Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) are believed to be a highly promising
technology and will play an increasingly important role in future
generation wireless mobile networks. WMN is characterized by
dynamic self-organization, self-configuration and self-healing to
enable quick deployment, easy maintenance, low cost, high scalability
and reliable services, as well as enhancing network capacity, connect-
ivity and resilience.
This chapter provides extensive coverage of existing mobile wireless technologies. Much of the
emphasis is on the highly anticipated 3G cellular networks and widely deployed wireless local
area networks (LANs), as the next-generation smart phones are likely to offer at least these two
types of connectivity. Other wireless technologies that either have already been commercialized or
are undergoing active research and standardization are introduced as well. Because standardization
plays a crucial role in developing a new technology and a market, throughout the discussion
standards organizations and industry forums or consortiums of some technologies are introduced.
In addition, the last section of this chapter presents a list of standards in the wireless arena.
The mature CMOS fabrication processes are available
in many IC foundries. It is cost-effective to leverage the
existing CMOS fabrication technologies to implement
MEMS devices. On the other hand, the MEMS devices
could also add values to the IC industry as the Moore’s law
reaching its limit. The CMOS MEMS could play a key role
to bridge the gap between the CMOS and MEMS
technologies. The CMOS MEMS also offers the advantage
of monolithic integration of ICs and micro mechanical
components.
Broadband powerline communication systems are continuing to gain significant
market adoption worldwide for applications ranging from IPTV delivery to the
Smart Grid. The suite of standards developed by the HomePlug Powerline
Alliance plays an important role in the widespread deployment of broadband
PLC. To date, more than 100 million HomePlug modems are deployed and these
numbers continue to rise.
The large-scale deployment of the smart grid (SG) paradigm could play a strategic role in
supporting the evolution of conventional electrical grids toward active, flexible and self-
healing web energy networks composed of distributed and cooperative energy resources.
From a conceptual point of view, the SG is the convergence of information and
operational technologies applied to the electric grid, providing sustainable options to
customers and improved security. Advances in research on SGs could increase the
efficiency of modern electrical power systems by: (i) supporting the massive penetration
of small-scale distributed and dispersed generators; (ii) facilitating the integration of
pervasive synchronized metering systems; (iii) improving the interaction and cooperation
between the network components; and (iv) allowing the wider deployment of self-healing
and proactive control/protection paradigms.
Commercial energy storage has moved from the margins to the mainstream as it
fosters flexibility in our smarter, increasingly integrated energy systems. The
energy density, availability, and relatively clean fossil profile of natural gas ensure
its critical role as a fuel for heating and electricity generation. As a transportation
fuel, natural gas continues to increase its market penetration; much of this has been
enabled by emerging developments in storage technology.
Power Electronics is one of modern and key technologies in Electrical and
Electronics Engineering for green power, sustainable energy systems, and smart
grids. Especially, the transformation of existing electric power systems into smart
grids is currently a global trend. The gradual increase of distributed generators in
smart grids indicates a wide and important role for power electronic converters in
the electric power system, also with the increased use of power electronics devices
(nonlinear loads) and motor loadings, low cost, low-loss and high-performance
shunt current quality compensators are highly demanded by power customers to
solve current quality problems caused by those loadings.
Plug in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) use energy storages usually in the form of battery
banks that are designed to be recharged using utility grid power. One category of
PEVs are Electric Vehicles (EVs) without an Internal-Combustion (IC) engine
where the energy stored in the battery bank is the only source of power to drive the
vehicle. These are also referred as Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). The second
category of PEVs, which is more commercialized than the EVs, is Plug in Hybrid
Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) where the role of the energy storage is to supplement the
power produced by the IC engine.
Plug in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) use energy storages usually in the form of
battery banks that are designed to be recharged using utility grid power. One
category of PEVs are Electric Vehicles (EVs) without an Internal-Combustion
(IC) engine where the energy stored in the battery bank is the only source of
power to drive the vehicle. These are also referred to as Battery Electric Vehicles
(BEVs). The second category of PEVs, which is more commercialized than the
EVs, is the Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) where the role of energy
storage is to supplement the power produced by the IC engine.
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With global drivers such as better energy
consumption, energy efficiency and reduction of
greenhouse gases, CO 2 emission reduction has become
key in every layer of the value chain. Power Electronics
has definitely a role to play in these thrilling challenges.
From converters down to compound semiconductors,
innovation is leading to breakthrough technologies. Wide
BandGap, Power Module Packaging, growth of Electric
Vehicle market will game change the overall power
electronic industry and supply chain. In this presentation
we will review power electronics trends, from
technologies to markets.
