Even low-key, day-to-day activities can be tweaked to use energy sustainably without going to the effort of installing solar panels on the roof or driving an electric car. Future Markets Magazine gives ten best energy-saving hacks for everyone to make their own contribution to changing the way we use energy and reducing their carbon footprint….
The thirst for energy will continue to grow over the coming years. At the same time, the world has set the target of dramatically reducing CO2 emissions. This puts electricity generated from renewables front and centre in the fight against climate change. in fact, thanks to new developments and maturing technologies throughout the entire energy…
Andrej Orel from EBV explains the role semiconductors play in the energy transition and how EBV as a distributor helps companies develop solutions for this exciting market. The shift towards sustainable energy will have a significant impact on the value chains in the energy industry and will cause the market for green products and sustainable…
The technologies for generating electricity from wind power have seen major refinements over the past decades. With smart systems, new materials, and innovative concepts, they are extracting more and more energy from the wind. Wind power is one of the fastest-growing sources of sustainable energy. Over the past two decades, the amount of wind energy…
Green hydrogen will be a core element of any future energy system. It can play a significant role in achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors by 2050. And contribute to the system integration of fluctuating renewable energies. Hydrogen is an energy source with enormous potential. The gas has a lot of energy,…
Smart energy management is a key element for building a reliable power infrastructure based on volatile renewable energy sources. Like wind and solar. In smart grids, bidirectional converters are needed to link and balance power generation and storage/usage. And also to offer an intelligent way to harvest the synergies of fast-growing applications like Electromobility. Enhanced…
Solar energy has declined in cost by an amazing 82 per cent over the last decade. Which has made it the lowest cost option in many places around the world. Recent electricity bids for new solar have continued to break records with bids as low as 1.3¢/kWh. This trend is heartening considering the huge challenge…
Data centres are the backbone of digital transformation. But they consume lots of power. However, with the right concepts and technologies, their energy efficiency can be significantly improved. Streaming, chatting, posting – it all takes power. Every click causes carbon emissions. “Digitalisation means more data, more computing capacity, more data centres,” says E.ON executive board…
The last decade was the warmest worldwide since records began. This is an urgent reminder of just how important the targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change are for keeping global warming well below two degrees Celsius. In particular, the energy landscape needs to change and reduce its CO2 emissions for targets to be…
High-voltage direct-current (HVDC) technology enables electricity to be transported over long distances with low losses. This makes it a key technology for adapting transmission grids to deal with the increasing number of renewable energy sources. Power grids have an essential role to play in achieving carbon-neutrality. In a decentralised, renewable energy system, these grids connect…
Devices for the Internet of Things require only a small amount of energy. Which can be efficiently produced from our direct surroundings. With the enormous number of IoT devices, the energy potential of these energy harvesting technologies will soon total several hundred terawatt hours. Around 30 to 70 billion devices constituted the Internet of Things…
Solar and wind farms, tidal and geothermal power plants. All of these derive energy from sources that had been untouched since the dawn of time. This raises an interesting question. How much of these energy streams can people use for their own purposes without upsetting the Earth’s energy system? Is there endless sustainable energy? A…
Climate neutrality cannot be achieved by expanding the use of renewable energy sources alone. They must be complemented by technologies. They should capture CO2 from exhaust gases or the atmosphere, store it and, in the best case, even utilise it. More and more governments and organisations have committed to the goal of climate neutrality. They…
Electric motors are used in almost all buildings, industries, and infrastructure. In fact, they are the largest individual consumers of electricity worldwide. According to the European Commission’s estimates, around eight billion electric motors are in use in Europe alone. Consuming almost 50 per cent of the electricity generated in the EU. Modernising the world’s motors…
There is great potential for reducing the energyrelated greenhouse gas emissions created by space and water heating in buildings. In Europe, it accounts for around 40 per cent of end-user energy consumption, primarily fossil fuel based. More and more in trend: sustainable buildings. Buildings account for around 40 per cent of Europe’s total energy consumption. And…
Despite all technological advances, the transport sector still accounts for around a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. The pressure on countries and manufacturers to change that is high. Expanding electromobility is the logical consequence. Electromobility has made great technological advances in recent years. According to a new study by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF),…
Direct current offers a number of advantages, not only for long-distance transmission, but also in the low-voltage grid. Intensive industrial research is already being carried out on solutions for such DC grids. It is 129 years since alternating current (AC) emerged victorious against direct current (DC) in the “electricity war”. But today direct current is…
A lot of hope is pinned on synthetic fuels made using green hydrogen. These e-fuels are expected to replace fossil energy sources in industry, transport and other areas. The use of renewable electricity is due to become increasingly important. However, there will be some areas in which electricity cannot be used directly, even in 20…
Systems that store energy using mechanical principles complement batteries and pumped-storage plants in the energy landscape of the future. They enable a power output that will measure in the megawatts. As well as storing electricity for a long period of time, and at a high level of efficiency. But storing energy as liquid air would…
The demand for battery storage systems for renewables is set to grow massively in the future. To meet this anticipated demand, new batteries are being developed. Those that are cheap and more environmentally friendly than conventional lithium-ion models. For example redox flow batteries. The growing amount of renewable energy can hardly be stored in pumped-storage…
Pumped-storage plants are currently the only power storage facilities available on a large scale. This makes them a core element when it comes to bringing the energy system into a new era of energy generation. Without fossil energy sources. The goal of decarbonising the energy sector, as defined by the EU in the Energy Roadmap…
Hydropower is currently the world’s most important source of electricity from renewable sources. It is suitable for base-load operation and, unlike wind power and photovoltaic systems, is not so dependent on weather conditions. Hydroelectric power stations are among the very oldest power generation facilities. Some of them have been reliably supplying green electricity for over…
There are not many people who can look back on 80 years of research. And even fewer still who have revolutionised people’s lives with their work. John B. Goodenough, the father of the lithium-ion battery, is one of them. Even today, at the age of 99, he is still researching more sustainable alternatives for energy storage. He…
Smart grids signify the transition from a centrally controlled mains power supply to a smart, decentralised alternative. Better stability in the grid is among the most significant aspects in the roll-out of smart grids. Incorporating regenerative sources of energy into the electricity grid presents power companies with a huge challenge. It is no longer the…
The transition to a low-carbon future is turning the economy on its head. All around the world, many sustainable energy start-ups are revolutionising the energy sector. With their innovative ideas, they are helping to blaze a trail towards a sustainable energy future and making an important contribution to a successful change of energy policy worldwide….
An interview with Francesca Gostinelli, Head of Group Strategy, Economics, and Scenario Planning at Enel At Enel, renewable energy and a major energy provider go hand in hand. According to German statistics portal Statista, Enel is not only Europe’s largest power company, but also the largest in the world. Enel is now also the most…
Supercapacitors can store large amounts of energy very quickly before dispensing them again with just as much speed. This makes them an indispensable component of sustainable energy systems that have many fluctuating energy sources. In order to effectively replace fossil fuels, we need energy storage devices. That can not only hold vast amounts of energy,…
Electricity generation and use are key considerations for renewable-energy applications. In terms of energy sources, the focus is increasingly shifting to fuel cells. That use stored hydrogen to generate clean electricity for all kinds of applications. Researchers around the world are working hard to make fuel-cell technology fit for mass production. And, by doing so,…
Alongside wind energy, photovoltaics are the central cornerstone of the ongoing change in energy policy. Nowadays, no electricity can be generated more cheaply than from solar power. That is mainly thanks to the rapid technological development seen over the past decades. Which has caused costs to tumble by more than 90 per cent and the…
Whether in electricity trading or plant control. Blockchain might play a central role in the digital transformation of the energy system. Because, the transaction technology simplifies the exchange, validation and documentation of data. A core aspect of sustainable energy supply is decentralisation. More and more producers are generating energy for sale to consumers. At the…
“The Quintessence” magazine is created and realised by IndustryAgents – a Munich-based advertising agency specialising in technology topics. The agency uses its comprehensive technical expertise and love of impeccable design to write creatively framed, forward-looking stories. Made up of creative minds, specialist editors, and designers, the agency team develops the editorial and visual concept for…
The articles on this online platform were originally written for “The Quintessence”, a print magazine with 13 previous awards to its name. The magazine is published by EBV Elektronik, one of Europe’s leading semiconductor distributors. It presents the biggest future growth markets alongside the latest technological solutions and modules. And the magazine also contains inspiring…
Renesas delivers trusted embedded-design innovation. They include complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live. One of the leading companies in microcontrollers, analogue, power, and SoC products. The quintessence of our passion for technology is evident in every aspect of the Renesas RA family. Just…
Artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning (ML) and deep-learning techniques (DL), is poised to become a transformational force in healthcare. The various stakeholders in the ecosystem all stand to benefit from ML-driven tools. From anatomical geometric measurements to cancer detection, radiology, surgery, drug discovery and genomics, the possibilities are endless. ML can lead to increased…
Condition monitoring is a key element of the predictive maintenance approach for industrial installations. When it comes to the design of condition monitoring systems, many different requirements need to be taken into account. The mission profile of the system needs to be explored from the hardware and software perspective. And this, while looking at the…
Connected Lighting is a fast-growing area overall. This is not least because it can return significant cost savings on energy expenditure. More and more countries are introducing laws to enforce responsible energy use in commercial and enterprise buildings. Connected-lighting use is the perfect platform for this by providing the ability to automate-lighting control, a significant…
Micron’s global production network of more than twelve sites worldwide not only enables to efficiently serve a wide-range of customers. But also fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation. A culture that brings together people with diverse backgrounds, expansive knowledge and practical industry experience. Micron has proactively embarked on smart manufacturing projects that use big-data…
Humanity has made phenomenal progress thanks to technology. There are more researchers and developers today than ever before. With their passion for technology, they toil to create solutions for the challenges we will face in the future. The market for AI is growing rapidly The predicted average annual growth rate of the global market…
Mate Rimac is a key figure in the field of electromobility and he is not only building the fastest mass-produced car of all time. But Rimac is also one of the few people to found a successful car company in the past hundred years. Even as a young child, Mate Rimac was already obsessed with…
According to Crunchbase, between 2010 and 2019 over 1.5 trillion dollars was invested in start-ups as risk capital worldwide, most of this in the last few years. Many of these young companies are developing new technologies and exciting tech products for a huge range of applications. Some of these innovations make life easier and provide…
Anyone can get innovative product ideas off the ground nowadays, as Antonio Fernandez and Frank-Steffen Russ from EBV explain. They outline what part semiconductors have to play in the process and how EBV can help as an electronics distributor. Today, thanks to the ever falling cost of electronic components and ever easier access to expertise…
The world in which we live today was and is decisively shaped by technology pioneers and their developments. With their passion and their view of creativity, technology and the world itself, they can be role models for everyone. It is worthwile to heed one or two pieces of advice from them: Twelve advices of…
Johann W. Kolar is a true visionary in the field of power electronics. Having developed several key innovations relating to inverters and energy saving. But his teaching has also had a big impact. Professor Johann W. Kolar is an IEEE Fellow (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). And he is also holder of the professorship…
Juliana Rotich is a Kenyan IT pioneer and an innovative entrepreneur. She shows what can be achieved with good ideas and a passion for technology. In the economic and also in the social area. With a mixture of socio-political intuition and business acumen, Juliana Rotich is helping shape digital transformation in Africa. She believes that…
Digitalisation in industry is not only facilitating more efficient production processes. It is also revolutionising business models. Manufacturers no longer earn money merely from selling a machine. Now they are also paid for related services and they are even paid according to the volume of goods produced on it. Networked machines that communicate with one…
Smart Buildings means that houses and apartments are increasingly being equipped with intelligent technologies. But they not only provide increased convenience. They also help to find answers to fundamental challenges such as the ageing population and climate change. There are several reasons to turn a home into a Smart Home. For most users, the added…
Cities are becoming increasingly intelligent thanks to the use of numerous different technologies. We are seeing the emergence of more sustainable cities that improve their citizens’ quality of life and conserve resources. Cities cover just two percent of our earth’s land mass, but the majority of the world’s population and its economy are concentrated within…
New developments in health technology are increasingly being shaped by digitalisation. There is a wide range of applications for digital solutions. They not only facilitate better medical care, but they also access to healthcare in regions with limited service provision. As smartphones are becoming increasingly widely used and Internet connectivity is advancing, the health system…
Vertical Farming in trend. Robotics, artificial intelligence, LED light, sensors. All kinds of technologies are used to facilitate more sustainable and resource-conserving production of food. One of the major challenges we will face in the future is feeding a global population that continues to expand. Emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture keep growing all the…
Rapid urbanisation and growing car use have left infrastructure and the environment in many of the world’s regions at breaking point. All kind of solutions for making future mobility more efficient and helping to conserve resources have been proposed by technology companies. Micromobility is only one of the new mobility trends. According to market researchers…
The interplay between innovative technologies and the dramatic rise in technical aids for a large portion of the population will help to satisfy people’s needs, both now and in the future. New technological solutions have the potential to fundamentally transform the economy and society as a whole. Enormous possibilities will be opened up in terms…
LEDs are not only dominating the lighting market, but also carving out a niche in more and more other applications. They impress with their energy efficiency, minuscule size and steadily increasing power. The LED’s success story first gathered steam back in the 1960s. When the yield of light-emitting diodes was increased exponentially from less than…
Sensors and Metrology – Data is the currency of our networked world. To gather this valuable commodity, more and more objects are being kitted out with sensors. The performance of measuring instruments is continuously improving at the same time, despite them often being no larger than a pinhead. Sensor technology and metrology play a key…
Maryam Rofougaran is an inventor, technology manager and entrepreneur. She is also best known as the architect of an entire series of wireless standards and systems-on-a-chip, on which modern smartphones are based. In Maryam Rofougaran’s view, wireless technologies are one of the most significant advances of our age. And after all, they make a huge…
In our interconnected world, there is high demand for a wide range of communication technologies. Today’s market can offer a solution for any application – whether wireless or with physical cables. Whether we are talking about a self-organising production process in Industry 4.0 or highly automated driving in cars. Data is transferred everywhere. At the…
Cybersecurity. As the connectivity of devices increases, the number of potential attack points for hackers also multiplies. A combination of hardware and software solutions enables data to be reliably protected in spite of this. 2019 was a record year for cybercriminals. Experts at F-Secure, a Finnish IT security provider, recorded an all-time high number of…
New processor technologies ensure that sufficient computing power is available for efficiently processing the massive streams of data we will generate in the future. The year is 1965: the world’s first commercial minicomputer is unveiled, the first human walks in space, and Gordon E. Moore makes a prophecy that would define development in the semiconductor…
Electronic devices based on wide-band-gap semiconductors offer a chance to boost the efficiency and power density of power electronics. This makes power-electronics components smaller, faster and more efficient. Smart energy supplies, electromobility, broadband communication systems and AI applications. The number of interacting and interconnected systems is growing all the time. However, as the number of…
SoC and SiP are devices that combine multiple functions in one package provide easy access to innovative semiconductor technologies. The number of devices connected to the internet is constantly growing. A new forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that there will be 41.6 billion connected IoT devices in 2025, which will generate 79.4…
Passionate people make a difference to the lives of others. This is especially true for techies – people with a passion for technology. You only have to think of Steve Jobs, James Dyson or Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Internet. Of course, we mustn’t forget Robert Noyce, father of the Silicon Valley and, together…
With the new Heracles 324 module, EBV offers an all-in-one solution for networking Internet of Things products via plug&play. Whereever they are located. The third generation of the module also has a secure element that ensures secure authentication in every kind of applications. The Internet of Things opens up a large range of new applications….
All manner of technologies are used to sate the thirst for energy among the world’s growing population. Here, carbon-neutrality is the main objective. Energy Harvesting is one of the new ways to combine them. But, what ist Energy Harvesting? By 2040, global energy requirements are set to rise by around a third according to BP’s…
Interview with Dr Simon Haddadin, CEO of robotics manufacturer Franka Emika Many innovative technologies like artificial intelligence or machine learning end up on a screen, as Dr Simon Haddadin explains. But he and his team at Franka Emika, develop robots that get technology off the drawing board and into the thick of things in the…
Edge Computing is changing the connected world of tomorrow. It is having a turbo-charged effect on various areas of technology. Future Markets Magazine provides an overview of the most interesting facts and figures about Edge Computing and its impact. The number of networked devices is booming From minuscule chips right through to mighty machines, more…
The concurrent development and design of chips and software has enabled researchers to realise chips that are not only uncommonly small and energy-efficient. But also boast powerful AI capabilities extending right through to training. One possible application scenario might be in nano drones that can navigate their way through a room independently. To the untrained…
Interview with Calista Redmond, CEO of the RISC-V Foundation The success story of Linux – a free, open-source operating system for anyone to work on – began over 20 years ago. These days, Linux is the leading operating system for embedded devices. Calista Redmond now wants to repeat this success story with open-source hardware. Since…
The demands on intralogistics are growing in the Industry 4.0 era. Robust computer systems integrated in transport vehicles ensure that vehicles are flexible and highly available to meet these demands. They even allow assistance systems in forklifts as have only been familiar to date in high-end cars. Maximum availability and flexibility are right at the…
Nowadays, edge devices can run AI applications thanks to increasingly powerful hardware. As such, there is no longer any need to transfer data to the cloud. Which makes AI applications in real time a reality, reduces costs and brings advantages in terms of data security. Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is used in a wide…
ACAPs are highly-integrated, heterogeneous multi-core computing platforms that significantly extend the capabilities of FPGAs and operate more efficiently than others. They are the next generation of even more powerful platforms that are already entering the market. Today’s microprocessors are so powerful and inexpensive that almost any device can be equipped with them. At present, the…
High-speed communication and Edge Computing are closely intertwined – you can’t have one without the other. Ethernet ensures the fastest possible transfer of device data to the edge node. While Edge Computing enables the performance goals of the 5G telecommunications standard to be achieved in the first place. Even if it might be theoretically possible…
Data storage on edge devices need robust and increasingly powerful memory chips. Flash has been a proven solution for many years. But new technologies and materials offer the promise of even faster and more durable memories. Suitable data memories are also needed for processing data on edge devices. But the memory chips must overcome particular…
Embedded Software and its colourful world. Like any other computers, embedded and edge devices also need software to perform their tasks. Whilst a variety of different operating systems and application programs exist today, the prevailing trend is towards open systems. Embedded and edge devices are simply small computers. And like computers, they need software to…
Smart cameras can process imagery autonomously before initiating responses of their own accord. In industrial applications, they are used for quality control or to control plants and systems. As surveillance cameras, they analyse videos themselves and only alert personnel in dangerous situations. Whether used for quality control in industry, building surveillance, or even for automated…
Today’s automated cars are already able to react faster than their human drivers. This is made possible by extremely powerful on-board computers that collate data from all sensor systems, evaluate them in a matter of split seconds and initiate appropriate actions. If a child runs into the road, a human driver takes 1.6 seconds on…
Faster, more reliable, more flexible with the Edge. Edge Computing will continue to grow rapidly in the future. The participants in the TQ expert discussion all agreed on that. However, there are still several obstacles to overcome – for instance, with regard to standardisation or the energy consumption of Edge processors. There are several definitions…
Green, reliable semiconductors are essential for Edge Computing. In conversation with Antonio Fernandez,Vice President Technical Development at EBV Elektronik. Semiconductors are at the heart of each and every edge solution. However, the requirements for embedded systems differ considerably from those of computers or servers, as stressed by Antonio Fernandez, Vice President Technical Development at EBV….
Edge solutions in the consumer sector are possible thanks to increasingly powerful embedded technologies. As a result, they make it possible to equip even everyday devices such as stoves or televisions with edge intelligence. This not only means greater ease of use but also leads to improved operation of the devices. Smart applications with local…
Building automation. Equipped with edge systems and AI, modern buildings not only boast unprecedented sustainability. But also provide occupants with greater convenience and comfort. Building requirements are becoming ever more stringent. Not only are they supposed to offer comfort, convenience and safety to those who live and work in them. But also consume less and…
The Apollo Guidance Computer was invented by Doc Draper, as he was also called by colleagues and employees. He headed the team that developed the guidance, navigation and control system for Apollo 11. Only this made it possible for Apollo 11 to land precisely on the moon. And to bring the astronauts safely back home…
Adamm, Orb and Co. Not only can wearables today record vital data thanks to edge technologies. They can also analyse this information instantly. Smart assistants support employees in healthcare in an incredible variety of ways. Central structures in patient healthcare are reaching their limits when it comes to mastering the challenges in the healthcare sector….
Combining IoT technologies with edge solutions will transform the world of retail. New ways of interacting with consumers are emerging, not to mention means of streamlining retail processes. Together, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) form the technological backbone of the future of retail. Only appropriately digitalised and interconnected stores will be…
In Edge Computing, powerful electronic systems merge with innovative software solutions. This enables numerous emerging companies to develop new products for all kinds of applications. We present six successful start-ups as a representative sample of these many “ones to watch”. Six start-ups with Edge-Computing Power: PCB layouts at the push of a button AI…
What are Human-Machine Interfaces? Data processing and storage takes place directly in the devices on site. As a result, in many cases, a Human-Machine Interface is also required in or on the edge device. Not only does this allow the recorded data and computation results to be displayed. Rather the edge devices can be controlled…
It started around 50 years ago with just a narrow range of applications for the first robots. Since then, they have been growing ever more flexible and cheaper. Robotics applications and market volumes are rising steadily. With the service robots that will soon be on sale, the mechatronic helpers will have finally arrived on the…
Intelligent machines and self-teaching computers will open up exciting prospects for the electronics industry. The idea of thinking, or even feeling, machines was long merely a vision of science-fiction authors. But thanks to rapid developments in semiconductors and new ideas for the programming of self-teaching algorithms, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is today a real market, opening…
Interview with Dr Christoph Ballin, founder and CEO of Torqeedo, about the future of mobility on the water. The whole story began in a small boathouse on Lake Starnberg: when the qualified business economist and former McKinsey consultant, Dr Christoph Ballin, accepted his new job as CEO at Gardena, he moved to the Munich area….
Interview with Prof Ralph Kennel about digitalisation and electric drive technology. The age of motion driven by human labour is coming to an end – it is simply too expensive. Electric drive engineering and power electronics are therefore accordingly of great importance. This is the premise under which Professor Ralph Kennel heads the Chair of…
New ideas and innovative technologies are needed to overcome challenges like Industry 4.0, resource conservation or electromobility. Small and dynamic companies play an important role in this respect. In this edition of the Quintessence, we introduce five startups of digital motor control that contribute to this world in an exciting way with their innovative ideas….
A wide variety of data is available thanks to digital drive technology, which allows operators to keep the status of a drive or machine under constant observation. Combined with suitable analytical tools, this could be even used for predictive maintenance. Traditional maintenance methods, in which systems are inspected at regular, set intervals, are not based…