Data Traveling by Light

Regular LEDs can be turned into optical WLAN with only a few additional components thanks to visible light communication (in short, VLC). The lights are then not just lighting up, they also transfer data. They send films in HD quality to your iPhone or laptop, with no loss in quality, quickly and safely.

Just imagine the following scenario: four people are comfortably ensconced in a room. Each one of them can watch a film from the Internet on his or her laptop, in HD quality. This is made possible thanks to optical WLAN. Light from the LEDs in the overhead lights serves as the transfer medium. For a long time, this was just a vision for the future. However, since scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI in Berlin, Germany, have developed a new transfer technology for video data within the scope of the OMEGA project of the EU, its implementation in real life is getting markedly closer. At the end of May, the scientists were able to present the results of the project in Rennes, France. They were able to transfer data at a rate of 100 megabits per second (Mbit/s) without any losses, using LEDs in the ceiling that light up more than ten square meters (90 square feet). The receiver can be placed anywhere within this radius, which is currently the maximum range. “This means that we transferred four videos in HD quality to four different laptops at the same time,“ says Dr. Anagnostis Paraskevopoulos from the HHI.

“The fundamentals of visible light communication (VLC) were developed together with the industry partners Siemens and France Telecom Orange Labs,“ said the expert. At HHI, the team of project manager Klaus-Dieter Langer is now further developing the new technology. “For VLC the sources of light – in this case, white-light LEDs – provide lighting for the room at the same time they transfer information. With the aid of a special component, the modulator, we turn the LEDs off and on in very rapid succession and transfer the information as ones and zeros. The modulation of the light is imperceptible to the human eye. A simple photo diode on the laptop acts as a receiver. As Klaus-Dieter Langer explains, “The diode catches the light, electronics decode the information and translate it into electrical impulses, meaning the language of the computer.“ One advantage is that it takes only a few components to prepare the LEDs so that they function as transfer media. One disadvantage is that as soon as something gets between the light and the photo diode (for example, when someone holds his hand over the diode) the transfer is impaired. Laptops, Palm devices or mobile telephones are all potential end devices.

The scientists emphasize that VLC is not intended to replace regular WLAN, PowerLAN or UMTS. It is best suited as an additional option for data transfer where radio transmission networks are not desired or not possible – without needing new cables or equipment in the house. Combinations are also possible, such as optical WLAN in one direction and PowerLAN for the return channel. Films can be transferred to the PC like this and also played there, or they can be sent on to another computer.

The new transmission technology is suitable for hospitals, for example, because radio transmissions are not allowed there. Despite this fact, high data rates must be transmitted without losses and unzipped, according to the experts. If part of the communication occurs via the light in the surgical room, this would make it possible to control wireless surgical robots or transmit x-ray images. In airplanes, each passenger could view his own
entertainment program on a display, saving aircraft manufacturers miles of cables. Another possible venue for the application of this technology are production facilities, where radio transmissions very often interfere with the processes.

Currently the scientists are developing their systems toward higher bit rates. “Using red-blue-green-white light LEDs, we were able to transmit 800 Mbit/s in the lab,“ said Klaus-Dieter Langer. “That is a world record for the
VLC method.“ The HHI scientists will showcase how videos are transmitted by light in Hall 11.1, Booth 8 at the International Telecommunications Fair IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung IFA) in Berlin from September 2-7, 2011. (source www.fraunhofer.de)

Massachusetts Launches EV Infrastructure Initiative

The Patrick-Murray Administration Awards Electric Vehicle Charging Stations to 25 Cities and Towns at Lexington Battle Green marking a new milestone in Commonwealth’s clean energy revolution; public-private partnership supplies 105 charging stations for communities from Cape Cod to the Berkshires.

LEXINGTON — As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s nation-leading commitment to clean energy, Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. today took the Commonwealth’s clean energy revolution to Lexington’s Battle Green to announce the award of 105 electric vehicle charging stations for 25 cities and towns across the state.

“Placing these state-of-the-art charging stations in cities and towns across Massachusetts supports the Administration’s clean energy agenda – augmenting our nation-leading efforts in the areas of green jobs, Green Communities, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray. “Our Administration is pleased to partner with the Obama Administration and Coulomb Technologies on this initiative, and we look forward to seeing this innovative resource support municipalities as they embrace new clean transportation options.”

The following communities are receiving charging stations, which will be sited on downtown streets, parking garages, shopping malls, schools and colleges, and commercial, medical and industrial parks: Athol, Barnstable, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Falmouth, Greenfield, Hanover, Holyoke, Hopkinton, Kingston, Lancaster, Lenox, Lexington, Lowell, Nantucket, New Bedford, New Salem, Newton, Northampton, Orange, Salem, Tyngsboro, and Worcester.

The Commonwealth will also be installing additional charging stations, separate from these municipal installations, at Logan Airport garages, Logan Express parking lots and at MBTA commuter parking locations.

“Investing in vehicle charging stations is an important first step in moving toward a mass market in electric vehicles that will help reduce harmful emissions while fostering the development of green technologies,” said Congressman Stephen F. Lynch. “I am pleased to see that Governor Deval Patrick is putting in place the infrastructure needed to make electric cars a viable option here in Massachusetts.”

EEA’s Department of Energy Resources (DOER) invited cities and towns to apply for electric vehicle charging equipment grants, funded with approximately $280,000 made available through a settlement obtained by Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office in 2007 for alleged pollution control equipment violations by an Ohio-based power plant. That funding was subsequently augmented through a public-private partnership with Coulomb Technologies of California, which received a U.S. Department of Energy American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to provide installation of electric charging equipment and re-granted awards in the form of charging stations to Massachusetts cities and towns through the company’s ChargePoint America program.

““Electric vehicle technology is a significant way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand our clean energy economy,” said Secretary Sullivan. “Our communities have come forward in partnership with local business, colleges and employers to find highly visible, well-utilized locations where owners of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles can charge their vehicles. Through these public-private partnerships, we are ensuring that ‘green’ transportation options will be a reality in cities and towns throughout the state.”

The program announced today will create jobs for Massachusetts electricians, and is an important step in helping communities, residents and business across the state transition to cleaner driving as Massachusetts prepares for the entry of new electric vehicle models to the Massachusetts market as early as this year.

By reducing Massachusetts’ reliance on petroleum-based transportation, the additional electric vehicle infrastructure announced today supports the goals of several recently-passed state laws – including the Green Communities Act, Green Jobs Act, and the Global Warming Solutions Act, under which the Patrick-Murray Administration last December set a target to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and adopted the Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020 setting out a suite of programs and policies to achieve that target.

“With transportation responsible for 26 percent of greenhouse gas emissions produced in Massachusetts, it is prudent for the Commonwealth to take a multi-faceted approach to improving the way we drive and the vehicles that we buy – including investments to expand the use of electric vehicles,” said DOER Commissioner Mark Sylvia.

“Electric cars or electric hybrid cars are becoming more mainstream, and by providing these charging stations in convenient locations more drivers will be encouraged to opt for electric vehicles,” said Representative John Keenan, chairman of the House Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. “I am grateful to the Patrick-Murray Administration and to Secretary Sullivan for these grants that will help us move closer to our renewable energy goals.”

“Massachusetts is a national leader in clean energy policy,” said Senator Benjamin B. Downing, chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. “Investing in electric vehicle charging stations will help us turn that policy into real change on the ground in our communities, giving our residents the opportunity to be less dependent on foreign fossil fuels.”

“I am very pleased to see Lexington continue on the path towards cleaner, more renewable sources of energy for our transportation needs,” said Representative Jay Kaufman. “Electrically-powered automobiles are becoming more prevalent in the marketplace and the Patrick-Murray Administration’s plan to provide 25 communities with this equipment will only help to grow widespread consumer support for these ‘green’ initiatives.”

Today’s announcement is the latest in a continuum of steps Massachusetts is taking to ensure its place as a national leader in electric vehicle technology, which produces zero emissions at the tailpipe. Other steps include a partnership between DOER and Nissan North America, Inc., through which DOER and the auto maker are working together to examine roadblocks to and opportunities for promoting the use of electric vehicles in Massachusetts in advance of sales here of Nissan’s all-electric LEAF. EEA is also in discussions with other electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle manufacturers regarding pilot testing pre-commercial vehicles, including trucks and small vans and all-electric concept cars.

“The Governor and Lieutenant Governor have recognized the chicken-and-egg dilemma – that if individuals are to be comfortable purchasing electric vehicles, they must also be assured that there are available charging stations for these vehicles,” said Hank Manz, chairman of the Lexington Board of Selectmen. “Lexington, with the thousands of high-tech employees who work in our business parks and the significant number of tourists who visit our historic sites year-round, is a natural location for electric vehicle charging stations. We are thrilled to partner with the state on this important initiative and look forward to being a leader in the next revolution to energy sustainability.”

In an advance that could open new avenues for solar cells, lasers, metamaterials and more, researchers at the University of Illinois have demonstrated the first optoelectronically active 3-D photonic crystal.

Using an epitaxial approach, researchers developed a 3-D photonic crystal LED, the first such optoelectronic device.

“We’ve discovered a way to change the three-dimensional structure of a well-established semiconductor material to enable new optical properties while maintaining its very attractive electrical properties,” said Paul Braun, a professor of materials science and engineering and of chemistry who led the research effort.

The team published its advance in the journal Nature Materials.

Photonic crystals are materials that can control or manipulate light in unexpected ways thanks to their unique physical structures. Photonic crystals can induce unusual phenomena and affect photon behavior in ways that traditional optical materials and devices can’t. They are popular materials of study for applications in lasers, solar energy, LEDs, metamaterials and more.

However, previous attempts at making 3-D photonic crystals have resulted in devices that are only optically active – that is, they can direct light – but not electronically active, so they can’t turn electricity to light or vice versa.

The Illinois team’s photonic crystal has both properties.

“With our approach to fabricating photonic crystals, there’s a lot of potential to optimize electronic and optical properties simultaneously,” said Erik Nelson, a former graduate student in Braun’s lab who now is a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University. “It gives you the opportunity to control light in ways that are very unique –to control the way it’s emitted and absorbed or how it propagates.”

To create a 3-D photonic crystal that is both electronically and optically active, the researchers started with a template of tiny spheres packed together. Then, they deposit gallium arsenide (GaAs), a widely used semiconductor, through the template, filling in the gaps between the spheres.

The GaAs grows as a single crystal from the bottom up, a process called epitaxy. Epitaxy is common in industry to create flat, two-dimensional films of single-crystal semiconductors, but Braun’s group developed a way to apply it to an intricate three-dimensional structure.

“The key discovery here was that we grew single-crystal semiconductor through this complex template,” said Braun, who also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and with the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at Illinois. “Gallium arsenide wants to grow as a film on the substrate from the bottom up, but it runs into the template and goes around it. It’s almost as though the template is filling up with water. As long as you keep growing GaAs, it keeps filling the template from the bottom up until you reach the top surface.”

The epitaxial approach eliminates many of the defects introduced by top-down fabrication methods, a popular pathway for creating 3-D photonic structures. Another advantage is the ease of creating layered heterostructures. For example, a quantum well layer could be introduced into the photonic crystal by partially filling the template with GaAs and then briefly switching the vapor stream to another material.

Once the template is full, the researchers remove the spheres, leaving a complex, porous 3-D structure of single-crystal semiconductor. Then they coat the entire structure with a very thin layer of a semiconductor with a wider bandgap to improve performance and prevent surface recombination.

To test their technique, the group built a 3-D photonic crystal LED – the first such working device.

Now, Braun’s group is working to optimize the structure for specific applications. The LED demonstrates that the concept produces functional devices, but by tweaking the structure or using other semiconductor materials, researchers can improve solar collection or target specific wavelengths for metamaterials applications or low-threshold lasers.

“From this point on, it’s a matter of changing the device geometry to achieve whatever properties you want,” Nelson said. “It really opens up a whole new area of research into extremely efficient or novel energy devices.”

The U.S. Department of Energy and the Army Research Office supported this work. Other Illinois faculty involved in the project are electrical and computer engineering professors James Coleman and Xiuling Li, and materials science and engineering professor John Rogers. (source news.illinois.edu)

U.S. Air Force Approves Production of Northrop Grumman’s Deployable Digital Wireless System for Remote Warfighters

ORLANDO, Fla., – The U.S. Air Force has approved Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Theater Deployable Communications (TDC) Wireless Distribution Module (WDM) for production.

TDC WDM provides a line-of-sight extension of a local area network and a radio-frequency link extension of local Internet Protocol-based traffic to rapidly distribute network capability to tactical warfighters in remote areas.

A total of 140 WDM suites are entering production for the Air Force Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. The approval to start production follows environmental and operational testing. The operational test demonstrated the WDM in both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint modes of operation at distances and rates not previously achieved.

“The successful completion of first article testing brings the next-generation of wireless networking one step closer to the warfighter,” said Claude Hashem, vice president and general manager of the company’s Network Communications Systems business at Northrop Grumman’s Information Systems sector. “WDM extends expeditionary communications and information to remote users over greater distances, with more bandwidth, and in a smaller and lighter package, enabling the Air Force to be more effective in achieving its mission.”

WDM is a new component of the Air Force’s TDC, a ground-to-ground communications infrastructure that transmits and receives voice, data and video communications securely, to or from wireless, satellite or hard-wired sources. It is designed to communicate information rapidly and securely to achieve interoperability between Air Force, joint and coalition elements throughout the theater and “reach-back” command and control centers via Defense Information Systems Network core services, Defense Switched Network, Non-secure Internet Protocol Network and Secure Internet Protocol Network. The TDC system is mobile and modular. The equipment is packaged in kits and modules that are installed, transported and operated from transit cases and can be tailored to meet specific mission needs.

WDM is the next evolution of wireless IP networking, consisting of a single radio that operates in both the commercial and NATO frequency bands. A single radio reduces lifecycle and training costs and decreases the logistics footprint. The WDM system is undergoing Information Assurance certification, and the radio is a FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 device providing an AES-256 encrypted radio frequency link.

WDM uses dynamic data-rate selection and automated frequency selection across multiple channels to overcome jamming and high-noise environments. The system is designed to be deployed by a two-person team.

In addition to WDM, Northrop Grumman has designed and delivered several other TDC systems since 2004, including the Initial Communications Element, Network Control Center–Deployed, and Crypto Module Refresh. The Radio over IP Gateway Module is currently under development and scheduled for fielding later this year.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information. (source www.ngc.com)

Introducing the New Hioki 3198 Power Quality Analyzer with Advanced Functionality and Performance to Satisfy International Power Quality Standards

(March 2011, Nagano, Japan) HIOKI E.E. CORPORATION is pleased to announce the launch of the new 3198 power quality analyzer. The instrument, which complies with the IEC 61000-4-30 Ed. 2 Class A international standard on power quality measurement, provides unparalleled power quality measurement capability.

Need for Power Quality Measurement

As the number and variety of power electronics devices increases, issues such as device malfunctions and failures caused by power supply problems are becoming more common. To address these issues effectively requires detailed knowledge about their causes, but obtaining such knowledge is an extremely time-consuming proposition due to the diverse array of parameters that must be investigated and the high level of expertise required to do so. By using a power quality analyzer, it is possible to discover the underlying causes of these hardware issues precisely and efficiently.

Adding to the complexity of the situation is a recent trend toward more widespread use of distributed power sources such as solar power, wind power, and cogeneration systems. Initiatives to put in place smart grid technologies (which form the basis of the next-generation power distribution network) are also proceeding apace, with increasingly complex power transmission systems driving up demand for more rigorous monitoring.

Furthermore, there has been little progress in improving the power environment in developing nations such as China and India compared to Japan and the U.S. or Europe due to the failure of infrastructure development to keep pace with economic growth. Consequently, power supply problems are an everyday occurrence.

In this way, the need for power quality measurement continues to increase with each passing year, providing the ideal environment for the PW3198 to leverage its capabilities.

HIOKI 3198 Features:

• Compliance with the IEC 61000-4-30 Class A international power quality standard and dramatically improved measurement reliability

  Compliance with the IEC 61000-4-30 Class A international standard on power quality measurement, which stipulates the most stringent requirements in the field, points to the PW3198’s unparalleled functionality and reliability. To comply with the standard, the instrument delivers basic voltage measurement precision of 0.1%, an improvement of 200% over the previous model.

• Simple configuration function for intuitive operation

  The PW3198 incorporates a user-friendly configuration function that automatically selects the necessary measurement items once the user has chosen a measurement pattern, for example abnormal voltage detection. This capability eliminates the need for the user to configure a series of complex settings, significantly improving the instrument’s convenience.

• Extended measurement capability thanks to flexible use of SD cards (2 GB card bundled with product)

  The need for continuous monitoring in power quality measurement applications makes extended recording capability a must. The PW3198 ships standard with a 2 GB SD card that allows continuous measurement for up to 55 weeks.

• Improved safety thanks to CAT IV 600 V compliance

  Whereas the PW3198’s predecessor POWER QUALITY ANALYZER 3196 offered a CAT III 600 V safety level as defined by IEC 61010, the new PW3198 complies with CAT IV 600 V requirements. The higher level of protection enables the instrument to safely measure incoming power lines.

  The New World Standard for Power Quality Analysis, with Recording & Analyzing

• Verify power problems in accordance with the IEC61000-4-30 Class A standard

• High Accuracy and continuous gapless recording (V:±0.1% of nominal voltage, A and W:±0.2% rdg. ±0.1%
  f.s.)

• CAT IV 600V – safe enough for incoming power lines

• Broadband voltage range lets you measure even high-order harmonic components of up to 80
  kHz

• Wide dynamic range from low voltages up to 1300V (3P4W line-to-line voltage)

• Maximum 6000V transient overvoltage up to 700kHz

• LAN, USB and SD card interfaces

• Optional GPS BOX for synchronizing multiple devices

  Note: You can measure a voltage use with the main unit alone. Optional current sensor is necessary to measure current or power parameters. Use Model 9624-50 PQA-HiVIEW PRO (version 2.00 or later) with a PC to analyze the data collected to SD card.

Hioki 3198 Power Quality Analyzer Includes: L1000 Voltage Cables, AC Adaptor, Battery Pack, 2GByte SD Card Z4001 View and Purchase the New HIOKI 3198 HERE

Zinc-Oxide NanoWires Could Mean Better DVDs, Virus Killers

A breakthrough in semiconductor laser technology could potentially lead to a new way to kill viruses and increase the storage capacity of DVDs.

Researchers from the University of California at Riverside in collaboration with a team from the University of Central Florida have figured out a way to increase the use of ultraviolet semiconductor diode lasers. These tiny lasers, less than the width of a hair strand, are already widely used in data processing, information storage and biology.

Their applications have been limited, however, by size, cost and power. The current generation of ultraviolet lasers is based on a material called gallium nitride. UC Riverside’s Jianlin Liu, a professor of electrical engineering, and his colleagues have made a breakthrough in zinc oxide nanowire waveguide lasers, which can offer smaller sizes, lower costs, higher powers and shorter wavelengths.

Leonid Chernyak, a UCF professor of physics and Yuqing Lin, a graduate student at UCF, are collaborators on the research, which is published in this month’s issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

Until now, zinc oxide nanowires couldn’t be used in real-world light emission applications because of the lack of p-type, or positive type, material needed by all semiconductors. Liu solved that problem by doping the zinc oxide nanowires with antimony, a metalloid element, to create the p-type material.

The UCF researchers conducted experiments to verify that the zinc oxide nanowires in the study had the necessary properties for conductivity. Chernyak and Lin used UCF’s unique Scanning Electron Microscope probe station for the work. Chernyak designed and built the state-of-the-art station.

“We are so excited about this new development,” Chernyak said. “This research is most promising. While more research is needed, this may give us more options to explore, which could have some significant impacts on our daily lives from how we store our data to medical therapies that could help treat disease.”

For information storage, the zinc oxide nanowire lasers could be used to read and process much denser data on storage media. For example, a DVD that would store two hours of music could store four or six hours using the new type of laser.

For medical therapies, the ultra-small light beam from a nanowire laser can penetrate a living cell, or excite or change its function from a bad cell to a good cell. The light could also be used to purify drinking water.

For photonics, a field in which researchers study and create high-powered lasers for many applications, including medical and military, the ultraviolet light could provide even faster data processing and transmission. Reliable small ultraviolet semiconductor diode lasers may help develop ultraviolet wireless communication technology, which is potentially better than state-of-the-art infrared communication technologies used in various electronic information systems.

This is a giant move forward, but more work needs to be done with the stability and reliability of the p-type material, Liu said.

“People in the zinc oxide research community throughout the world have been trying hard to achieve this for the past decade,” Liu said. “This discovery is likely to stimulate the whole field to push the technology further.”

The work on the ZnO device was in part supported by Army Research Office Young Investigator Program and the National Science Foundation. The work on p-type ZnO was supported by the Department of Energy.

Co-authors of the study are: Sheng Chu, Guoping Wang, Jieying Kong, Lin Li and Jingjian Ren, all graduate students at UC Riverside; Weihang Zhou, a student at Fudan University in China; Jianze Zhao, a visiting student from Dalian University of Technology in China and the UCF professor and student. (source news.ucf.edu)

UCF Stands For Opportunity: The University of Central Florida is a metropolitan research university that ranks as the second largest in the nation with more than 56,000 students. UCF’s first classes were offered in 1968. The university offers impressive academic and research environments that power the region’s economic development. UCF’s culture of opportunity is driven by our diversity, Orlando environment, history of entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and energy. For more information visit http://news.ucf.edu.

NIST Optical Tools Produce Ultra-low-noise Microwave Signals

By combining advanced laser technologies in a new way, physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have generated microwave signals that are more pure and stable than those from conventional electronic sources. The apparatus could improve signal stability and resolution in radar, communications and navigation systems, and certain types of atomic clocks.

“This is the quietest, most stable microwave generator that’s ever been made at room temperature,” said project leader Scott Diddams.

Described in Nature Photonics,* NIST’s low-noise apparatus is a new application of optical frequency combs, tools based on ultrafast lasers for precisely measuring optical frequencies, or colors, of light. Frequency combs are best known as the “gears” for experimental next-generation atomic clocks, where they convert optical signals to lower microwave frequencies, which can be counted electronically.

The new low-noise system is so good that NIST scientists actually had to make two copies of the apparatus just to have a separate tool precise enough to measure the system’s performance. Each system is based on a continuous-wave laser with its frequency locked to the extremely stable length of an optical cavity with a high “quality factor,” assuring a steady and persistent signal. This laser, which emitted yellow light in the demonstration but could be another color, is connected to a frequency comb that transfers the high level of stability to microwaves. The transfer process greatly reduces—to one-thousandth of the previous level—random fluctuations in the peaks and valleys, or phase, of the electromagnetic waves over time scales of a second or less. This results in a stronger, purer signal at the exact desired frequency.

The base microwave signal is 1 gigahertz (GHz, or 1 billion cycles per second), which is the repetition rate of the ultrafast laser pulses that generate the frequency comb. The signal can also be a harmonic, or multiple, of that frequency. The laser illuminates a photodiode that produces a signal at 1 GHz or any multiple up to about 15 GHz. For example, many common radar systems use signals near 10 GHz.

NIST’s low-noise oscillator might be useful in radar systems for detecting faint or slow-moving objects. The system might also be used to make atomic clocks operating at microwave frequencies, such as the current international standard cesium atom clocks, more stable. Other applications could include high-resolution analog-to-digital conversion of very fast signals, such as for communications or navigation, and radio astronomy that couples signals from space with arrival times at multiple antennas. (source NIST Tech Beat: June 27, 2011)

Administration Announces Grid Modernization Initiatives to Foster a Clean Energy Economy and Spur Innovation

The Obama Administration on June 13th announced a number of new initiatives designed to accelerate the modernization of the Nation’s electric infrastructure, bolster electric-grid innovation, and advance a clean energy economy.

Aimed at building the necessary transmission infrastructure and developing and deploying digital information or “smart grid” technologies, these initiatives will facilitate the integration of renewable sources of electricity into the grid; accommodate a growing number of electric vehicles on America’s roads; help avoid blackouts and restore power quicker when outages occur; and reduce the need for new power plants.

The White House also released a new report by the Cabinet-level National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) that delineates four overarching goals the Administration will pursue in order to ensure that all Americans benefit from investments in the Nation’s electric infrastructure: better alignment of economic incentives to boost development and deployment of smart-grid technologies; a greater focus on standards and interoperability to enable greater innovation; empowerment of consumers with enhanced information to save energy, ensure privacy, and shrink bills; and improved grid security and resilience.

“A 21st century grid is essential to America’s ability to lead the world in clean energy and win the future,” said John P. Holdren, President Obama’s science and technology advisor and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which released the NSTC report: A Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid. “By unlocking the potential of innovation in the electric grid, we are allowing consumers and businesses to use energy more efficiently even as we help utilities provide cleaner energy and more reliable service.”

Holdren was among several high-level Administration officials who described the new initiatives and report at a White House event that also featured private-sector leaders and other innovators from across the Nation.

“America cannot build a 21st century economy with a 20th century electricity system. By working with states, industry leaders, and the private sector, we can build a clean, smart, national electricity system that will create jobs, reduce energy use, and expand renewable energy production,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Smart grid technologies provide a foundation for innovation by entrepreneurs and others who can develop tools to empower consumers and help them make informed decisions. A first generation of innovative consumer products and services—such as thermostats that can be controlled from a smart phone, or websites that show how much energy a house is using—are already helping Americans save money on their electricity bills, and there is great potential to do even more. Similarly, the adoption of distributed energy generation sources (such as solar panels on rooftops), emerging energy storage technologies, and electric vehicles are all spurring changes in how and when energy is being used by businesses and consumers.

“This is one more step in our effort to modernize rural America’s electric grid,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “Smart grid technologies give consumers greater control over their electric costs and help utilities efficiently manage power generation and delivery.”

Among the public- and private-sector initiatives announced today:

• $250 million in loans for smart-grid technology deployment as part of the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service, which is focused on upgrading the electric grid in rural America.

• The launch of Grid 21, a private sector initiative to promote consumer-friendly innovations while ensuring proper privacy safeguards and consumer protections. Grid 21 will help consumers get better access to their own energy usage information so that they can take advantage of new tools and services to manage their energy use and save on their utility bills.

• New commitments by the Department of Energy to focus on improving consumer access to their own energy information, including the development of a crowd-sourced map to track progress, a data-driven competition designed to harness the imagination and enthusiasm of America’s students to encourage home energy efficiency, and new EIA efforts to measure progress. o Consumers deserve access to their own energy usage information in consumer-friendly and computer-friendly formats. The Administration is committed toworking with States and stakeholders to ensure all Americans can take advantage of new tools and services to manage their energy use and save on their utility bills. With proper privacy safeguards and consumer protections, a smarter electricity system can benefit all consumers.

• Expanded partnerships to continue working with States and stakeholders, including an initiative to share lessons learned from Recovery Act smart grid investments, a series of regional peer-to-peer stakeholder meetings, and updated online resources available at: www.SmartGrid.gov.

• The formation of a Renewable Energy Rapid Response Team, co-led by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Energy, to improve Federal coordination and ensure timely review of proposed renewable energy projects and transmission lines, to ensure that renewable energy can power cities and towns across America, and to increase reliability and save consumers money by modernizing the grid.

These efforts build upon the historic $4.5 billion in grid modernization investments provided for in the Recovery Act—matched by contributions of more than $5.5 billion from the private sector—to modernize America’s aging energy infrastructure and provide cleaner and more reliable power.
“Modernizing our Nation’s electric grid plays a critical role in advancing America’s clean energy economy,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “These next steps will help us transition toward the economy of the future and provide a boon for domestic job growth.”

Even in today’s information age, many utilities don’t have real-time information about the state of the grid or know when their customers have lost power. A modernized electric grid can bridge these lingering information gaps while serving as a platform for innovation and helping to create jobs of the future. To secure our clean energy future, the Administration will continue to invest in transformational technologies and remove barriers for entrepreneurs to bring those technologies to market.
A detailed fact sheet and the NSTC report are available at www.whitehouse.gov/ostp (source www.whitehouse.gov)

The latest software release for the Televes H45 System Analyzer series (v1.69). Please be sure you update your H45 to take advantage of all these exciting new features:

• Display of the modulation parameters in combo mode screen for encrypted signals.
• Auto-lock feature on 8PSK carriers (including macros) with improved speed locking on Dish Network HD transponders.
• Extended spectrum analyzer range now starting at 2MHz for easier DirecTV’s SWiM systems troubleshooting.
• Improved C/N measurements for tightly adjacent QAM channels.
• Increased LNB powering current levels.
• Updated channel plans for DirecTV and Dish Network satellites.
• Minor fixes and stability improvements.

Along with this update also released is a new version of the H-Suite software that improves the edition of check quality mark thresholds.

Both updates are compatible with the all H45 versions and can be downloaded from the direct download links below:

Televes H45 software v1.69 –

http://www.televes-usa.com/downloads/h45/H45_USA_update_v1.69.00000_setup.exe

Televes H-Suite software v1.24 –

http://www.televes-usa.com/downloads/h45/setup_HSuite_1.24.00009.exe

Televes H45-599304 Televes H45 Advance Premium System Analyzer with MPEG4, HDMI, Fiber Optics (USA Version)

New

Televes H45-599301 Televes H45 Advance HD System Analyzer with MPEG4, HDMI (USA Version)

New

Televes H45-5993 Televes Field Strength Meters H45 Advance System Analyzer (USA Version)

New

The New Leaptronix IWT-5000A Impulse Winding Tester

The Leaptronix IWT-5000A winding tester is a coil (such as voltage transformer, inductance, motor) testing instrument that tests self-insulating property of the coil. The influences of winding materials, magnetic materials, and framework, also extra fabrication decreases the insulating property of coil layers along with the jumpers and jacks. The IWT-5000A adopts the technology of high-speed sampling rate to store the sample waveform of the standard (master) coil in the instrument. By comparing the waveform results of the test coil to the master, the defect in the DUT can be found easily. Moreover, the IWT-5000A judges the quality of the testing coil according to the parameter set by the user.

Leaptronix IWT-5000A Impulse Winding Tester Features:

● 200V~5000V programmable impulse voltage, it is capable of low-energy testing, without damaging the coil.
● High-speed sampling rate of 100MHz, which enhances the testing ability for partial discharges.
● 320 x 240 color LCD display clearly for the user to view waveform and test results.
● User-friendly operation interface.
● Low inductance during impulse testing, minimum to 0.2uH.
● 4 kinds of detection modes: AreaSize Comparison, DiffZone Comparison, Corona Amount Comparison, and Corona Number Comparison.
● The comparative result shows Pass/Fail directly, informing operators the detect test result within a short period of time.
● Offer measurement functions for voltages, timing and frequencies, which provide user a carry-out analysis in detail.
● Able to save 360 sets of standard waveform result of the coil for users to download and implement into testing.
● RS-232 to PC connection. Just using standard text command, you can write control program and data for communication easily. It’s the best way to set up the testing system for mass production.
● USB 2.0 interface to connect with PC for users to upload or download the parameters of waveforms results.
● Control function for external I/O, such as the Handler adopts standard D SUB 9-pin connector for connecting with automatic or semi-auto testing system.
● Self-calibration function

Leaptronix IWT-5000A Impulse Winding Tester

Leaptronix IWT-5000 Impulse Winding Component Tester