Group items tagged

Mention copper to almost anyone in the PCB industry these days and the first thing that springs to mind is the ongoing price increase. Although copper pricing is not directly monitored by BPA, the impact on the price of laminate and PCBs is monitored through BPA's quarterly survey for its PCB Information Service. \n\nIn the short term, forecasted increases on the demand side for copper prices are likely to remain at least at the current level. The trend in copper usage has diverged in the fact that a number of different applications now exist. \n\nAt one time, 1 ounce (35µm) copper was standard, but the average is now 0.5 ounces. Using thinner copper, if the design will allow, can, to some extent, offset a price increase. However, one segment of the PCB industry which is particularly vulnerable to copper prices is the automotive sector, where recent developments have seen the introduction of thick copper PCBs for smart fuse boxes and power electronics. These boards use 4 ounce, 6 ounce and 10 ounce copper--up to 20 times the standard thickness.

The company's charging stations use a simple key fob, like the one you might already use to buy gas, to unlock the station.

DOE announced on August 12 that it plans to invest up to $24 million over a number of years to develop products that connect solar power systems with the electrical grid in an interactive way. DOE has selected 12 industry teams that will receive $2.9 million in current fiscal year funding to develop conceptual designs and market analyses for such Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) projects. The projects will focus on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and will involve such efforts as developing systems that can communicate with an interactive utility grid and advanced power meters to respond to power price changes over the course of a day, systems that can work with energy storage devices and "smart" appliances to respond to utility price signals, and systems that can interact with building energy management systems.

But the investment needed to restore the ageing grid infrastructure has been lacking. In the US, for instance, an estimated $50bn to $75bn would be needed to update the existing infrastructure and give the US what it has never had - a truly national transmission network that would balance the load across the entire country.

His Clear PC concept is designed to increase the life span of mobile computers and improve their sustainability by fitting them with a smart upgrading system and an OLED display screen and stylus input that will minimize the need for peripherals.

Printable electronics have taken off in recent years, and there are now industrial-scale printing machines that can efficiently deposit a variety of flexible electronic components onto flexible substrates to create wearable sensors, displays, smart packaging labels, and other printable products. However, developing printable, flexible energy-storage devices, such as supercapacitors and batteries has lagged behind.

The EU announced a 'Connecting Europe Facility' initiative on 19th October, which has substantial potential to boost European wirerod demand. As part of the €50B (US$69.5B) investment initiative, the EU plans to invest €9.1B (US$12.7B) in energy infrastructure, including renewable energy generators, smart meters and smart grids, and €9.2B (US$12.8B) in telecommunications and ICT.

"Maxwell Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: MXWL), today announced that Freqcon GmbH, a German developer and distributor of renewable energy systems, has deployed an energy storage system for the Tallaght Smart Grid Testbed in Ireland that uses Maxwell ultracapacitors and lithium-ion batteries to support grid stability in both residential and industrial settings. Freqcon's Microgrid Stabilizer addresses the electricity intermittency challenges that accompany high renewable energy penetration"