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February 16, 2005 Advanced Energy, Raser Technologies, U.S. Dept. of Energy and Washington State University Energy Program combine forces for significant energy savings, economic growth for U.S.
RALEIGH – The U.S. Dept. of Energy’s State Technologies Advancement Collaborative (STAC) program has once again forged a strong partnership between private industry, a non-profit public benefit corporation, and state governments under its 2005 Science Initiative. The project has the potential to save 32.2 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) and 3.4 billion gallons of gasoline each year. Matching funds through the STAC program allow project partners to stretch dollars further and develop technologies faster so the United States can reduce its dependence on foreign fuels. The three project partners – Advanced Energy (lead proposer), Washington State University Extension Energy Program and Raser Technologies – have decades of electric motor and control experience in testing, research and development. Announced a winner by STAC on Feb. 7, the project, “Motor Control and Power Conversion Technologies Using FLEXMOD,” involves the development of a new modular inverter structure for use in motor drives and motor controls, with particular large savings benefits in the exponentially growing electrical energy and hybrid electric vehicle market. The 18-month project will develop a flexible, universal, modular inverter platform that can be applied to a range of power supplies from fractional horsepower up to 100 kw. A family of inverter products will be developed that share common components and compatibility. High performance permanent magnet motors have high cost and limitations. Current alternating current (AC) induction motors are widely used for more moderate performance objectives. This project will use advanced technology that can be applied to AC motors to meet the performance characteristics of permanent magnet motors, as well as those for current AC motors. “The modular construction will help reduce cost and decrease weight and size of the overall product,” said Kitt Butler, Advanced Energy’s business development manager. “The common squirrel cage design of AC motors is proven and reliable. Coupled with a new modular controller, this proven technology could be applied to a wider range of applications such as electric vehicles.” There are several anticipated benefits for the modular structure. Technically, it will allow state-of-the-art custom and semi-custom logic to be maximized to improve the performance and energy savings of the inverter, while reducing its cost once it is produced in volume. Also, it will improve the efficiency of the drive system, thus helping to conserve energy and operating costs. Currently a large number of different drives exist, each with unique power ranges and control algorithms. While some companies may continue to choose to develop their own proprietary technology, others do so solely because the products they require are not commercially available. The technology proposed is applicable to a wide range of applications and offers unlimited potential for both product sale and licensing arrangements in the multi-billion dollar motion control market. With the increasing use of variable speed and servo technology to replace line driven AC induction motors and others, the commercial success of this development is virtually guaranteed if all technical objectives are achieved. For more information, contact Kitt Butler at 919-857-9017 or kbutler@advancedenergy.org. Advanced Energy is a non-profit public benefits corporation that houses the only independent UL and NVLAP accredited motor test lab in the country. The Washington State University (WSU) Extension Energy Program is home to U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Industrial Technology industrial hotline system. In partnership, Advanced Energy and WSU are the Motor Resource Center [www.motorresourcecenter.org].
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