Monolithic Power Systems

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. is an American, publicly traded company headquartered in Kirkland, Washington. It operates in more than 15+ locations worldwide. [2] The company then diversified into DC/DC products. In November 2004, Hsing took the company public with an IPO. Since then, the company has grown to incorporate 13 product lines

Harmonics (electrical power)

In an electric power system, a harmonic of a voltage or current waveform is a sinusoidal wave whose frequency is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency.Harmonic frequencies are produced by the action of non-linear loads such as rectifiers, discharge lighting, or saturated electric machines.They are a frequent cause of power quality problems and can result in

War of the currents

The war of the currents was a series of events surrounding the introduction of competing electric power transmission systems in the late 1880s and early 1890s. It grew out of two lighting systems developed in the late 1870s and early 1880s; arc lamp street lighting running on high-voltage alternating current (AC), and large-scale low-voltage direct current (DC) indoor incandescent

Power-flow study

An alternating current power-flow model is a model used in electrical engineering to analyze power grids provides a nonlinear system of equations which describes the energy flow through each transmission line. The problem is non-linear because the power flow into load impedances is a function of the square of the applied voltages. Due to nonlinearity, in many cases the

North American power transmission grid

The two major and three minor North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) interconnections, and the nine NERC Regional Reliability Councils. The electric power transmission grid of the contiguous United States consists of 120,000 miles (190,000 km) of lines operated by 500 companies.. The electrical power grid that powers Northern America is not a

Solar panel

Solar array mounted on a rooftop. A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. The electrons flow through a

Direct Current (DC) Power: definition and applications

DC power is widely used in low voltage applications such as charging batteries, automotive applications, aircraft applications and other low voltage, low current applications. All solar panels nowadays produce DC power. Common applications with DC power in the PV industry are portable solar systems and other off-grid appliances. Not using a

High-voltage direct current

OverviewHigh voltage transmissionHistoryComparison with ACCostsConversion processConfigurationsCorona discharge

A high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission system uses direct current (DC) for electric power transmission, in contrast with the more common alternating current (AC) transmission systems. Most HVDC links use voltages between 100 kV and 800 kV. HVDC lines are commonly used for long-distance power transmission, since t

Pacific DC Intertie

Map of the route of the Pacific Intertie transmission route and stations. The Pacific DC Intertie (also called Path 65) is an electric power transmission line that transmits electricity from the Pacific Northwest to the Los Angeles area using

Polyphase system

One voltage cycle of a three-phase system. A polyphase system (the term coined by Silvanus Thompson) is a means of distributing alternating-current (AC) electrical power that utilizes more than one AC phase, which refers to the phase offset value (in degrees) between AC in multiple conducting wires; phases may also refer to the corresponding terminals and conductors, as in

North American power transmission grid

The two major and three minor North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) interconnections, and the nine NERC Regional Reliability Councils. The electric power transmission grid of the contiguous United States consists of

48-volt electrical system

A 48V system can provide more power, improve energy recuperation, [7] and allow up to an 85% decrease in cable mass. [10]12-volt systems can provide only 3.5 kilowatts, while a 48 V power could achieve 15 to 20 kW or even 50 kW. 48 volts is below the level that is considered safe without special protective measures.

History of electric power transmission

These systems were replaced by cheaper and more versatile electrical systems, but by the end of the 19th century, city planners and financiers were well aware of the benefits, economics, and process of establishing power transmission systems. In the early days of electric power usage, widespread transmission of electric power had two obstacles

Nelson River DC Transmission System

The Nelson River DC Transmission System, also known as the Manitoba Bipole, is an electric power transmission system of three high voltage, direct current lines in Manitoba, Canada, operated by Manitoba Hydro as part of the Nelson River Hydroelectric Project is now recorded on the list of IEEE Milestones [1] in electrical engineering.Several records have been broken

DC motor

DC motors were the first form of motors widely used, as they could be powered from existing direct-current lighting power distribution systems. A DC motor''s speed can be controlled over a wide range, using either a variable supply voltage or by changing the strength of current in its field windings. Small DC motors are used in tools, toys, and

EmPower (aircraft power adapter)

Universal Airline AC Socket Layout. EmPower is a 120 volt universal connector type found on many commercial airlines designed to provide power to travelers'' electronic devices. The system is limited to 200VA. The EmPower universal AC Outlet Unit is compatible with power plugs from over 170 countries and is designed such that 110VAC power is not present at the outlet until a

Wireless power transfer

In general a wireless power system consists of a "transmitter" device connected to a source of power such as a mains power line, which converts the power to a time-varying electromagnetic field, and one or more "receiver" devices which receive the power and convert it back to DC or AC electric current which is used by an electrical load.

Pacific DC Intertie

Map of the route of the Pacific Intertie transmission route and stations. The Pacific DC Intertie (also called Path 65) is an electric power transmission line that transmits electricity from the Pacific Northwest to the Los Angeles area using high voltage direct current (HVDC). The line capacity is 3.1 gigawatts, which is enough to serve two to three million Los Angeles

DC Power Distribution Systems | electricaleasy

A low voltage DC distribution system is of two types. Unipolar DC distribution system (2-wire DC system) As the name suggests, this system uses two conductors, one is positive conductor and the other one is negative conductor. The energy is transmitted at only one voltage level to all the consumers using this system. A typical unipolar dc power

Power inverter

A power inverter, inverter, or invertor is a power electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). [1] The resulting AC frequency obtained depends on the particular device employed. Inverters do the opposite of rectifiers which were originally large electromechanical devices converting AC to DC. [2]The input voltage, output voltage and

Solar power

Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to convert light into an electric current. [2] Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and solar tracking systems to focus a large area of

The Main Components of a DC Power System

In a DC power system, the uninterruptible power system (UPS) takes in primary power — usually utility AC — and outputs DC voltage while providing backup power from the integrated batteries in the event of an extended power outage. Although DC units may vary depending on the type of application they are designed for, most systems consist of

DC-to-DC converter

DC-to-DC converters are used in portable electronic devices such as cellular phones and laptop computers, which are supplied with power from batteries primarily. Such electronic devices often contain several sub-circuits, each with its own voltage level requirement different from that supplied by the battery or an external supply (sometimes higher or lower than the supply voltage).

Motor fundamentals and DC motors

(Image: Monolithic Power Systems) Wikipedia defines a "DC motor is any of a class of rotary electrical motors that converts direct current electrical energy into mechanical energy." By that definition, a BLDC motor should be classified as a DC motor. However, looking at the motor construction instead of the input voltage can support

Rooftop solar power

A rooftop solar power system, or rooftop PV system, is a photovoltaic (PV) system that has its electricity-generating solar panels mounted on the rooftop of a residential or commercial building or structure. [1] The various components of such a system include photovoltaic modules, mounting systems, cables, solar inverters battery storage systems, charge controllers,

DC Power Systems

DC power systems take continuous AC "voltage in" and provide controlled / variable DC "voltage out." DC power systems consist of voltage matching / isolation transformers coupled with SCR bridges packaged in an enclosure that usually includes circuit breakers, metering and

Solar panel

Solar array mounted on a rooftop. A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. The electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct current (DC) electricity, which can be used to power various devices or be stored in batteries.