The Largest Tidal Power Turbine Ever Built

Atlantis Resources Corporation (“Atlantis”), one of the world’s leading developers of electricity-generating tidal current turbines, unveiled the largest and most powerful tidal power turbine ever built, the AK1000™, yesterday at Invergordon, Scotland. The AK1000™ is due for installation at a dedicated berth at the European Marine Energy Centre (“EMEC”), located in Orkney, Scotland later this summer.


Despatching 1MW of predictable power....


Full press release on Atlantis Resources' website.

Early U.S. Tests Find No Toyota Flaw in Electronics

..the raw findings support Toyota’s contention that electronics were not at fault and that many of the reports of sudden acceleration might actually have been instances of human error — drivers mistakenly pressing the gas pedal instead of the brake.


Full article in the New York Times

Latest Developments in the European Regulations on Eco Design

The compliance world was shaken up in 2005 with the realization that the European Union was enacting legislation that would require manufacturers wishing to sell their electrical or electronic products in the EU to reduce the environmental impact of these products through design. The practice of eco design was to be enshrined in Law and many companies who would not normally have considered the environmental impact of their products now faced the prospect of being legally obliged to do so. Since the introduction of this legislation, in the form of the Energy using Products Directive, industry has been monitoring its phased implementation to see to what degree the requirements will affect their designs. 


The EuP Directive 
The EuP directive, came into force on the 10^th August 2005 and was transposed into Member State law by 10^th August 2007. Its full title is “Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2005 establishing a framework for the setting of eco design requirements for energy-using products.”


Full article from InCompliance Magazine

Power Factor Correction Goes Digital

Said to improve power supply efficiency and reduce EMI filter size, these digitally controlled PFC (Power Factor Control) ICs offer power supply and lighting ballast system designers improved performance and simplified designs compared to legacy analog PFC products. Both ICs are priced on par with analog PFCs, while also lowering the overall bill of materials by up to $0.25.

Full Cirrus Logic press release.