The unsung hero of many of the advances in electro-tech are the advances in power electronics over the last few decades. This includes the Tesla breakthrough of an AC motor (eliminating the commutator of DC motors). EV motors are not synchronous AC motor/generators, but rather, the power delivered is modulated by power electronics. Another example is transformer-less inverters. My original roof-top solar installation from 2008 had a transformer inverter - heavy!!! Transformer-less inverters have eliminated pounds of iron transformer core, and miles of copper, resulting in a significant efficiency and size improvements, and cost reduction. Moore's law for microelectronics (CPUs, GPUs, etc.) gets all the headlines, but there are other kinds of electronics that are also on a learning curve.
What is the history and current state of power electronics? What have been the contributions to clean-tech? What are the potential new breakthroughs on the horizon that could further improve clean-tech evolution?
I didn't see this comment at the time, but yes -- in particular, the improvement in DC-DC power electronics is amazing, and is probably going to enable a transition to doing long-distance transmission as HVDC. AC power has FAR higher losses due to capacitance between the wire and the environment, but because high voltage / low current lets you transmit power long distances without needing huge thick wires, and it's _so_ easy to step the voltage up and down on AC with simple core-and-coil transformers, it won out in the "current war" between Edison and Tesla/Westinghouse.
For those that find plumbing metaphors useful for thinking about electricity:
Imagine trying to transmit power hydraulically, with a reciprocating piston that transmits pressure waves down a pipe. At the other end you capture them and turn them back into reciprocal or rotational motion for some other mechanical device.
This is all great if you have a perfectly rigid pipe. But what if it's more like a rubber hose? Some of your energy is going to go into deforming the walls of the pipe outwards (as the piston drives forwards), and inwards (as the piston withdraws).
This is analogous to capacitance in an AC system. As you drive the voltage to ground up and down, you're causing electrons (or, equivalently, "holes") to move forwards and back along the length of your cable. But any time an "excess" of electrons or holes flows into a given part of the wire, relative to the normal ground state, you're ALSO causing electrons to move in and out relative to the axis of the wire, as the non-ground voltage at a given point of the wire means that electrons are being attracted to or repelled from the ground outside the cable.
This is particularly a problem for underground and undersea cables. In air, the other "plate" of your capacitor is the ground, the air acts as part of the dielectric between the two plates, because air is a very good insulator / poor conductor. (Because nitrogen and oxygen are very non-polar molecules. Seawater on the other hand is a GREAT conductor.) If you're in direct contact with the ground material, the only dielectric is the insulation wrapped around the conductor, and overall capacitance is quite high. So with an underground cable, your "hose" is extremely squishy, and you lose more energy out the walls. Undersea is even worse.
With DC transmission, you only go through this process of "deforming the walls" once, as you initially charge / pressurize the system. Once it's in operation, power just flows through continuously. You still have resistive loss -- in the plumbing metaphor, the frictional resistance of the water bumping up against imperfections in the inner surface of the pipe -- but it's DRASTICALLY more efficient.
I have repeatedly found myself bogged down trying to find the currect setting for autoscrolling the podcast I am currently trying to listen to. Where are the instructions on how to do this? I would be GLAD to write them myself if someone would walk me through the options. Please put this into the VOLTS Jumpstart section! Thankewveddymulch, jcarmbruster@earthlink.net
Hello! I am looking for people in Seattle who live in owner-occupied multi family buildings, that is I think either housing cooperatives or condominiums, who are trying to figure out how to comply with the Seattle BEPS and the WA state CBPS. I am especially interested in talking to people who are in old buildings. My coop building was built in 1911. It will be hard to decarbonize, equitably or at all.
We have a chronic systemic problem with our University system. They have to teach the dogma of the day because they are political. Whatever the physics community says are the important issues is what they will teach. Try reading my article where I'm trying to get an email out to Barbara Corcoran.
Enjoyed Krugman discussion snd look forward to reading more of your posts. On a related subject, though, what is Robert Bryce’s issue with the renewable revolution. He seems to be attached to oil.
Great service and much needed for other podcasts and newsletters. Especially valuable for newcomers.
Thanks for doing this.
Podcast Suggestion: Power Electronics
The unsung hero of many of the advances in electro-tech are the advances in power electronics over the last few decades. This includes the Tesla breakthrough of an AC motor (eliminating the commutator of DC motors). EV motors are not synchronous AC motor/generators, but rather, the power delivered is modulated by power electronics. Another example is transformer-less inverters. My original roof-top solar installation from 2008 had a transformer inverter - heavy!!! Transformer-less inverters have eliminated pounds of iron transformer core, and miles of copper, resulting in a significant efficiency and size improvements, and cost reduction. Moore's law for microelectronics (CPUs, GPUs, etc.) gets all the headlines, but there are other kinds of electronics that are also on a learning curve.
What is the history and current state of power electronics? What have been the contributions to clean-tech? What are the potential new breakthroughs on the horizon that could further improve clean-tech evolution?
Wouldn't that be a great pod?
I didn't see this comment at the time, but yes -- in particular, the improvement in DC-DC power electronics is amazing, and is probably going to enable a transition to doing long-distance transmission as HVDC. AC power has FAR higher losses due to capacitance between the wire and the environment, but because high voltage / low current lets you transmit power long distances without needing huge thick wires, and it's _so_ easy to step the voltage up and down on AC with simple core-and-coil transformers, it won out in the "current war" between Edison and Tesla/Westinghouse.
For those that find plumbing metaphors useful for thinking about electricity:
Imagine trying to transmit power hydraulically, with a reciprocating piston that transmits pressure waves down a pipe. At the other end you capture them and turn them back into reciprocal or rotational motion for some other mechanical device.
This is all great if you have a perfectly rigid pipe. But what if it's more like a rubber hose? Some of your energy is going to go into deforming the walls of the pipe outwards (as the piston drives forwards), and inwards (as the piston withdraws).
This is analogous to capacitance in an AC system. As you drive the voltage to ground up and down, you're causing electrons (or, equivalently, "holes") to move forwards and back along the length of your cable. But any time an "excess" of electrons or holes flows into a given part of the wire, relative to the normal ground state, you're ALSO causing electrons to move in and out relative to the axis of the wire, as the non-ground voltage at a given point of the wire means that electrons are being attracted to or repelled from the ground outside the cable.
This is particularly a problem for underground and undersea cables. In air, the other "plate" of your capacitor is the ground, the air acts as part of the dielectric between the two plates, because air is a very good insulator / poor conductor. (Because nitrogen and oxygen are very non-polar molecules. Seawater on the other hand is a GREAT conductor.) If you're in direct contact with the ground material, the only dielectric is the insulation wrapped around the conductor, and overall capacitance is quite high. So with an underground cable, your "hose" is extremely squishy, and you lose more energy out the walls. Undersea is even worse.
With DC transmission, you only go through this process of "deforming the walls" once, as you initially charge / pressurize the system. Once it's in operation, power just flows through continuously. You still have resistive loss -- in the plumbing metaphor, the frictional resistance of the water bumping up against imperfections in the inner surface of the pipe -- but it's DRASTICALLY more efficient.
This is awesome! Looking forward to using it when I refer newbies to Volts. Thanks for doing this!
I have repeatedly found myself bogged down trying to find the currect setting for autoscrolling the podcast I am currently trying to listen to. Where are the instructions on how to do this? I would be GLAD to write them myself if someone would walk me through the options. Please put this into the VOLTS Jumpstart section! Thankewveddymulch, jcarmbruster@earthlink.net
Thank you
Hello! I am looking for people in Seattle who live in owner-occupied multi family buildings, that is I think either housing cooperatives or condominiums, who are trying to figure out how to comply with the Seattle BEPS and the WA state CBPS. I am especially interested in talking to people who are in old buildings. My coop building was built in 1911. It will be hard to decarbonize, equitably or at all.
We have a chronic systemic problem with our University system. They have to teach the dogma of the day because they are political. Whatever the physics community says are the important issues is what they will teach. Try reading my article where I'm trying to get an email out to Barbara Corcoran.
Excellent thanks!
Enjoyed Krugman discussion snd look forward to reading more of your posts. On a related subject, though, what is Robert Bryce’s issue with the renewable revolution. He seems to be attached to oil.
Very cool. I do feel like there's two categories missing.
War on Cars
Rocks in a Box
The energy transition's 5 supervillains and 5 superheroes
Is essential. Thanks!
https://www.volts.wtf/p/the-energy-transitions-5-supervillains