 2007. The law funds the building of a timely decisions in response to supply service in the event of power outages.
smart grid and creates a Grid Modern- and demand, as well as in response to DR, in fact, is still in use today. It lets the
ization Committee to assess the
benefits of energy demand response SMART GRID APPLIES A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO GRID MODERNIZATION
(DR) and to recommend needed pro-
tocol standards for the grid.
Smart Applications that create
Rapid injection of capital by grid electrical system/societal value
the ARRA legislation “will solidify applications
and encourage more investment
in smart metering and the smart
Computing/information Information for
grid,” according to Sam Lucero, ABI timely decision making
technology
Research senior analyst. “There’s
widespread agreement on the ad-
ity
cur

vantage to be gained from smart me-

Enabling communication
Se

tering, and the smart grid is a mar- Communications infrastructure

to entire energy supply chain
ket opportunity for many hardware
and software vendors,” he adds.

What Is The Smart Grid? Physical infrastructure

Energy infrastructure that distributes energy
According to the DoE, the smart
grid concept applies a systems ap-
proach to grid modernization. It
A building block approach conceived by the U.S. DoE characterizes the energy smart grid that will be
uses a communication network link-
enabled by funding from the U.S. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) enacted this year.
ing the entire energy supply chain,

40 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009


SMART GRID
A vision for the future– a network of integrated microgrids that can monitor and heal itself
Storage-
Energy generated at off-peak
times could be stored in bat-
teries for later use
Offices
Wind farm
Industrial plant
grid operator cut power to users who have
previously agreed to this arrangement in
return for lower electricity rates or cash
payments.
But in a truly smart grid, processors
attached to key grid components will act
in concert with sensors at energy point-
of-use nodes. They will let the grid not
only self manage itself, but also be self-
healing. Such a grid will be able to local-
ize and anticipate the consequences of
natural disturbances such as hurricanes,
lightning, earthquakes, rainstorms, and
even intentional acts of sabotage.
This concept is favored by many en-
ergy experts including Massoud Amin, a
distinguished professor of Electrical &
Computer Engineering at the University
of Minnesota and Director of its Center
for Technological Leadership. He calls
for a more predictive type of network, in-
stead of just a reactive one, to meet grow-
ing energy demands. Despite the seem-
ingly high capital investment needed to
make the energy grid smarter, Massoud
< SMART GRID
Smart appliances-
Can shut off in response to
frequency fluctuations
Demand management-
Use can be shifted to off-peak
times to save money
Houses
Disturbance in the grid
Processors-
Execute special protection
schemes in microseconds
Sensors- Isolated
Detect fluctuations and microgrid
distrubances, and can signal
for areas to be isolated
Central
Generator- power plant
Energy from small generators
and solar panels can reduce
overall demands on the grid
A typical vision of a smart grid includes networks of micro-grids that can detect problems and
disconnect themselves temporarily, demand-response equipment that shuts off nonessential
appliances and other power drains if necessary, and sources of distributed power that can take
some of the load off central power plants.
A Rosy Future For
The Smart Grid
Market forecasters foresee a rosy future for smart grid. One firm in this camp is BCC
Research. It divides up the smart grid market into four segments: communications; sensing
measurement and control; distributed energy generation and storage; and transmission
lines. Distributed energy generation and storage accounts for the largest share, $12.2 billion
last year and $!3.3 this year, growing to $22.1 billion by 2014. It considers sensing measure-
ment and control the next largest segment, followed by communications technologies.
The ARC Advisory Group is equally bullish. It forecasts a North Ameri-
can market for a smart grid and an advanced metering infrastructure
(AMI) to grow at a CAGR of 20.6% over the next five years.
As for smart grid metering, the core of the smart grid, Gartner chip analyst Ste-
phen Ohr calls it a sizeable growth opportunity. He recently estimated that more
than 150 million smart meters will be installed worldwide in the next five years, with
half of those in North America. Gartner expects those five years to bring as much
as $2 billion in business opportunities for semiconductor and chip makers.
JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 41
 SMART GRID >

Inside a smart grid

power meter
Old-style electromechanical induction meters count the
revolutions of an aluminium disc as a measure of consumed
power. The more power used, the faster the disc rotates. Rota-
tion comes from magnetic flux generated by two coils, one
producing flux proportional to voltage, the other generating
flux proportional to current. The resulting eddy current (plus
damping from a permanent magnet) makes the disc rotate at
a speed proportional to the power consumed. A worm gear
coupled to the disc spindle drives either an odometer-like
display or dial pointers reading out watt-hours of usage.
In contrast, solid-state power meters typically use inductive
coupling to the power line as a means of measuring electri-
cal current. This combined with a voltage measurement lets
them compute power consumption. In a smart grid system,
solid-state power meters may also incorporate radio transceiv-
ers for communication with other smart grid components.
One such scheme is that used in the GoodWatts system
developed by Watt Shifters, Richmond, Va., and used in a pilot
project by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. It uses a
gateway installed in the home that connects to the home’s internet
connection. The gateway communicates with WattShifter servers
through a secure link over the public internet to send and receive
connection, control, command, and monitoring data. In the home,
Smart grid electricity meters like this one from German energy
supplier EnBW let customers view and control their energy
consumption via the Internet from their homes.
the gateway serves as the host of a wireless mesh network and also
serves as the brains of the home control network. The thermostat,
a load control meter, and electric meter then communicate with
the gateway to receive control commands, report historical data
and exceptions, and indicate when control actions take place or
when humans override them. Electric utilities can connect to the
server and take broader control actions to maintain grid integrity
and manage peak demand. Back at the server, all the control and
trend information is stored in a database that includes 15-min-
ute data for every device in every home. This lets homeowners
and utilities review the historical performance of the various
components and make better energy management decisions.

believes the cost is but a fraction of the tional Laboratory (PNNL).The pilot project sumer Electronics Association (CEA)
current annual outlay caused by power showed consumers cut their overall peak found that home owners factor energy
interruptions. load on the grid by 15% when offered the efficiency into purchasing decisions for
Smart grid has a lot of possible ben- opportunity to slice their electricity bills by consumer electronics and home appli-
efits. As an example, Stephen J. Callahan, 10%. That study highlights the importance ances to reduce energy costs. Of those
a partner with the Energy & Utilities of implementing a smart grid technology who underwent an energy audit, 61%
industry of IBM Business Services, al- at the local level using micro-grids that have shown an interest in using smart
ludes to a smart grid project conducted by reach the consumer premises. energy meters.
researchers at the Pacific Northwest Na- Indeed, a recent study by the Con- The PNNL project ran for a year end-
ing in March 2007. It updated
Electric blanket $42 $83 $125 $166 $208 residential, commercial and
500kW 1000kW 1500kW 2000kW 2500kW municipal customers every five
Home computer
minutes on energy consumption
Television
prices through their comput-
Microwave oven ers, and let them manage their
Dehumidifier energy consumption remotely
Well pump through a grid-friendly appliance
Aquarium / Terrarium controller developed at PNLL.
Dishwasher Residential users could set their
Electric cooking thermostats, dryers and heaters
Freezer
How much electricity do home
Waterbed heater
appliances use? This U.S. DoE
Clothes dryer chart shows the energy a typical
Washing machine appliance consumes annually and its
Refrigerator corresponding cost based on national
Pool pump averages. For example, a refrigerator
Spa (pump and heater) uses almost five times the electricity
of the average TV.
SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

42 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009


This grid-friendly controller developed at the
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory plugs
into common household appliances like
clothes dryers and water heaters. It acts as
part of an energy monitoring network and was
used in a PNNL pilot project to help consumers
monitor and control their energy consumption.
to respond to certain price points. Mu-
nicipalities with water-pumping plants
had diesel backup generators that were
programmed to kick in once grid power
became too expensive.
According to PNNL, the controller
-- which could be built into home appli-
ances for $5 or less -- can recognize when
the electrical grid is straining to meet
demand by noting tell-tale fluctuations
in current flowing into the host appli-
ance. It then responds by commanding
the consumer to briefly scale back power
demand. The next big step is to entice
appliance manufacturers to build-in such
intelligent controllers and to induce the
public to demand them.
The need for standards
Some of the fundamental underlying
technologies for a smart grid are sketchy.
In the U.S. alone the electrical grid com-
prises more than 14,000 transmission
substations and 4,500 switching centers,
operated by as many as 3,000 independent
companies regulated by state and regional
public utility commissions. There is no
standard among these entities for how to
store and control the flow of energy.
On that score, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) is work-
ing with the Electric Power Research in-
stitute (EPRI) toward developing national
smart grid standards for energy flow. The
Institute of Electrical and Electronics En-
gineers (IEEE) and the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) are presently
working on standards as well.
IEEE P2030 is a case in point. It will
tackle interoperability issues, with a
goal of producing a high-level electron-
ics guide for the smart grid. Similarly, the
ANSI C12.22 open standard defines how
to transmit standardized tables of meter
data across wired or wireless networks
using various transport schemes. Major
meter and meter system manufacturers
like Itron, Elster, and Trilliant have already
said they’ll support this ANSI standard.
EPRI is also collaborating with the
< SAMRT GRID
ZigBee Alliance and the HomePlug Initia- mand is not steady, so methods must be
tive to create a unified AMI and home- employed in an AMI that properly factor
area-network (HAN) solution for the in these seemingly conflicting issues.”
smart grid. They’re developing a common CenterPoint is using eMeter’s En-
language for HAN devices to use AMI ergyIP meter data management system
technology. ZigBee is a global wireless which captures 15-minute usage data
communications language. from smart meters and routs it over
In anticipation of these standards, HANs. eMeter provides software that al-
energy meter manufacturers have been lows the use of smart gas, electric and
working feverishly with hardware and water meters used by 300 of the largest
software developers as well as utility utilities worldwide.
companies to prepare for a smarter grid Some firms such as Yitran provide
using AMR. Houston’s CenterPoint En- transceiver ICs for wireless AMR com-
ergy is just one of many utilities using munications. Its IT700 system-on-chip
advanced smart grid metering. It plans
to deploy 2.4 million meters made by
Itron over the next five years. It is work-
ing closely with General Electric Digital
Energy, IBM, and numerous other compa-
nies for smart metering.
Here are a few examples of what’s go-
ing on in smart metering equipment:
GE is using WiMax-based (36.5-GHz)
radios in CenterPoint’s system. “Our ra-
dios can operate over large distances -—
up to tens of miles,” says Larry Sollecito,
president and CEO of GE’s Digital Energy
Enterprise Solution Sector.
“This lets us effectively send
meter data to the util-
ity’s control center,” he
adds. Sollecito cautions
that to maximize effi-
ciency in an AMR system,
the control point (the grid
WiMax-based 36.5-GHz radios from GE Energy
interconnect) must sit close to the
send usage information to CenterPoint Energy’s
user’s location. He also cautions, “The electric utility grid. The radio mounts on the
electricity system is most efficient oper- utility’s electric pole.
ating in a steady state. However, user de-
JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 43
 SMART GRID >
HOME ELECTRICITY USE

Dryer NOTE: Labels in this graph are demonstrative,

and are not part of PowerMeter’s current design.
Google’s prototype PowerMeter lets
anyone who signs up view their electricity
consumption data right on their iGoogle
homepage. The graph shows a typical use
TV
Heater for this information: Figuring out how much
energy different appliances consume.
Refrigerator

12 a.m. 6 a.m. 12 p.m. 6 p.m. 12 a.m. 6 a.m. 12 p.m.

Cable Outdoor
TV box lights

(SoC) IC PowerLine communication

controller is available in two versions: the
Protocol Controller Architecture and the
Open Solution Architecture. The former
has a universal
asynchronous receiver/transmitter
(UART) and simple command language
for a connection to an external host com-
puter. The latter allows use of the IT700’s
microcontroller peripheral functions such
as timers, interrupts, communications
interfaces, analog-to-digital converters
(ADCs), spare memory resources, and
general-purpose I/Os to implement the
application, thus eliminating the need for
an external host controller.
Landis+Gyr, a smart meter manufac- Trilliant offers a total solution to enhanced metering for the Smart Grid. It includes the Unity
turer, offers its Gridstream two-way smart software platform and the SecureMesh wireless communications protocol.
grid communication network for AMR. It
is in the process of completing the instal-
lation of 280,000 smart meters by August AMR, advanced network management, system, communications chips, a gateway
and has so far installed 165,000 of them and data management. for collecting data from groups of meters,
in Austin Energy’s utility facilities. One company that prides itself on of- network management tools, and remote
Silver Spring Networks is a manu- fering a total AMI solution is Trilliant Inc. control tools for DR, load control and dis-
facturer of networking boards for power Bill Vogel, Trilliant’s founder and senior tribution monitoring.
meters that monitor and curb electricity, vice president of strategic development Even Google Ventures has gotten into
gas and water consumption. It has sold says “Trilliant’s aim is to bring all grid the smart grid act by investing in Silver
more than 2 million nodes for a wireless networking solutions together.” Unlike Springs Networks. Google has a prototype
IP network that handles smart metering vendors that focus on wireless communi- PowerMeter. It receives information from
and other grid applications. The network cations networks only, the company offers a utility’s small meter and management
uses a 912 to 928-MHz industrial, scien- a wireless, RF mesh network operating devices and lets subscribers access their
tific and medical (ISM) card that delivers home electricity consumption on their
100-kbit/sec point-to-point links on mesh iGoogle homepage.
networks that can span more than a mile Resources Finally, customers of German energy
or a single hop. company Energie Baden-Württemberg
Florida Power & Light is using U.S. Department of Energy, (EnBW) can also watch their energy use
100,000 Silver Spring Networks IP-based “Preparing for Tomorrow’s Chal- in real time on the Internet to get a handle
meters, the largest advanced AMI sys- lenges,” National Smart Grid Confer- on their energy consumption. As part of a
tem in the U.S. Silver Spring Networks’ ence, Spokane, WA, April 6, 2009 campaign to install intelligent electricity
solution include UtiIOS, a special net- Upgrading the Grid, Nature, vol. meters in private homes, the company is
work operating system; and UtilityIQ, a 454, July 30, 2008, pg. 570-573 integrating each meter into a networked
network management platform handling communication and billing system. ■

44 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

 %"#

$



"
#
"!#"#

)*'#
)
#*()'.(
!$,()
%$,'
$#(*"%)$#
)
 

" (
)
(.
)$
")
#,
#'.#.

'&*'"#)(
$'
())$%
$-(
(
$"%!)
*! 
($!*)$#
"%!$.(
')'+0
)#$!$.
)$
$%')


*$
#
+$
(#!(
'$"
 
)*(
!"#)#
)
#
$'



(*%%!.
#
"#"/#
)
*(
$



(*%%!.
)$#!!.
#)')
()#.
#
(*)$,#
'*)'.
#)!!#)!.
'*(
(.()"
%$,'
$#(*"%)$#

&
""
%! 
 !#

#'

"#

"$#%
 #'  #
"$#

t
0QFSBUFT
BVEJP
BOE
WJEFP
GSPN
7 
 



 

t
N8
RVJFTDFOU
QPXFS
DPOTVNQUJPO
t
$POTVNFT
N8
JO
MPXQPXFS
NPEF
BOE

N8
JO
TIVUEPXO
NPEF
t
*OQVUWJEFPTJHOBM
BOE
WJEFPMPBE
EFUFDUJPO
t
%JSFDU%SJWF
UFDIOPMPHZ
QSFWFOUT
DMJDLTQPQT
t
$PNQBDU
NN
Y
NN
QJO
52'/

ResourceSmart is a trademark and DirectDrive is a registered trademark of Maxim

Integrated Products, Inc.
*U.S. Patent #7,061,327.

%%%& 

DIRECT ™

www.maxim-ic.com/shop www.avnet.com TM

For free samples or technical support, visit our website.

Innovation Delivered is a trademark and Maxim is a registered trademark of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. © 2009 Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. All rights reserved.
 APPLIANCE DESIGN >

Energy efficient
motor control
for appliances
Smart ICs increasingly handle complicated
control schemes such as field-oriented control.
AENGUS MURRAY
INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER

The situation is a bit different in

It is no secret that any equipment that either heats or cools is coming washing machines and dish wash-
ers where energy efficiency efforts
under great scrutiny as governments increasingly legislate efficiency mainly focus on hot water consump-
tion. Nevertheless, there are motor-
standards. In particular, washing machines, air conditioners, and refrig- related efficiencies to be had in wash-
ers when extracting water during the
erators are under a legislative microscope. Variable-speed control is one spin cycle as a way of minimizing
the energy consumed by the dryer.
well-known means of reducing both the peak and average energy con- Standards are also in force pertain-
ing to lower power appliances such
sumption of motors as used in compressors and fans. This is especially as refrigerators and pumps because
they operate almost continuously and
true for air conditioners as standards now require a reduction in the thus consume a significant amount
of energy.
seasonal average energy consumption. So even the energy consumed by One way of addressing efficiency de-
mands is with permanent magnet syn-
the evaporator and condenser fans becomes important. chronous motors (PMSM). Compared
EXAMPLE: CENTRAL A/C SYSTEM

A mixed-signal motor control

IC drives the compressor motor,
fan motor, and power factor
correction circuit in this central
a/c circuit schematic. The IC
integrates three major functions:
the Motion Control Engine (MCE),
the Analog Signal Engine (ASE)
and an 8-bit microcontroller.

46 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009


SESNORLESS FOC ALGORITHM
to conventional induction motors, PMSMs
contain less iron and copper, a plus in an
era characterized by gyrating commodity
prices.
Applying variable-speed control to
PMSMs economically demands an ap-
proach that avoids rotor position sensors
typically used in industrial drive applica-
tions. A sensorless field-oriented control
algorithm permits variable-speed control
of PMSMs using only measurements of
motor current for feedback. The design
challenge is to optimize the algorithm
so it meets performance and energy ef-
ficiency requirements in many different
applications.
A highly integrated mixed-signal con-
troller makes it possible to implement
complex control algorithms that maximize
the efficiency of permanent magnet ac
motors. Field-oriented control (FOC) with
current-angle phase advance maximizes
the efficiency of interior permanent mag-
net motors. The efficiency gain is almost
5%. This mode of control also implies
a switch from trapezoidal to sinusoidal
waveforms driving the motor windings.
This minimizes torque ripple to reduce
acoustic noise in the fan motor.
In the case of a whole-house air con-
ditioning system, a mixed-signal control
IC can simultaneously run both the com-
pressor and fan motors. A combination of
highly optimized hardware control blocks
and a configurable control sequencer en-
ables rapid execution of complex motor
control algorithms.
The IC is one element in an appliance
design platform that includes all the power
and control silicon needed to drive the fan
< APPLIANCE DESIGN
The Motion Control Engine executes the sensorless FOC algorithm executed by the control
schematic. The algorithm includes a reverse rotation function that transforms the measured
stator currents into a reference frame synchronized with the angle of the rotor magnet flux. The
transformed currents have two quasi-dc components: a direct-axis current aligned with the rotor
flux and a quadrature axis component that generates motor torque from interaction with the rotor
magnet. The d and q axis current loop compensators calculate the stator voltages to force the
currents to track the set point values. The forward rotation function transforms these voltages into
sinusoidal ac voltages in the stator reference frame. The space vector PWM generator uses these
signals to derive transistor switching signals for the three-phase inverter. When driving a classical
permanent magnet synchronous motor with surface-mounted rotor magnets the d axis reference
current is set to zero to maximize the torque-per-amp.
and compressor motor in an air condition- The Motion Control Engine executes
ing system. The same IC can also be ap- the sensorless FOC algorithm. The algo-
plied to the latest energy efficient laundry rithm includes a reverse rotation function
systems that use an energy saving heat that transforms the measured stator cur-
pump in the drying cycle. rents into a reference frame synchronized
The accompanying circuit schematic with the angle of the rotor magnet flux.
includes the major components in an out- The transformed currents have two quasi
door unit controller for an air conditioning dc components: a direct-axis current
system. The mixed-signal motor control aligned with the rotor flux and a quadra-
IC drives the compressor motor, the fan ture axis component that generates motor
motor, and the power factor correction torque because of interaction with the ro-
circuit. The IC integrates three major tor magnet.
functions: a motion control engine (MCE), The d and q-axis current-loop compen-
the analog signal engine (ASE) and an sators calculate the stator voltages to force
8-bit microcontroller. The MCE executes the currents to track the set point values.
the motor control algorithms while an in- The forward rotation function transforms
dependent 8-bit microcontroller core runs these voltages to sinusoidal ac voltages in
the application. the stator reference frame. A space vec-
The sensorless field-oriented control tor PWM generator uses these signals to
algorithm derives all the required motor derive transistor switching signals for a
information from the currents flowing in three-phase inverter.
the dc link shunts. This avoids the need When driving a classical permanent
for position sensors on the motor shaft magnet synchronous motor with surface-
and isolated current transducers in the mounted rotor magnets, the d axis refer-
power inverter circuit. The Analog Signal ence current is set to zero to maximize the
Engine includes a fast A/D converter, mul- torque-per-amp. However, when driving
tiple sampling circuits, and differential an interior permanent magnet motor, the
amplifiers needed to extract the motor d-axis current will generate a reluctance
winding current from the dc link current torque component to augment the torque
signal. that the rotor magnets produce. The IPM
JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 47
 APPLIANCE DESIGN >
ANGLE, SPEED ESTIMATOR ALGORITHM
control function is the key control element
that enables the operation at a higher ef-
ficiency when driving the IPM motor.
The other key feature of the sensorless
FOC algorithm is that it does not need to
use high-resolution rotor angle sensors as
typically found in industrial drive systems.
In appliance drives, where low-speed per-
formance is not important, the rotor angle
can be derived from the winding back
EMF signal. Brushless dc drives frequently
employ a six-step commutation sequence.
Here the back EMF is available directly by
sampling the voltage on the unconnected
winding. However, when driving the mo-
tor with sinusoidal currents, the back EMF
must be calculated indirectly from the mo-
tor circuit model.
The equations below describe the two-
phase equivalent circuit for the permanent
magnet synchronous motor. The two phase
currents are derived using the Clarke
transform that calculates the currents in
two quadrature windings that will produce
the same field as the currents in the three
phase windings. The two phase winding
currents are the outputs of the forward
rotation function that drive a space vector
PWM generator:
να = RS iα + LS diα + d (–Ψr cos θr )
dt dt
νβ = RS iβ + LS diβ + d (–Ψr sin θr )
dt dt
Here Ψr is the rotor flux vector peak
value, θr is the rotor flux angle, να and
νβ are quadrature voltage values derived
from motor voltage vectors rotated into
48 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
The control schematic for angle and speed estimator has two major subsystems. In the first stage,
the flux estimator derives the rotor cosine and sine flux functions. The flux integrators include low-
frequency gain compensation to avoid dc saturation. At the second stage, the rotor angle phase-
locked-loop (PLL) forces the error between the rotor angle and the estimated angle to zero. The
error is calculated using a vector rotation function whose quadrature output will be zero when the
rotation angle input matches the angle of the cosine and sine flux functions.
a stationary reference frame using the The second-order feedback loop in
transformation angle. The two phase the PLL generates both angle and velocity
currents iα and iβ are derived using the signals. A further feature of the PLL is the
Clarke transform. They represent cur- start up sequencer that is necessary at low
rents in two quadrature windings that will speeds when the winding back EMF signal
produce the same field as the currents in is swamped by circuit noise. The first part
the three-phase windings. RS and LS are of the start up sequence is a parking func-
motor winding resistance and inductance tion that drives dc current into the stator
respectively. The two-phase winding cur- windings to align the rotor at a known
rents are the outputs of the forward rota- angle. Then the motor is driven with a
tion function that drive the space vector constant current to generate a constant
PWM generator. torque.
The important aspect of the two-phase The PLL speed integrator is fed by a
circuit model is that the back EMF terms motor mechanical model that estimates
are time derivatives of cosine and sine the motor speed from the accelerating
flux functions so they can be determined torque and system inertia. Once the motor
through integration. The accompanying reaches a certain minimum speed, the PLL
control schematic for an angle and speed switches to a closed-loop mode and tracks
estimator has two major subsystems. Dur- the rotor flux angle.
ing the first stage of the calculation, the
flux estimator derives the rotor cosine and The Motion Control Engine
sine flux functions. The flux integrators When designers implement FOC with
include low-frequency gain compensation a traditional DSP or RISC processor, they
to avoid dc saturation. start by first translating the motor control
At the second stage, the rotor angle schematic into state equations. These get
phase-locked-loop (PLL) forces the error written in C code. Then software develop-
between the rotor angle and the estimated ment tools can generate machine code for
angle to zero. The error is calculated using the processor.
a vector rotation function whose quadra- In contrast, FOC implemented with a mo-
ture output will be zero when the rotation tion control engine (MCE) eliminates some
angle input matches the angle of the co- of the steps in developing motor control algo-
sine and sine flux functions. rithms. It incorporates a graphical compiler,
APPLIANCE DESIGN >

Resources
Ray Andraka, “A survey of CORDIC algorithms for FPGA
based computers”, Proc. of ACM/SIGDA Sixth International
Symposium on FPGAs, 1998, Monterrey, CA, pp. 191-200. http://
portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=275107.275139
International Rectifier pages on MCE, http://www.irf.com/
product-info/datasheets/data/irmcf343.pdf
MCE basics, http://machinedesign.com/article/servo-on-a-
chip-1209

an algorithm development tool that transforms the control schematic

directly into MCE sequencer code, thus avoiding all intermediary steps.
This lets the developer modify the reference algorithm directly making maxon drives in solar panel systems.

It always catches the

use of a library of optimized control blocks such as a PI compensators
and vector rotations.
The reference algorithm includes basic ac motor control func-
tions. They include the FOC current loop with sensorless rotor position
estimation and an outer velocity loop. The inner current loop is a well-
best light.
established FOC algorithm used for PMSM control. It can typically be
used “as is” but the optimal algorithm for the outer control loops will
vary with application. Fan or pump controllers, for example, may need to
regulate torque to maintain pressure while compressor controllers may
just regulate speed.
In compressor control, load torque ripple may prevent a simple veloc-
ity loop from properly regulating at low speeds. A feed-forward algorithm
can compensate for the load torque to eliminate mechanical vibration
at low speeds. In washing machines, the controller can detect a wash
load imbalance by analyzing the ripple signature in the motor speed
and torque before entering the spin cycle. The designer edits the control
algorithm schematic using a Matlab Simulink graphical user inter-
face. Through Matlab, the designer and can add control blocks such as
comparators, summing junctions, switches and integrators. The digital
control IC executes the algorithm using hardware blocks from an MCE When it really matters, the solar industry depends on our
control library that are based on MCE sequencer code generated by the drive systems. You’ll find them, for instance, in photovol-
taic installations that ensure solar panels are always orien-
graphical compiler. ted at the correct angle to the sun. And thanks to their 90%
Optimized control blocks reduce execution time significantly efficiency, they use only a tiny amount of the energy being
relative to software implementations. One example of an opti- collected.
mized control block is a vector rotator depicted in an accompa- maxon motor is the world's leading supplier of high-precision
nying diagram. The Cordic vector rotation has been developed drives and systems of up to 500 watts. We develop and
specifically for ASIC implementation that relies on a series of add, manufacture brushed and brushless DC motors with the
unique ironless maxon winding. Flat motors with iron cores
subtract and shift functions that yield 12-bit accuracy in only 13 supplement our modular product program. In addition, our
cycles. This calculation is 10 times faster than the calculation us- unitized construction system produces: planetary and spur
ing Taylor expansion on a 32-bit RISC processor. gearheads and special drives, as well as feedback devices
The digital timing circuits that generate the inverter PWM and control electronics. High-tech ceramic and metallic injec-
signals also generate the sample timing signals that let the analog tion molding components are manufactured in a special
competence center. maxon motor stands for premium quality,
signal engine (ASE) extract the motor winding current from the
innovation, competitive prices and a worldwide sales net-
inverter dc link. This optimized combination of analog and digital work. However, what distinguishes us most is the quality of
signal processing circuits can simultaneously control two perma- the solution that we achieve with and for our customers. See
nent-magnet synchronous motors. what we can do for you: www.maxonmotorusa.com
Finally, there’s enough processing capacity in an MCE to sup-
port the execution of a power factor control (PFC) algorithm. So maxon motor
the air conditioning control IC can handle the input power fac- driven by precision
tor as well as the fan and compressor motor. Traditional RISC
processor-based systems, in contrast, require separate fan and PFC
control ICs. ■

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 49

Power
Liquid
Cooled

Production units are shipped with metal copper pipe cover

20kkW to 30
0kW Power Sup
pplly, 2U x 19˝ Pa
acka
age, 36
65VAC
C to
o 600
0VA
AC,,
3φ, Plu
uggable
e and Power Faccto
or Correccted,, 92% Efficcie
encyy at 80% Lo
oad
Stand
dard Liqu
uid
d Inle
et Temperrature
e is 35
5°C, 60°°C is availa
able
42 to 360
0 VDC, Ambie
entt Temp
pera
atu
ure 0°C to + 50°C
C

Call the Power Guys: PARAM, GREG OR ARVIN

TEL: (310) 829-6751 FAX: (310) 453-3929 EMAIL: Sales@PioneerMagnetics.com
1745 Berkeley Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404 USA
TOLL FREE: (800) 269-6426 www.PioneerMagnetics.com
NEW ENERGY STANDARDS & LEGISLATION
Energy legislation
for dummies
HERE’S A SYNOPSIS OF HOW NEW LEGISLATIVE WORK IS LIKELY TO
AFFECT EFFORTS DIRECTED AT IMPROVING EFFICIENCY.
A
PAUL BOSTROM
number of important
PROGRAM ASSOCIATE legislative steps have
VESTAL TUTTEROW, P.E.
SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER
ALLIANCE TO SAVE ENERGY
been taken over the past
WASHINGTON, D.C. few years to promote
WWW.ASE.ORG
energy efficiency in the commer-
cial and industrial sectors, and
new energy efficiency provisions
as part of Climate Change legis-
lation are actively being debated
as of the publication of this
article. To better understand the
context of prospective energy
legislation, we first take a closer
look at enacted energy legislation
and policy initiatives over the past 3 years.
EISA 2007. The Energy Independence measures, and authorization (but not appro-
and Security Act (EISA) touched on a wide priations) for numerous clean-energy R&D
variety of issues including vehicle efficiency initiatives. Also included were R&D authori-
standards, accelerated biofuels research zations to support the adoption of combined
and deployment, appliance and equipment heat and power (CHP) and thermal waste
efficiency standards (including a planned recycling. These technologies have demon-
phase-out of incandescent light bulbs), federal strated the capability to drastically boost
energy management, building efficiency the efficiency of electric power generation,
industrial process heat, and building heating
and cooling on a commercial scale.
EISA 2007 also authorized creation of
regional Clean Energy Application Centers
to provide expertise, education and project-
specific support to deploy clean energy tech-
nologies in the private sector. Other note-
worthy EISA provisions include new authori-
zation for block grants to help state and local
governments establish efficiency incentives
and support energy intensive subsectors such
as data centers, consumer product manufac-
turing, food processing and materials manu-
facturing (e.g.: aluminum, chemicals, forest
and paper products, metal castings, etc.).
Some but not all of these 2007 energy
efficiency provisions have recently been
funded as part of the economic stimulus
legislation in early 2009.
H.R. 1424. In the fall of 2008 the U.S.
economy experienced the early stages of an
economic free-fall. On October 3rd, 2008,
President Bush signed into law H.R. 1424,
the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.
H.R. 1424 both renewed and introduced a
number of energy efficiency tax incentives for
individuals and U.S. businesses to stimulate
smart investment.
Many of the efficiency incentives origi-
nated in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT-
05). The tax deduction for energy-efficient
improvements to commercial buildings was
extended five years, through 2013. This
deduction provides up to $1.80 per square foot
for buildings achieving a 50% energy savings
as compared to their previous performance. A
new tax credit offered up to 10% of the cost of
combined heat and power systems 50 MW or
larger, provided they operate at greater than
60% efficiency. Another tax incentive permits
smart electric meters and smart grid systems
to be depreciated over 10 years rather than
the usual 20-year recovery period. A similar
provision extended a commercial tax credit
offering 10% for commercial installations
(no price cap included) of geothermal heat
pumps, and reduced the depreciation period
of the equipment to 5 years.
Obama Administration Goals
Almost immediately in January 2009,
the incoming administration signaled a firm
stance on energy and climate policy with the
JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 51
 NEW ENERGY STANDARDS & LEGISLATION
Obama Administration Goals
Almost immediately in January 2009,
the incoming administration signaled a firm
stance on energy and climate policy with the
appointment of Cabinet and sub-Cabinet
officials having strong records in support
of energy efficiency and clean energy
resources. President Obama has proposed a
target of reducing U.S. GHG emissions 80%
by 2050, compared with 2006-levels. The
American Clean Energy and Security Act,
now being considered by Congress, is seen
as a critical step toward this goal.
ARRA 2009. In response to continued
economic woes, President Obama and
the 111th Congress enacted the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
(ARRA 2009) as a fiscal stimulus to the U.S.
economy. ARRA 2009 authorized unprece-
dented levels of spending to enhance energy
efficiency across all sectors of the U.S.
economy. All told, approximately $25 billion
of the total $787 billion is directly allocated
to energy efficiency projects. Additionally,
other parts of the stimulus funding on infra-
structure renewal can contribute indirectly
to efficiency improvements. Key appropria-
tions under ARRA 2009 include:
Roughly $300 million to support indus-
trial research and development, adoption
of CHP systems, and improved energy effi-
ciency of data centers;
■ $400 million for high-risk, high-
reward, transformational energy technology
research;
■ Over $3 billion to state energy
programs, much of this to help finance effi-
ciency improvements across all sectors;
■ $4.5 billion for ”Smart Grid”
investments;
■ And $500 million to train American
workers for green jobs.
EPA Climate Change
“Endangerment” Finding. On
April 17, 2009, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) laid the ground-
work for possible federal GHG regulation
by officially confirming the results of a
previous EPA study that declares GHGs are
a threat to public health and wellbeing. This
“endangerment finding” formally classi-
fies GHGs as pollutants that require federal
52 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
regulation under the Clean Air Act. The
political implications of this announcement
are significant, signaling to federal policy-
makers that GHGs will be regulated even if
Congress fails to enact climate change legis-
lation this year.
COP-15. The United Nations Climate
Change Conference of the Parties, COP-15,
is scheduled to convene in December, 2009.
COP-15 will gather nearly 200 developed
and developing nations in an effort to
draw up an international environmental
treaty aimed at stabilizing GHG concentra-
tions in the global atmosphere. COP-15
will focus on developing GHG reduction
commitments to begin in 2012, replacing
the Kyoto Protocol which is set to expire.
The Obama Administration has expressed
clear intentions of participating in COP-15
and helping to shape resulting interna-
tional agreements. However, it is widely
recognized that without domestic regula-
tion of GHG emissions, the U.S. would have
much less credibility in influencing COP-15
negotiations.
ACES 2009. The American Clean
Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES
2009) was narrowly approved by the House
of Representatives in late June and now
goes to the Senate for consideration. The
current version is divided into four major
titles: Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency,
Reducing Global Warming Pollution, and
Transitioning to a Clean Energy Economy.
The Clean Energy title includes provi-
sions to support R&D and technology
deployment for renewable energy and
energy efficiency, authorizing over $190
billion through 2025. This title also
includes a federal renewable energy stan-
dard requiring electric utilities to meet
20% of their supplied electricity through
renewable energy sources and quantifiable
energy efficiencies by 2020. Clean energy
also encompasses technological enhance-
ments to the electric grid including smart
grid modernization and transmission
planning.
Under the Energy Efficiency title,
provisions include a series of standards
for buildings, appliances, and vehicles.
Robust building standards require new
construction to be 30% more energy
efficient by 2012 and 50% better by 2016.
The bill includes a provision implementing
a building energy performance labeling
system. Appliance standards apply to
lighting products and commercial furnaces,
among others.
Funding authorization to support tech-
nical literacy for both governmental and
industrial leaders is included in ACES to
communicate the energy-savings potential
of efficient appliance selection and low-
cost efficiency improvements. To ensure
house passage of the bill, sponsors yielded
on light-duty vehicle standards, although
EPA is granted authority to devise emis-
sions standards for heavy-duty, off-road and
construction vehicles, in addition to trains
and large ships.
The third title, Reducing Global
Warming Pollution, has been by far the
most contentious. The backbone of
this title is the Carbon Cap-and-Trade
mechanism. The proposed Cap-and-Trade
program is structured to reduce CO2 emis-
sions to 17% below 2005-levels by 2020, and
83% by 2050. This program would impose
a cap on large emitters by establishing
a system of tradable allowances. Should
emitters choose to pollute above the level
of their allowances, they must compensate
for additional emissions by purchasing
emissions allowances or certified emission
offsets. Offsets are generated by approved
projects of unregulated sectors — largely
agriculture and forest products — that
successfully reduce, eliminate, or destroy
GHG emissions.
Allowance allocation has been the
source of much debate. Initially, all allow-
ances were proposed to be auctioned off
to the highest bidder, but concessions
were made to reduce the cost burden
on American industry, energy-intensive
subsectors, and power generators. The bill
currently states that 80% of total allowances
will be distributed for free in the early years
of the program. These and many other
provisions could change in the course of
Senate consideration.
The final title, Transition to a Clean
Energy Economy, offers allowances and
rebates to private industry as safeguards
to ensure U.S. competitiveness during the
NEW ENERGY STANDARDS & LEGISLATION
rebates to private industry as safeguards to
ensure U.S. competitiveness during the tran-
sition to a carbon-regulated economy.
The current draft of ACES also includes
a border tax adjustment — widely regarded
as a carbon tariff — on imported goods origi-
nating from countries without GHG regula-
tion in attempt to level the playing field in
respect to manufacturing costs. The concept
of a carbon tariff is another subject of
significant debate, as critics are concerned
about the effects on U.S. trade relationships.
Additional provisions under this title offer
funding and training programs to develop a
clean energy workforce. ACES also identi-
fies developing nations that are eligible
to receive U.S. support in adopting clean
energy technologies.
ACELA 2009. On June 17, 2009, the
Senate reported its own version of an energy
bill out of the Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee — a counterpart to
ACES 2009 — entitled the American Clean
Energy Leadership Act (ACELA) of 2009.
ACELA tackles many similar issues related
to clean energy, energy security and energy
efficiency; however, it does not address GHG
regulation.
Ultimately, should Congress choose to
move forward, the two versions of energy
legislation would likely undergo a detailed
reconciliation process and formal revote
before seeking Presidential approval.
The current discussion draft of ACELA
features six titles, Clean Energy Technology
Deployment, Enhanced Energy Efficiency,
Improved Energy Security, Energy Innovation
and Workforce, Energy Markets and Policy
Studies and Reports. Key provisions related
to the commercial and industrial sectors
are centered around enhanced building
codes, building retrofits, appliance stan-
dards, industrial efficiency initiatives and
a Renewable Electricity Standard requiring
up to 12% of nationwide energy use to
originate from renewable sources by 2020.
Building codes featured in the bill target
energy reductions of 30% by 2010 and 50% by
2016. Industrial initiatives include expanded
funding for research, development and
deployment of new, efficient technologies
and the expansion of Industrial Assessment
Centers (IAC) under the Dept. of Energy’s
Industrial Technologies Program. ACELA
also establishes a number of clean energy
investment mechanisms including grants,
loan guarantees, and a family of revolving
loan funds to finance clean energy projects
in the private sector.
In sum, the United States is amidst a
dynamic energy climate and legislative pros-
pects seem to be changing on a weekly basis.
Federal support for energy efficiency, clean
energy and GHG reduction may come in a
number of forms, but it is difficult to predict
before final legislation is adopted.
What appears clear is that some form of
GHG regulation is likely, and nearly all sectors
are reaching for energy efficiency as the low-
cost, low-risk solution to meet the challenges
of energy security and economic growth in an
increasingly carbon-constrained world. ■
JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 53
 VIEWPOINT EMPLOYMENT

Job opportunities in the

New Green Economy

T
hrough operating a successful executive search firm,
my colleagues and I have learned a great deal about
evaluating the fit between people and their companies.
We specialize in renewable energy, environmental
sustainability and energy efficiency. People refer to these
areas as the New Green Economy, although we have consid-
ered them The Economy for over a decade.
Green companies include those that greening of America -- will stick with
manufacture wind turbines, install the company longer, make sacrifices,
solar panels, weatherize homes, reme- and be more engaged to solve difficult
diate contaminated sites, manage business problems when times are
water resources, and farm sustainably. tough.
But Green companies are not looking This brings me to the most impor-
for people who are true believers. Most tant concept in getting a job in the New
of them are searching for the same Green Economy – be choosy. Really
thing every other company wants to get to know those companies in your
find; competence, experience, a posi- market or in the region where you
tive attitude, and passion to get along want to live. You need to concentrate
with others and participate in a team. your efforts and focus your energies on
However, such companies also know companies that truly match your inter-
that when all other things are equal, ests, aspirations, and lifestyle.
the candidate with some additional Investigating local companies
passion, desire and motivation -- like a is the simplest and most straight-
connection between their work and the forward selection criteria you can
use to focus your energies. Asking
ABOUT THE AUTHOR friends and neighbors or using social
networking sites like LinkedIn, Plaxco,
Christopher Swan is the CEO and or Facebook, can give you some hints.
cofounder of RSMR Global Resources, You may also want to hit the local
a strategic executive search firm in Chi- eating establishments across the street
cago. RSMR Global Resources provides from the building during lunch time.
retained executive search services to Gathering information does not neces-
clients involved in renewable energy, sarily take a long time, but it does
green build, take some effort and ingenuity, so get
environmental creative.
sustainability, So what types of people are New Green
and energy Economy companies looking for?
efficiency. Engineering or technology – We
simply have not graduated enough
engineers and scientists over the past
twenty years. With the economic slow-
down and the growing standards of
living in the third world, many of the
international graduate-level engineers
that we have educated here in the U.S.
have headed home. If you are a tech-
nology graduate you need to polish your
image and go look for a green job.
MBA’s are still in high demand – As
much as we want people to be tech-
nologically literate, we must have
leaders who understand how to create
better companies. This is especially
true in an industry full of start-ups,
technologists, venture capitalists,
and entrepreneurs. Highlight your
management abilities and discuss
your past successes in managing busi-
nesses. Keep in mind the acronym SAR
– Situation, Action, and Result. State
the situation, explain your actions, and
describe the result.
Communication Skills – If you
have a technical background and can
communicate, you are in demand.
Work on your communication skills.
Years ago when I came out of college I
embarrassed myself by using the word
“proverbial” incorrectly. I vowed to
myself that I would never use a word
that I didn’t understand at least one of
its definitions. If you can, learn another
language. The New Green Economy
can be internationally focused, and
it is a huge plus if you speak another
language. Lifelong learning is crucial to
most companies, and nothing says that
you are a lifelong learner better than
leaning another language.
Have a personality - Be inclusive,
courteous, and polite. If you have
any questions on this, read Marshall
Goldsmith’s book, What Got You Here
Will Not Get You There. Not to buy
into or perpetuate stereotypes, but
sometimes we find that candidates
with strong technical backgrounds
can be off-putting, too serious, or too
idealistic. It is better to be humble and
admit you don’t have all the answers
and listen carefully to what others are
saying. Try not to be “the keeper of the

54 EETweb.com
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

 Washers
sacred truth.” Be sure you make at least one humorous self-
NINETY YEARS OF
effacing comment at each meeting.
Be flexible – Show a willingness to take a lower level posi- Experience
tion or relocate to join an outstanding New Green Economy
t 23,000 flat washer sizes with
company. Your willingness to relocate will say a lot about
no tooling charges
your passion and your commitment. Frankly, it may be just
the change you need to jump start your career. t Over 2,000 material choices
Take stock of what you bring to the table – Look at your t Most orders shipped in
research and the companies you have identified. What sort 2 weeks or less!
of roles do they have? How do these businesses make money?
Where might the opportunities be? By simply imagining how FREE 2009
you personally might affect an organization you will gain a leg CATALOG
up on your competition. tt8"4)&34
I once had a candidate virtually sell himself into a firm by
ttt
prodigiously researching and learning about the company.
The candidate’s passion and knowledge for the opportu-
nity brought the company around. By focusing on what the
company is looking for you will emerge as a stronger candi-
date and will be more likely to be offered a position.
Don’t rely on your résumé - Frankly, your résumé focuses
888#0,&34$0.&&5
on the wrong thing: you. What employers really care about is
your ability to help their company succeed. You need to think
TBMFT!CPLFSTDPN
like an employer if you want that great new job. 

t

'BY

You are only relevant to the extent that you can help them
succeed. Therefore, your résumé is only relevant to the extent
that it helps to tell your story about how you are going to help

BIG
the company succeed. In short it is a prop and you are the
actor.
Only pieces of this prop are important to the interviewer.
So when an interviewer tips his hand about what is important

MEETING?
to him or her by asking you questions off your résumé, you
should do the following. 1. Answer the question directly (less
than 30 seconds). 2. Elaborate about the depth of your experi-
ence that best connects with what you think is most relevant
to the interviewer (less than one minute). 3. Ask a simple
follow up question about how this detail might be relevant
to the interviewer or the position (less than 30 seconds). 4.
Follow up with any relevant details based on the interviewer’s
response. If your interview becomes a dialogue you are prob-
ably doing well, so relax and enjoy the discussion.
Remember, you need to think like the employer. If the
interviewer is smart, he or she will feed your ego, and see
how self-absorbed you can be. So don’t take the bait, keep
your answers short and focused on the interests of the
interviewer.
Finally, good luck and keep at it – Giving up is one sure fire
way not to get a job in the New Green Economy. There are oppor-
tunities out there and you will find the one that fits you. ■ Reprints  ePrints  Licensing

888.858.8851
www.pentonreprints.com

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
EETweb.com 55

 VIEWPOINT LIGHTING

What would a ten million dollar

light bulb look like?
Surprisingly, it will appear very similar to a standard heat is safely isolated from the lamp fixture
through a plastic or ceramic socket. But this
A19 medium-base incandescent lamp.
thermal insulation is exactly opposite of what

Y
CARY ESKOW ou may see one soon. The Energy you need for an LED. White LEDs cannot
DIRECTOR conveniently shed their excess heat by radi-
SOLID STATE LIGHTING Independence and Security Act of 2007
AND LED BUSINESS UNIT ating IR – it’s not part of their output spectra.
AVNET ELECTRONICS
established a $10M prize for the best LED Nor is ultraviolet.
MARKETING (light emitting diode) based replace- Heat must be conducted away from the
ment of a common 60-W incandescent bulb. The LED die in order for it to function for any
contest is also known as the “Bright Tomorrow reasonable length of time, and replacing lamp
Lighting Competition” and the “L-Prize.” The US sockets across the nation to make them ther-
Government’s intent, as described in Subtitle E, Section mally conductive is obviously not an option.
655 is to encourage the development and rapid deploy- Like most sources of light, the output of an
ment of new energy-efficient lighting products. There is LED diminishes gradually over time. Maintain
a catch, however – the winning device must “…perform a typical LED’s die temperature at 60 °C and it
will emit at least 70% of its initial light output
similarly to the incandescent lamps they are intended
after 100,000 hours. But if the die temperature
to replace in terms of color appearance, light output, light is allowed to reach 100 °C, this time could be
distribution, and lamp shape, size, form factor, appearance and operating shortened to 30,000 hours or much less.
environment. They must be reliable, available through normal market chan- The L-Prize is unique because it is feder-
nels, and competitively priced.” ally funded, but there are other privately
The physics of light emitting diodes rise to non-radiative recombinations, realized funded awards aimed at improving the quality
actually makes this quite a challenge. LED as heat. As the intensity of an LED increases, of life and accelerating innovation. The
die are constructed from a junction of p-type so does the heat. High brightness LED die can Progressive X Prize offers a $10 million purse
and n-type semiconductor materials. P-type get very hot, well over 120 °C if not properly for a viable automobile with an equivalent fuel
materials have an excess of positive charge managed. economy of 100 MPG or greater – currently
carriers (holes), and n-type materials have an Of course LEDs are much more effi- 111 teams from 25 US states are in the compe-
excess of electrons. When voltage is applied cient than traditional light bulbs. To tition. Google is sponsoring the $30M Google
to the LED, electrons from the n-type material produce 900 lumens of light, an incan- Lunar X Prize for the first privately funded
move across the junction and “fill” holes on descent bulb will require about 60 watts robotic lunar exploration, and the Archon X
the p-side, transitioning into a lower energy of energy; a well-designed LED solution Prize offers $10M to the first person or team
level. Ideally, the excess energy from each might use 10 to 12 watts. that can sequence 100 human genomes
transition results in the emission of a photon. Note that almost three quarters of the within 10 days or less.
In practice however, not all of those electron- energy supplied to a traditional bulb heat How interesting to consider that forty
hole recombination events are productive. radiates outward in the form of infrared (IR). years ago, man stepped onto the surface
Foreign atoms, lattice dislocations and other This is why they were used in the “Easy Bake of the moon. One might make the argu-
defects in the semiconductor material give Ovens” of your childhood. The remaining ment that conquering space was a logical
progression from conquering the sky, and a
TYPICAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION OF great impetus for doing that was the Orteig
VARIOUS LIGHT SOURCES Prize. In 1919, Raymond Orteig offered
White LED Fluorescent 60W Incandescent $25,000 to the first aviator who could fly
Visible light 30% 21% 8% non-stop from New York to Paris. Charles
Infrared ~0% 37% 73% Lindbergh won that prize in 1927 in his
Ultraviiolet 0% ~0% 0%
Spirit of St. Louis. The spirit lives on.
If you have any questions or
Total Energy Radiated 30% 58% 81%
comments, please feel free to contact me
Remaining Heat 70% 42% 19% at cary.eskow@avnet.com ■

56 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

 PRODUCTS
Switchers operate with 88% efficiency
The PMK/PMMK family of switching ac-dc
power supplies now include the PMK/
PMMK450 Series that delivers 405 W with
active power-factor correction (PFC)
for up to 88% efficiency.
The Series provides standard
5, 12, 24, 36, and 48-V output
voltages and are available in
two styles. One version con-
tains an enclosed fan while the
second is supplied with a U-
Channel in a 5 × 8 × 1.57-in. enclo-
sure. Both versions can be ordered with DIN-rail
clip for easy mounting.
Additional features include single-line current share, remote inhibit, and
5-V standby.
Astrodyne, 35 Hampden Rd., Mansfield, MA 02048, (800) 823-8082,
www.astrodyne.com

Vacuum belts target solar

Power supervisor ICs draw only 62 mA
fabrication
The ADM2914 and ADM12914 quad-channel voltage supervisors and
ADM6339 microprocessor supervisor ICs enhance system reliability by ensur- Endless stainless-steel vacuum belts
ing voltage levels remain within specified levels. The circuits, designed to are perforated in precise patterns
monitor voltage supply rails in communications, industrial, and instrumenta- with specific size holes or virtually
tion applications, are said to provide up to twice the accuracy of other devices. any shape. The perforated belts are
The ADM12914 detects overvoltage and undervoltage conditions with welded using a high energy beam
1.5× the accuracy (±0.8% overtemperature) of other supervisory circuits. This and weld finished giving a smooth
helps prevents power supplies in medical ultrasound, telecommunications strong endless belt. Vacuum belts can
equipment, and other applications from slipping out of range. be used for parts conveying, elevation
The ADM2914/ADM12914 also includes an input-supply shunt regulator changes, precision indexing, as well as
that lets the device run off of higher-voltage supplies, including 12-V opera- in printing, film-processing, and pick-
tion in communications infrastructure equipment, and lithium-ion batteries and-place applications.
used in hybrid vehicles. Key features include positioning
The ADM6339 provides twice the accuracy (±0.8% overtemperature) of accuracy, high-strength-to-weight
other devices and can monitor three positive and one negative voltage sup- ratio, smooth motion control, virtu-
plies. The ADM6339 uses internally pretrimmed undervoltage threshold op- ally nonstretchable, and operate in
tions for monitoring 1.8, 2.5, 3, 3.3, 5, and –5-V supply voltages and is available extreme temperatures.
with one to three adjustable threshold options. Belt Technologies, 11 Bowles Rd.,
Analog Devices Inc., 3 Technology Dr., Norwood, MA 02062, (781) 329-4700, Agawam, MA 01001, (413) 786-9922,
www.analog.com www.belttechnologies.com

95%-efficient step-down dc/dc converter

The Swift family of power-manage-
ment ICs now offers the industry’s
smallest single-chip, 6-A, 17-V step-
down synchronous switcher with
integrated FETs. The TPS54620 dc/
dc converter achieves 95% power-
conversion efficiency and a 25% lower
Rds (on). The device easily powers
deep submicron digital signal proces-
sors (DSPs) and other embedded pro-
cessors, such as FPGAs and ASICs.
The 1.6-MHz monolithic dc/dc
converter supports 4.5 to 17-V in-
put voltages, allowing it to manage
space-constrained 5 V and 12 V point-
of-load designs.
The IC supports a 6-A continu-
ous, 8-A peak load current; 1.6 to 17-V
power stage input range; and a 1.6-
MHz synchronous converter integrates
two high-efficiency MOSFETs (26 and
19 mΩ) and comes in a thermally en-
hanced 3.5 × 3.5-mm monolithic QFN
package. Synchronized switching fre-
quency from a master clock eliminates
beat noise in sensitive data-acquisition
circuitry, while a feature-rich IC in-
cludes power-good, enable, and track-
ing pins for sequencing.
Texas Instruments, Box 660199,
Dallas, TX 75266, (972) 995-2011,
www.ti.com

58 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

Vibration control silences wind turbines Energy-efficient LED light strips
A new brochure for the wind-energy sector covers vibration The LF1D Series of LED light strips are the brightest in their
control for wind turbines. class at up to 67.2 Lumens/W. Reinforced-glass models
In a wind turbine, are IP67f-protected against water, dust, and oil, making
these mounts can ab- them suitable for machine tools or outdoor equipment. A
sorb harmful vibrations IP67-rated polycarbonate plastic cover is available for food-
to protect the nacelle processing applications.
cover, generator, and These Cool White (5,700°K) light strips retain 70% of
transmission system. This initial luminance at 50,000 hr and come in a slim (10 × 1)
increases the service life or wide (7 x 2) LED array with 24-Vdc voltage. The RoHS-
of a turbine and makes it compliant strips are mercury-free and manufactured with a
quieter. sturdy die-cast aluminum housing and stainless-steel front
Concise information cover.
about the effective use Two cable options are available: side connection and
of rubber and plastic back. Removable, direct plug-in terminal block and spring
antivibration products clamp connections ensure a high-quality connection, mak-
are covered. The six-page ing it easy to install or replace the LED illumination unit.
bulletin uses examples to Idec Corp., 1175 Elko Dr., Sunnyvale, CA 94089, (800) 262-
illustrate how even com- 4332, www.idec.com
plex mounting tasks can
be efficiently and reliably dealt with.
The brochure is available in both German and English.
It can be ordered free of charge off the Web site. Reference
order number WT 5994_d or WT 5994_e.
ContiTech North America Inc., 136 Summit Ave., Mont-
vale, NJ 07645, (800) 654-0974, contitech-usa.com

Surface-mount regulator
offers 96% efficiency
The V78XX-500-SMT Series is a surface-mount version of the
company’s 0.5-A V78XX-500 dc-switching regulator. The de-
vice, designed to be Decorative energy-efficient LED lamps
a high-performance The G15-Style DécorLED lamps consume less than 1 W and
alternative to linear directly replace 10-W incandescent bulbs. The DEC-G15E12
regulators, offers Series of globe-style clear-lens with standard candelabra-
96% efficiency. The based LED light bulbs provide ornamental illumination in
15.24 × 8.50 × 7.00- maintenance-intensive applications.
regulator does not These solid-state lamps come in extrapure white
require a heat sink, (5,000°K) or extrawarm white (3,000°K). Eighteen discrete
making it suitable for LEDs are configured to disperse light in an omnidirectional
applications where 270°-wide beam with each high-intensity LED incorporat-
board space is at a ing optical-grade epoxy to produce vivid illumination be-
premium. tween 25.4 to 27.4 lumens, depending on model number.
Features of the The LED cluster is protected by a molded polycarbonate,
v78XX-600-SMT UV-protected and shatter-resistant 1.9-in.-diameter globe.
include a 4.5 to 28- Integrated, current-limiting resistors and polarity-protection
Vdc input range, 3.3, 5, 12, and 15-Vdc regulated output diodes assure that no circuit modifications are required.
voltages, and a 500-mA output current with a –40 to 71°C G15 DécorLEDs are energy-efficient light sources, sav-
operating range at 100% load, derating to 60% load at 85°C. ing 80 to 90% of power costs compared to 10 or 15-W
The converters offer short-circuit protection, thermal shut- incandescent bulbs. The lamps are moisture-resistant and
down, very low ripple and noise (10 mV p-p typical), and a 2 suitable for indoor/outdoor use; they can be dimmed with
million hr MTBF. standard lamp dimmers. The White LEDs have an average
V-Infinity, a div. of CUI Inc., 20050 S.W. 112th Ave., Tuala- lifespan of up to 50,000 hr (5+ years).
tin, OR 97062, (503) 612-2383, www.cui.com LEDtronics Inc., 23105 Kashiwa Court, Torrance, CA 90505,
(800) 579-4875, www.ledtronics.com

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 59

 PRODUCTS
Energy-saving LCD displays
The InfoVue High/Low Temp Series LCD displays provide a
50% savings in technology costs and 80% energy savings
when compared to their counterparts. The displays per-
form in extreme heat or cold. Key benefits of the high-duty
displays include reliable performance in a wide range of
temperatures, enhanced visual display quality, and cost and
energy savings.

Wireless energy meters

The Wi-LEM (Wireless Local Energy Meter) family allows
remote measurement and monitoring of electricity, water,
and other metered utilities, as well as temperature and hu-
midity. Users can break down energy and water usage and
identify areas of efficiency improvement. All Wi-LEM com-
ponents feature 10-mW RF power.
Wi-LEM uses the 802.15.4 wireless communication stan-
dard, along with split-core transducers, to reduce time, cost,
and disruption of using a submetering installation. The displays perform in –40 to 85°C conditions, such
The Wi-Pulse dual-input pulse counter counts and trans- as those found in military, freezer, gas pumps/fuel meters,
mits pulses generated by utility meters. It easily connects nonautomotive transportation, and nonclimate-controlled
to existing networks. Wi-Pulse allows readings from stand- facility applications.
alone water and energy utility meters and submeters with InfoVue LCD displays provide full graphic capability and
a pulse output to be monitored centrally using a Wi-LEM daylight visibility as opposed to the alphanumeric displays
network. of conventional LCDs. The displays come in sizes ranging
The Wi-Zone is a temperature and humidity transducer from 8 × 1 character displays to 320 × 240-pixel graphic
that connects to a Wi-LEM network. Both devices are bat- displays.
tery powered and feature an internal integrated antenna. Lumex, 290 E. Helen Rd., Palatine, IL 60067, (800) 278-5666,
LEM USA Inc., 11665 W. Bradley Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53224, www.lumex.com
(800) 236-5366, www.lem.com

High-density motor hits 90% efficiency

The heartof the 2000-W RE 50 is an ironless rotor for detent-free running
and minimized mass inertia. A two-pole neodymium permanent mag-
net combined with winding technology results in high torque
and acceleration. The drive measures 50 × 108 mm and is
available with four different windings. Features include
0.38-Nm nominal torque, 2,800 to 5,700-rpm nominal
speed, and more than 9% efficiency.
Low 24.70-Vdc nominal voltage and high power
density make the RE 50 suitable for use in battery-
powered applications, such as electric vehicles,
transport and logistics equipment, mobile
systems, and robots. The modular system also
offers matching planetary gearheads, encoders,
and control systems.visit maxon motor.
maxon precision motors inc., 101 Waldron Rd., Fall River,
MA 02720, (508) 677-0520, www.maxonmotorusa.com

60 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

Single-board, open-frame converters
feature 95% efficiency
The fully regulated iQL and iQG Series of wide input range,
isolated dc-dc converters are available with 2.5 to 12-V
nominal output voltages and 300-W power ratings, for high
performance in the DOSA quarter-brick footprint. The Series
was designed for confined spaces and demanding thermal
environments such as those required in telecom, datacom,
wireless, test and measurement, broadcast, robotics, and in-
dustrial controls. These single-board open-frame converters
offer up to 95% efficiency, 181 W/cu in. power density, and
up to 60 A of usable output current. Most models feature
metal baseplates for conduction cooling.
Bright lights, low-power consumption
The CL Series LED light-
ing assemblies and
single-package LED
components feature
high-bright lighting and
low-power consump-
tion.
The self-contained
CL Series assemblies are
electronically controlled
lighting fixtures that
emit a constant light
output of 240 to 400 Lumens with 9 to 29-Vdc input volt-
ages. Power consumption is only 4.3 W for the 240-Lumens
output version and 7.1 W for the 400-Lumen style. The as-
semblies are suitable for low-voltage applications such as
solar, outdoor security, and remote access lighting, or where
long life, ultralow power and 160° of optical light emission is
needed. An inexpensive ac-dc 9 to 29-Vdc-output converter
power source allows use with batteries.
Designed for rugged environments, the assemblies fea-
ture high vibration/shock resistance, –40 to 60°C operating
range, and waterproof housing. The new lighting assem-
blies do not emit any IR or UV and contain no glass or toxic
substance such as mercury.
Selco Products Co., 8780 Technology Way, Reno, NV
89521, (800) 257-3526, www.selcoproducts.com

Component count, significantly reduced through the

use of custom ASIC control devices, newest ferrite cores, Breakaway coupling targets
and multilayer capacitors, results in a single-board with a wind applications
0.52-in. height and the same output power formerly only
The ST1 torque
available on two-board designs.
limiter is de-
The iQL Series power distributed, intermediate, and Ad- signed to pro-
vanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) bus appli- tect gearboxes
cations. For conventional power rails, the standard output and pumps
voltages of 2.5, 3.3, and 5 V are equipped with both remote from failure
sense and output trim (–20/+10%), suitable for powering due to torque
a wide array of devices. The 8.3 and 12-V output models overload. The
feature output trim (+20/–10%) without remote sense. limiter’s modu-
Available input voltage range is either 18 to 36 or 36 to 75 V lar design allows
and output power ratings are 150 to 300 W, depending on for a complete
output voltage. breakaway at
The iQG Series comes with a nominal 12 V at 25-A out- widely adjust-
put, for 300 W of continuous output power. The devices able torque lev-
operate from 36 to75- Vdc input and are suitable for distrib- els — from 740
uted and intermediate bus applications that have limited to 118,000 lb-ft, across four body sizes.
airflow available for cooling. Individual torque-limiting elements are available sepa-
Standard features of both Series include fixed frequency rately for retrofit and for integration into custom-designed
operation; remote on/off; monotonic and prebias load coupling systems. Torque adjustment and clutch reengage-
start-up; autorecovery from input undervoltage, and over- ment are by using screws instead of hammers.
current, overvoltage, and overtemperature protection R+W America L.P., 1120 Tower Lane, Bensenville, IL 60106,
circuitry. (888) 479-8728, www.rw-america.com
TDK-Lambda, 3055 Del Sol Blvd., San Diego, CA 92154,
(800) 526-2325, www.us.tdk-lambda.com/lp/

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 61

 PRODUCTS
LEDs shine bright in high ambient light
The TopLED Black Series with lens is a range of industry-
standard medium-power LEDs in matte black material. The
black package offers higher contrast with lower reflectivity
without compromising luminous intensity.
The TopLED Black is the first TopLED in a black package
that hits a typical luminous intensity of 1.9 cd (at 20 mA).
Target applications include information displays for traffic
SHIMPO Servo Speed Reducers and public-transportation systems and price-changing dis-
plays such as fuel-price totem-pole signs.
for Solar Tracking The devices offers high contrast and good legibility in all
lighting conditions — even in strong sunlight. The LEDs have
a 60° beam angle so the light is focused for distance legibility.
Because the LEDs are SMT components, they are suitable for
automatic handling, and provide high placement tolerances
for highly uniform light dispersion.
Osram Opto Semiconductors Inc., 1150 Kifer Rd., Suite 100,
Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (866) 993-5211, www.osram-os.com

(800)842-1479 • www.shimpodrives.com Reference design for

energy-efficient LEDs
A new electronic
drive and thermal-
NEMA Premium efficiency motors offer management
substantial energy savings. reference design
Count AutomationDirect as one of the firms now
offering 1-to 10-hp NEMA premium efficiency simplifies the
inverter duty motors. These TEFC motors are said development of
to meet or exceed NEMA Premium efficiencies high-brightness
for optimized motor system efficiency, reduced light-emitting
electrical power consumption and improved system
reliability. When used on high cycle or long run diode (LED) bulb
time applications, NEMA Premium efficiency mo- fixtures that re-
tors offer substantial energy savings. These inverter- place incandescent
duty motors with rolled steel construction and C-face rigid base mounting use ball bearings and or compact fluorescent light bulbs in standard sockets. LED
are electrically reversible. NEMA Premium Efficiency XRI motors start at $310.
replacement bulbs typically require four different design
AUTOMATION DIRECT components: the LED, electronic drive board, thermal-man-
www.automationdirect.com agement system, and optics.
800-633-0405 The reference design features an electronic drive board
with a Nuventix SynJet cooling module that provides
designers with a complete electronic drive and thermal-
management design for high-performance LED replace-
ment bulbs.
TOWER LIGHTS GO LOW POWER SynJet thermal-management features a synthetic jet-
cooling technology that uses turbulent pulses of air gener-
EZ-Light TL250 ated from an electromagnetic actuator to efficiently cool
◗Dissapates 2W versus 15W the LED.
◗Mounts directly to machines The electronic drive board features the LM3429 buck-
boost LED driver and LM2842 voltage regulator. The
◗Standoff pipe & adapters LM3429 provides a constant current to the LEDs from input
available voltage rails of 9 to 36 V, includes analog dimming capabil-
ity, and is configured to drive up to 12 series-connected
LEDs. The LM2842 system powers the SynJet electromag-
netic actuator.
1-888-3-SENSOR National Semiconductor, 2900 Semiconductor Dr., Santa
www.bannerengineering.com Clara, CA 95051, (408) 721-5000, www.national.com/led
Nuventix Inc., 4635 Boston Lane, Austin, TX 78735, (512)
382-8100, www.nuventix.com

62 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009

Energy Efficiency & Technology

&
UI
4U
$MFWFMBOE
t
0)
44114-1503
Ph: 216-696-7000
Fax: 216-696-0177
ADVERTISING INDEX

Page Company Web address

Vice President/Group Publishing Director: Design
Engineering / Mechanical Systems/Construction Group 3 Avnet www.em.avnet.com
Joseph A. Fristik
Associate Publisher 6-7 Baldor Electric Company www.baldor.com
Dennis Jensen
Business Development Director
33 Belt Technologies www.BeltTechnologies.com
Larry Berardinis
Sales Director
23 Bison Gear & Engineering www.BisonGear.com
Jim Theriault
Online Sales & Marketing Manager
39 Bodine Electric Company www.bodine-electric.com
Virginia Goulding
Research Manager
Julie Ritchie 55 Bokers Inc www.bokers.com/EET
Marketing Manager
Jane Maloney Cooper 9 CGI, Inc www.cgimotion.com
Circulation Manager
Debbie Brady 29 Cicoil www.cicoil.com
Director of Production
Vince Potochar IBC CUI, Inc www.v-infinity.com
Production Manager
Michelle Modtland / Ph: 913-967-7292 21 Fluke Corporation www.fluke.com
Administrative Manager
Denise Donaldson 19 IDEC Corporation www.Lumifa.IDEC.com/usa
Senior Vice President
Bob MacArthur IFC International Rectifier Corp www.irf.com
ADVERTISING SALES
Production Coordinator 5 Linear Technology Corp www.linear.com/36XX
Reggie Hall / 216-931-9873
CA, OR, WA, ID, AZ, NV, UT, British Columbia BC Linear Technology Corp www.linear.com/6802
Jim Theriault / jtheriault@penton.com / Ph: 408-857-0322 /
Fax: 925-736-8705
GA, TX, AR, MO, KS, OK, NM, LA, MS, AL 45 Maxim Integrated Products www.maxim-ic.com/MAX9598-info
Franny Singleton / fsingleton@penton.com / Ph: 770-205-4289 /
Fax: 678-455-2741, 49 Maxon Motor USA www.maxonmotor.com
WI, MN, IA, ND, SD, CO, NE, WY, MT:
Dennis Jensen / djensen@penton.com / Ph: 952-368-0018 / 15 National Semiconductor Corp www.national.com
Fax: 952-368-0019
IL:
Melinda Hurley, mhurley@penton.com / Ph: 847-784-9825 / 1 Pioneer Magnetics Inc. www.PioneerMagnetics.com
Fax: 847-784-9826
OH, MI, IN, KY, TN, WV: 50 Pioneer Magnetics Inc. www.PioneerMagnetics.com
Bill Rodman / bill.rodman@penton.com / Ph: 216-931-9636 /
Fax: 913-514-6841 13 SEW Eurodrive www.seweurodrive.com
NC, SC, VA, MD, DE, DC, S. NJ:
Brandy Bissell / bbissell@penton.com / Ph: 919-773-1875 / 62 Shimpo Drives Inc. www.shimpodrives.com
Fax: 919-773-1876
ME, NH, MA, RI, VT, Quebec:
53 Wittenstein www.wittenstein-us.com
Liz Stott / lstott@penton.com / Ph: 617-649-0418 / Fax: 913-
514-6914
CT, E. NY (New York City, Long Island), W.MA: 35 Yaskawa www.yaskawa.com
Dorian Olivera / dolivera@penton.com / Ph: 860-561-4050 /
Fax: 860-521-9578
PA, N. NJ, W. NY:
Mike Boucher / mboucher@penton.com / Ph: 610-353-2877 /
Fax: 610-356-3842
FL:
Vince Castell / vcastell@penton.com / Ph: 941-359-0321 /
While every effort has been made to ensure the
Fax: 941-359-0321
accuracy of this index, the publisher cannot be held
Energy Smarts /International Sales
responsible for any errors or omissions.
Laurel L. Hirkala, Special Services Manager / 216-931-9602

JULY / AUGUST 2009
t
&&5XFCDPN 63

 LIGHTEN UP ENERGY MYTHS
Debunkifying
Energy Myths
AROUND THE HOUSE
Myth: Leaving a light on uses less energy than turning it
off and on several times.
Truth: Leaving incandescent lights on uses more energy than
turning them on and off as needed. But if you’re using a compact
fluorescent light, it should be left on if it will be needed again with-
in 15 minutes because quickly turning them on and off shortens
bulb life.
Myth: Keeping a thermostat at the same temperature uses less
energy than turning it down at night and then up again in the
morning.
Truth: It takes less energy to warm up a cold home in the morn-
ing than it does to maintain a constant temperature throughout
the night.
Myth: The higher you set the thermostat, the faster your
home warms up.
Truth: It will take the same amount of time for the temperature
to reach 70°F whether the thermostat is set at 70° or 90°F. Setting
the thermostat all the way up wastes energy and increases heating
costs.
Myth: It take less energy to boil water if you start with hot
water from the tap.
Truth: You essentially use the same amount of energy whether
you use hot or cold water. Using hot water just means you’ve al-
ready paid to preheat the water.
Myth: It is more energy efficient to leave your computer
running when not in use.
Truth: Any time you turn off your computer, it saves energy.
However, turning it off and on several times a day may shorten its
life. Many computers now have sleep modes and other features that
save energy when they are idle.
Myth: Cold water will freeze into ice cubes faster than hot
water.
Truth: Actually, hot water freezes faster than cold water because
it evaporates, leaving up to 25% less water to freeze.
-from Portland General Electric
DUCT TAPE IS GOOD FOR A LOT OF THINGS, JUST NOT DUCTS.
People use duct tape (fabric-based tape with rubber adhesive) to repair
everything from broken plates to cars. It’s also been used as a bandage. As-
tronauts even used it to repair Apollo 13 equipment and get home to Earth
safely. But it’s not worth a hill of beans when it comes to sealing ducts.
During World War II, the U.S. military bought the cloth-backed tape
for making emergency repairs on battlefields. Then after the war, heating
and air conditioner contractors began using the tape to seal joints in HVAC
ducts. Tape manufacturers even colored it silver to blend in with ductwork
and was it soon dubbed duct tape.
But in 1998, scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab tested
duct tape, along with 31 other sealants under conditions that simulated
64 &&5XFCDPN
t
JULY / AUGUST 2009
What everybody knows about energy and
saving money isn’t always true. Here are
some common truths that fall into that
category.
MILEAGE MYTHS
Myth No. 1: The Clean Air-Filter Swap: Dirty air cleaners in-
crease mpg if they impede air flow.
The Truth: Back in the days of carburetors, changing an air filter could
help mileage. But today, a computer controls how much gas your engine
gets and knows exactly how much it needs. A small restriction in air flow
won’t make engines run rich. In fact, today’s air filters are relatively large
and probably won’t affect mileage until they’re plugged so thoroughly they
trigger the Check Engine light.
Myth No. 2: Myth No. 7: Short-Stop Idling: Quit turning the engine
on and off. Just keep the engine idling while you run quick errands.
The Truth: Cars mileage inherently goes down while idling. And once an
engine is warm, it uses no fuel to shut down or restart. That’s why the
engine in a hybrid turns off when the vehicle isn’t moving.
Myth No. 3: Fill your tank in the morning: Top off your tank when
the weather is cool. The gas is denser and has more energy.
The Truth: Cooler gas might be denser and, technically, provide more
energy per gallon. But modern cars correct the gas/air ratio so the
proportion of air-to-fuel is chemically correct. And although we buy gas by
volume and get more, there’s little variation in the temperature of gas in
underground tanks over the course of a day. Besides, like our modern cars,
modern fuel pumps are temperature-compensated to eliminate density
difference.
long-term home use. They heated air to 170° and chilled it to below 55°
before blasting it through ducts. They even baked ductwork at up to 187° to
replicate the conditions of closed attics during summer sun.
And of all the things they tested, only duct tape failed - reliably and often
quite catastrophically.
Instead of using duct tape, researchers recommended sealing ducts
with mastics, gooey sealants that are painted on and allowed to harden;
metal ducts should be held together with sheet metal screws; and flexible
duct connections should be secured with metal or plastic bands. But as, all
home DIYers know, these methods take time and skill. Duct tape doesn’t.
-from the Consumer Energy Center
 INTRODUCING THE NEW

V-INFINITY P OWE RI NG IN G EN U IT Y

CUI Inc has expanded it’s power division. V-Infinity, a division of CUI Inc, now provides a comprehensive line of
external and embedded power products. Our focus is on developing long term partnerships with customers by
supplying the latest technologies and a product line that converts power all the way from the wall down to the IC.

dc-dc converters switching power supplies

isolated board mount embedded power
isolated chassis mount open frame
chassis mount
non-isolated regulators multi-blade
LED driver modules external adapters
wall plug
desk-top
multi-blade

› Wattages ranging from 0.25 to 2400 W.

› The latest test, inspection, and failure analysis techniques.

› All models meet current energy efficiency regulations.

› Medical approvals available on specific products.

› Standard approvals: UL, cUL, TUV, CE, and CB.

www.v-infinity.com | 800.275.4899
 High Voltage, Precision,
Battery Stack Monitor
Watchdog
Timer

1MHz Serial I/F

1MHz Serial I/F

10ppm Voltage
Reference

12 Cell 12-Bit
Battery ADC
String

Registers
and
Control

Watchdog
Timer

1MHz Serial I/F

1V to 5V
Per Cell 1MHz Serial I/F

Rugged IC for Hybrid/Electric Vehicles & Battery Backup Systems

®
The LTC 6802 is a highly integrated multicell battery monitoring IC, capable of measuring up to 12 individual battery cell
voltages. Using a novel serial data communication technique, multiple LTC6802s can be stacked in series without optocouplers
or isolators, allowing precision voltage monitoring of every cell for 1000V+ systems. With high ESD, EMI and noise immunity,
the LTC6802 stands up to real world conditions in a range of automotive and industrial applications.

Features Cell Measurement Accuracy Info & Free Samples

0.3
9  
 6(+3+
-2 *
$ 130$+$,2 www.linear.com/6802
00-0
%0-+
8
:
2-
: 0.2
1-800-4-LINEAR
Measurement Error (%)

9 
5(2'
,'$0$,2

(*2$0(,& 0.1

0
9 ,!- 0#
1
%-0
$**
(1"' 0&$ Free Automotive
–0.1 Electronics
9 62$0, *
$+.$0 230$
,.321 Solutions Brochure
–0.2
9 ( &,-12("1
,#
 3*2
$2$"2(-,
–0.3
9  –50 –25 0 25 50 75 100 125
www.linear.com/autosolutions
Temperature (°C)
9

$ #

 ") &$

Typical devices show outstanding accuracy , LTC, LT and LTM are registered trademarks of Linear
9 3**7
.$"(%($#
%-0
8
:
2-
: over extended temperature extremes. Technology Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.