September 26, 2011 Issue:
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One of the trends in energy efficient housing is a move toward window glass that can tint itself if need be to shut out UV and take a load off the A/C system. You can get the scoop on this development here.
As always, send your energy effiiency news to us at eeteditor@penton.com. -- Leland Teschler, Editor
We know we need to bring fresh air into buildings. But fresh air comes at an energy cost because that air usually needs conditioning. In the early 1980s attempts to save energy led to reductions in outdoor air introduced per person, down to 5 ft3/min (CFM) as a standard, and in practice often much lower. About this time complaints of sick building syndrome began to emerge. Eventually ventilation standards rose to about 15 CFM per person. The complaints, while still heard, were less frequent. But where did that CFM number come from? READ MORE
Among the latest stats: One-third of all new wind power capacity is going up in Ore., Wash. state, and Calif.; CFL sales are declining; and U.S. PV production is down to 8% of the global total. READ MORE
 So, your company has decided that it has either found a niche market or an industrial customer(s) with a sufficiently large volume to justify a business case for some kind of LED lighting. Now what? In the industry, I have found that an LED ballast circuit is really more like an AC/DC power supply than like a traditional fluorescent ballast circuit. Today in fluorescent lighting, one need only know the type and number of lamps to specify an appropriate off-the-shelf ballast. In contrast, there is no such thing as a standard off-the-shelf ballast in the LED lighting world. READ MORE
 Despite several notable retrofits that have given the gear industry a black eye, many manufacturers have been producing relatively efficient and robust turbines with little fanfare. Even with continued improvements, however, there are still a few issues that result in accelerated component wear and early failure. Early recognition of these failure modes will help reduce downtime for turbines even further. READ MORE
A supercar fueled with natural gas
Motor maker keeps rare-earths out of hybrid vehicles
Standards for solid-state street lights
Solar decathlon goes big on LEDs
LED troffer lights meet consortium standards
One-quarter of all U.S. homes built last year earned Energy Star rating
Super-efficient IGBTs for induction heating
 The VHB350 Series is a board-mounted, 350-W half-brick dc-dc converter designed to provide high levels of isolated power for applications with a limited amount of space.
The converter accepts a 2:1 input and supports either 18 to 36-Vdc or 36 to 75-Vdc inputs. It is available in regulated outputs of 3.3, 5, 12, 24, and 28 Vdc. The converter features tight regulations and efficiencies up to 92.5%.
Standard features include overtemperature, overcurrent, overvoltage, and short-circuit protection, remote on/off control, and output voltage trimming.
CUI Inc.
 The 8300 Series toroidal surface-mount power inductors are suitable for handheld consumer electronics with a restricted PCB footprint and height — the device measures only 7.8 × 5.20 × 1.8 mm. The inductor's toroidal core ensures that magnetic flux is confined to the core, so stray fields are almost totally eliminated.
With a device-dependent maximum dc current of 3.0 A, the inductors are available from 0.42 to 100 uH. Dc resistance ranges from 24 to 1,320 mΩ. The device's operating temperature range is –40 to 85°C. Supplied in tape and reel for high-volume automated surface-mount assembly, the maximum reflow solder temperature is 260°C.
Murata Power Solutions
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