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Search results for: “power electronics”

  • Power grids: global investment?

    Power grids: global investment?

    Global investment into power networks averaged $280bn per annum in 2015-20, of which two-thirds was for distribution and one-third was for transmission. Amazingly, these numbers step up to $600bn in 2030, >$1trn in the 2040s and can be as large as all primary energy investment.

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  • Solar inverters: companies, products and costs?

    Solar inverters: companies, products and costs?

    This data-file tracks some of the leading solar inverter companies and inverter costs, efficiency and power electronic properties. As China now supplies 85% of all global inverters, at 30-50% lower $/W pricing than Western companies, a key question explored in the data-file is around price versus quality.

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  • Hillcrest: ZVS inverter breakthrough?

    Hillcrest: ZVS inverter breakthrough?

    Hillcrest Energy Technologies is developing an ultra-efficient SiC inverter, which has 30-70% lower switching losses, up to 15% lower system cost, weight, size, and thus interesting applications in electric vehicles. How does it work and can we de-risk the technology?

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  • Supercapacitors: case studies for renewable-heavy grids?

    Supercapacitors: case studies for renewable-heavy grids?

    Supercapacitors are well suited to smoothing short-term volatility in increasingly renewables-heavy grids. Typical systems are 10kW-10MW, 1M chage-discharge cycles, 5-30 seconds storage and $30/kW costs. Expect the market to surprise to the upside, especially in combination with other power-electronics. Who benefits?

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  • Energy storage: top conclusions into batteries?

    Energy storage: top conclusions into batteries?

    Thunder Said Energy is a research firm focused on economic opportunities that can drive the energy transition. Our top ten conclusions into batteries and energy storage are summarized below, looking across all of our research.

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  • FACTS: costs of STATCOMs and SVCs?

    FACTS: costs of STATCOMs and SVCs?

    Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System components (FACTS) include Static Synchronous Compensators (STATCOMs) and Static VAR Compensators (SVCs). A typical wind project has 0.5 – 1.0 kVAR of FACTS per 1.0 kW of real power capacity. Each kVAR of SVCs and STATCOMs costs $100/kVAR and $150/kVAR respectively.

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  • Electrification: the rings of power?

    Electrification: the rings of power?

    Electrification is the largest, most overlooked, most misunderstood part of the energy transition. Hence this 10-page note aims to explain the upside, simply and clearly. Electricity rises from 40% of total useful energy today to 60% by 2050. Within the next decade, this adds $2trn to the enterprise value of capital goods companies in power…

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  • Wind volatility: second by second output data?

    Wind volatility: second by second output data?

    We have evaluated the second-by-second data on the power output of a 25MW onshore wind farm in Germany. A typical day sees 75 volatility events. Compared to solar, wind power drops slightly less frequently, but more extensively (often >90%) and for longer (often several hours or days). Both wind and solar show high short-term volatility.

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  • NET Power: gas-fired power with inherent CO2 capture?

    NET Power: gas-fired power with inherent CO2 capture?

    Our NET Power technology review shows over ten years of progress, refining the design of efficient power generation cycles using CO2 as the working fluid. The patents show a moat around several aspects of the technology. And six challenges at varying stages of de-risking.

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  • Data-centers: electricity use and demand shifting?

    Data-centers: electricity use and demand shifting?

    This data-file estimates data-centers’ electricity use and ability to demand shift. Large data centers how power demand in the range of 50-500MW. Around 40% of their electrical loads can demand shift, to help smooth out the volatility of renewables?

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