Wireless Power: Getting Down to Business

Upal Sengupta, Staff Applications Engineer
Texas Instruments

About a year ago, I wrote a post about resonance and how it relates to the wireless power systems we’ve been developing at TI to enable convenient charging of mobile devices. Since that time, the industry has made a lot of progress in bringing wireless power solutions to the next level. While many people may still consider wireless power an “exotic” or niche technology, there are already tens of millions of portable devices with wireless charging capability in the hands of end users. Read more about Wireless Power: Getting Down to Business

Next-Generation Batteries: Problems and Solutions

Sam Jaffe
Navigant Research

It’s clear that today we live in a lithium ion world.  That’s the chemistry that powers our phones, our computers, our power tools, our electric vehicles, and our grid energy storage systems.  The only thing that it doesn’t do, yet, is start our cars (that’s still the domain of much cheaper lead-acid batteries).  Navigant Research expects that the age of lithium ion (Li-ion) will continue for at least the next 10 years. Read more about Next-Generation Batteries: Problems and Solutions

Understanding Battery Lifespan to Avoid Data Center Downtime

Gregory Ratcliff, Director of Life Cycle Management Services
Emerson Network Power, Liebert Services

When striving to achieve consistent and efficient operation, the UPS system is critical to data center emergency power systems.  While tests and assessments are often completed to safeguard these systems, a UPS is only as reliable as the batteries that support it. In fact, recent Emerson Network Power research on critical infrastructure shows that nearly 37 percent of down units are due to battery failure. Read more about Understanding Battery Lifespan to Avoid Data Center Downtime

PRBA to Pursue Changes to Secondary Cell Export Controls Under Wassenaar Arrangement

George Kerchner, Executive Director
PRBA – The Rechargeable Battery Association

As the energy density of lithium ion cells continues to improve, PRBA – The Rechargeable Battery Association has become increasingly concerned that the export restrictions on “secondary cells” under an international treaty known as the Wassenaar Arrangement could impede technological development. Therefore, PRBA has started to explore the possibility of eliminating these export controls on secondary cells. Read more about PRBA to Pursue Changes to Secondary Cell Export Controls Under Wassenaar Arrangement

ICAO DGP to Address International Rules for Lithium Metal Batteries Shipped by Air

George Kerchner, Executive Director
PRBA – The Rechargeable Battery Association

At its April meeting in Montreal, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Dangerous Goods Panel (DGP) will consider major changes in the international air transportation regulations on lithium metal batteries. PRBA represents the rechargeable battery industry as an official Observer with the ICAO DGP as well as the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Read more about ICAO DGP to Address International Rules for Lithium Metal Batteries Shipped by Air

UPS Battery Failure and the Impact of Downtime

Gregory Ratcliff, Director of Life Cycle Management Services
Emerson Network Power, Liebert Services

Batteries may be the most “low-tech” components supporting today’s mission critical data centers, but battery-related failures account for more than one-third of all UPS system failures over the life of the equipment. Since the continuity of critical systems during a power outage typically is dependent on a data center’s power equipment, comprised of UPS and their respective battery backups, it could be argued that batteries are one of the most important components of the data center. Read more about UPS Battery Failure and the Impact of Downtime