Switching to renewable energy solutions

31 August 2022 Power Electronics / Power Management

As load shedding and power cuts continue to dominate all aspects of our lives, so too do they dominate in industry, and many businesses are looking at innovative ways to reduce dependency on grid power. Going hand in hand with this is the surge towards increased productivity, reducing operating costs, and achieving a smaller environmental footprint.

This is a monumental task for South Africa’s mining industry, which is starting to make the switch and invest in renewable solutions. Presently, energy amounts to 30% of the total operating costs for typical mining companies.

“While renewable and solar energy solutions can make a massive impact and save the mining industry millions in electricity costs, they do require robust, quality battery solutions to ensure energy is stored and seamlessly available on demand,” said Murray Long, managing director of First National Battery.

All renewable and solar energy applications need battery solutions to store power, and the type of battery depends on criteria such as how much power is required, what the weather conditions are, and how much space is available. Uninterruptible power supplies not only provide a constant source of energy, but they also protect equipment from voltage fluctuations and spikes.

Mining operations also require robust battery solutions to power locomotives, drill rig machines, scoop and hauler batteries and mining cap lamps. While lithium-ion power solutions are paving the way toward renewable energy, conventional industrial and vehicle battery solutions are still essential for the mining industry.

Further reading:

NVDC power-path control to 1– 6 cell battery systems
iCorp Technologies Power Electronics / Power Management
SG Micro’s SGM41581 is an I2C-controlled narrow voltage direct charging buck boost charge controller designed to simplify robust power delivery in systems that must seamlessly operate from an adapter input or a battery pack.

Read more...

---

Precise, adaptive battery health-monitoring
RS South Africa Power Electronics / Power Management
New fuel gauge solution from Nordic delivers State-of-Health reporting, adaptive battery modelling, and seamless fleet observability via nRF Cloud.

Read more...

---

Compact 6 A automotive buck converter
Altron Arrow Power Electronics / Power Management
Delivering up to 6 A of continuous output current, the DCP0606Y from STMicroelectronics enables efficient regulation of low-voltage rails commonly used in modern vehicle electronics and industrial systems.

Read more...

---

The new role of UPS technology in high-precision automation
Omron Electronics Power Electronics / Power Management
OMRON’s BU_2SW and BU_2RWL series UPS systems are engineered to offer a robust, online type power architecture designed to safeguard sensitive AC powered systems across a wide range of industries.

Read more...

---

Rugged railway-grade DC-DC power modules
iCorp Technologies Power Electronics / Power Management
iCorp Technologies has introduced the AIPUPOWER ZCD100 and ZCD150 Series, a family of rugged DC-DC converters designed to meet the demanding electrical and environmental requirements of railway and transportation systems.

Read more...

---

Four-quadrant regenerative grid simulator
Conical Technologies Power Electronics / Power Management
The IT7900EP series high-performance regenerative grid simulator from ITECH is a full four-quadrant AC grid simulator capable of both sourcing and sinking power.

Read more...

---

90 W PSU with 150% boost capability
Brabek Power Electronics / Power Management
RECOM’s cost effective REFIN2U-S90/CL DIN rail AC/DC boasts a 90 W rating with a boost capability of 150% for 4,5 seconds to allow for surge loads.

Read more...

---

Standalone USB PD controller
Future Electronics Power Electronics / Power Management
The STUSB4531 from STMicroelectronics is a standalone USB Power Delivery sink controller designed to streamline the implementation of USB-C power negotiation in sink devices without requiring a full software stack on a host microcontroller.

Read more...

---

Power module enhances AI data centre power density
Altron Arrow Power Electronics / Power Management
Microchip’s MCPF1525 power module with PMBus delivers 25 A DC-DC power and is stackable up to 200 A.

Read more...

---

MIL-Spec DC-DC power converters
Vepac Electronics Power Electronics / Power Management
PowerGood has introduced a range of 15 W to 600 W military DC-DC power converters engineered for mission critical defence applications.

Read more...

---