The question for any system designer is not whether he needs a voltage reference, but rather, which one? A voltage reference is simply that — a circuit or circuit element that provides a known potential for as long as the circuit requires it. This may be minutes, hours or years. If a product requires information about the world, such as battery voltage or current, power … [Read more...]
20 MW Flywheel Frequency Regulation Plant Nears Completion
Beacon Power Corporation has made substantial progress toward completion and partial start-up of the 20-megawatt (MW) flywheel frequency regulation plant the company is building in Stephentown, N.Y. More than 10 MW of energy storage capacity (i.e., more than 100 flywheels) has been installed and fully tested by Beacon and is ready for grid connection. Of this, 40 flywheels (or … [Read more...]
A Few Design Techniques On How To Reduce The Power
There will always be the need to get heat out of high power circuitry, but with a little extra design effort up front, we may be able to reduce overall power needs. Here are two techniques that can help do that. Turn Idle Circuits Off A circuit that is not always used can be turned off until needed. This is a technique widely used in battery powered electronics, but it can be … [Read more...]
