GE launches project to tackle AC:DC challenge

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2258560/ge-launches-project-tackle-ac

GE launches project to tackle AC:DC challenge

No, not the rock group

James Murray, BusinessGreen, 26 Feb 2010

Engineering giant General Electric (GE) has kicked off a global project to improve power electronics systems that manage the conversion of electricity from AC to DC, an area that is set to soaring demand in coming years as global renewable energy capacity increases.

...

Haertel said the rapid expansion of renewable energy generation from solar farms and wind turbines, which produce electricity in DC that then has to be converted into AC for transmission along power lines, has created enormous demand for conversion devices that are both more efficient and compact than existing models.

He added that alongside the increased demand from the renewable energy industry, power electronics systems were now also increasingly important to grid operators, as well as the oil and gas and transportation industries, all of which would provide attractive markets for next generation systems.

"These technologies are needed everywhere, and because they have been somewhat neglected there is a lot of room for improvement," he said. "The problem is that neither businesses or universities have been investing much in this areas so it is difficult to find trained engineers, which is why we are taking a global approach to finding the right talent with centres in the US, China and Europe."