China Reveals World’s Biggest Offshore Wind Turbine

China-Wind-Turbine

By PowerMag:

“Two Chinese companies announced production of the largest offshore wind turbine built to date, a 16-MW unit developed by China Three Gorges (CTG) and Goldwind.

The groups on Nov. 24 showed off the turbine at a factory in Fujian province. The turbine has a 252-meter rotor diameter, with a 50,000-meter sweep area. The hub height is 146 meters.

Lei Mingshan, chairman of CTG, in a statement said, ‘the successful rollout of the 16-MW unit marks that my country’s wind power equipment industry has achieved a historic leap from ‘following’ to ‘running alongside’ and then to ‘leading’, creating the latest benchmark for the development of global offshore wind power equipment.’ ”

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FERC Tightens Regulations for Inverter Based Resources

FERC-Regulatory

By Renewable Energy World:

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued “new mandatory standards for inverter-based resources (IBRs) in an effort to enhance the reliability of the bulk electric system. IBRs are solar photovoltaic, wind, fuel cell and battery storage resources that use power electronic devices to change direct current power to alternating current power, to be transmitted on the bulk-power system.

In its November 17 action orders, FERC focused on three IBR-relateded actions:

  • An order directing the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) to develop a plan to register the entities that own and operate IBRs;
  • A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to direct NERC to develop reliability standards for IBRs that cover data sharing, model validation, planning and operational studies, and performance requirements; and
  • An order approving reliability standards that are related to IBRs, which NERC proposed earlier in 2022.”

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The CHIPS and Science Act Will Increase Demand for Engineers

CHIPS-Act

By EE Times / Design Lines:

“The $52 billion spending plan outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act that has been signed into law has significant implications for the semiconductor ecosystem—from chip manufacturers to engineers and production teams.

EE Times asked two design engineers to weigh in on the implications of the Act for engineers in the U.S., in the short and long term. Will it simply help return the design engineering process to status quo pre-2020? Or are there greater changes afoot that will drive a significant shakeup of the semiconductor design and manufacturing process? The answer lies somewhere in between.”

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The Pilot Convenience Store Chain Begins Adding Hundreds of EV Charging Stations

Pilot-EV

By Utility Dive:

Pilot is adding a competitive advantage in the race with other retailers on their plans to add electric vehicle charging stations. Pilot wants to create the “right experience” for its customers.

Pilot plans to add a total of 2,000 fast EV charging stations with protective canopies at 500 locations within the states as early as 2023. Pilot expects users to utilize their quick EV chargers between 15 to 45 minutes.

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Direct Satellite-to-Mobile Services Emerge

Cellphone-Satellite-Communications

By EETimes / Design Lines: “In just over 12 months, direct satellite-to-mobile communications have morphed from being a Sci-Fi pipe dream to a real-world prospect.

Apple and T-Mobile are separately rolling out schemes with Globalstar and SpaceX, respectively, to enable customers to connect to signals delivered from space. Amazon is preparing for multiple launches of its low earth orbit (LEO) Project Kuiper satellite constellation.

Startups such as AST SpaceMobile and Lynx Global have signed satellite-to-cellphone deals with multiple mobile network operators (MNOs) across the world—even before the official launch of spacecraft that will enable these services.

Google, meanwhile, is working on its own software project that will speed up communications between terrestrial networks and satellites in orbit. In September, Google spun out a startup called Aalyria to work on network orchestration software that connects systems on the ground with those deployed on planes and in space.”

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Honda and LG Energy Joint Venture for New EV Plant in Ohio

Honda-and-LG

By Utility Dive: “Honda and battery maker LG Energy Solution picked Fayette County, Ohio, as the site of their planned battery plant to support Honda and Acura electric vehicle production, the companies announced Tuesday.

The companies will initially commit to investing $3.5 billion in the facility but project total investment to reach $4.4 billion, according to the release. Construction is slated to begin in early 2023, in an effort to mass produce lithium-ion batteries by the end of 2025.

The investment is part of a joint venture with LG Energy Solution, which is pending regulatory approval. Honda partnered with the battery maker after announcing in April it was looking to establish a battery plant near a planned EV production line in North America.”

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