Technical Articles

Fionn SheerinMicrochip Technology Inc.New vehicle designs contain more lighting than ever before: dome lights, display backlights, turn signals, low & high beams, fog lights, cornering lights, tail lights, accent lights and even infrared lighting for automated driving assistance. Inside the cabin, LED lighting has been replacing incandescent bulbs, primarily due to size, cost, efficiency and longevity. ... more

A look at how to design buck and boost converters with full analogue control for output regulationMihnea Rosu ... more

The European Commission (EC) has approved the Host Government Agreement between the Trans Adriatic Pipeline and Greek authorities, concluding that it is in line with EU state aid rules. ... more

Siemens has been awarded an order for the Kinik onshore wind power plant in the Turkish province of Kinik, located 80 kilometers north of the city of Izmir. ... more

Joseph Julicher, Microchip TechnologyThere are few applications addressed by integrated electronics that don’t require some modest form of power regulation, be that a simple current/voltage supply or a more sophisticated and optimised solution. However, with an increased focus on efficiency at every level it is becoming common to extend the simple to include some form of intelligence. ... more

Nexans has announced that the company’s high temperature conductor cables and accessories will transmit energy to the grid at EnergoBit S.A.’s 30MW Babadag II Wind Farm in Romania. The 140 km worth of conductor cables will be used to increase wind power potential in Romania, since the existing Babadag-Tulcea Vest 110 kv transmission line doesn’t have enough capacity to carry power from EnergoBit S.A.’s new wind farm. ... more

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is promoting bigger efficiency in Turkey’s steel industry with a EUR 75 million loan to the steelmakers Erdemir and Isdemir, each a part of Erdemir group, the biggest steel producer within the country.The loan will finance a comprehensive investment programme that may help the companies make the most effective use of resources in manufacturing processes at their 2 plants in Eregli on the Black Sea coast and Iskenderun on the eastern ... more

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) will launch a programme aimed at supporting the exploratory drilling investments related to Turkey’s paramount geothermal energy potential. The partners announced this decision during the 35th Energy Efficiency Forum in Istanbul, which took place on the 14th of January this year. ... more

Two Bulgarian energy projects will receive financing under EU’s Connecting Europe Facility funding programme for infrastructure. On the 19th of January this year, the EU member states acceded on a proposal of the European Commission to invest EUR 217 million in fifteen key trans-European energy infrastructure projects mainly in Central and Eastern Europe. Nine of the projects are in the gas sector and will receive financial aid worth EUR 207 million, while the other six which are in the ... more

Brian Tompson, Stephen AllenGraphic artists want to create accurate colour matches to capture their artistic work and reinforce branding consistency. But accurate presentation of colour on different equipment and media still remains a challenge. ... more

A biomass power plant will be constructed in Krusevac, Central Serbia. That was announced by Building Energy, multinational company operating as Global Integrated IPP in the Renewable Energy Industry, and the city of Krusevac, Serbia. The facility will be the first one in the country combining electric and thermal energy and will have an installed capacity of respectively 4.8 MWe and 20 MWt. The plant will generate 38.4 GWh of electric power and 86 GWh of thermal power per ... more

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting a comprehensive reform programme for the power sector in Serbia by extending a EUR 200 million restructuring line to the state-owned utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) that generates, distributes and supplies electricity across the country.The restructuring loan is aimed at improving the power infrastructure within the country by helping EPS restructure its balance sheet and support its recovery after the devastating aftermath of the Balkan floods in 2014. Following those ... more

Romania’s electricity distribution company CEZ Distributie will receive a syndicated loan from The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) worth of RON 675 million (EUR 153,7 million equivalent), aimed at supporting the projects of the distribution company. The projects refer to the 2015-16 investment programmes aimed at reducing technical and commercial losses, improving efficiency and installing smart meters, the restructuring of the company’s balance sheet in order to optimise its capital structure, and the provision of working capital.CEZ ... more

Nine outstanding projects financed under the Western Balkans Sustainable Energy Finance Facility II (WeBSEFF II) received recognition from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) as part of an initiative for promoting renewable energy in Croatia’s capital Zagreb.The investments promoting energy efficiency and low carbon technologies in the commercial, residential, and municipal sectors were honored at the 2015 Sustainable Energy Excellence Awards ceremony hosted by the EBRD on 22 October 2016 at the Hotel Esplanade Zagreb. The event ... more

Justin BauerSmall AC induction motors, say for opening garage doors, can have speed control and soft start added with little cost using a three-phase inverter circuit. These permanent split capacitor (PSC) motors are among the simplest and widest used for this type of application. They have low starting torque and current, but can be inefficient due to the non-polarised run capacitor, which often fails before the rest of the motor.These single-phase motors are often referred to as two-phase motors ... more