Posted: July 31, 2010

E2TAC and MTECH Laboratories to develop high-efficiency energy distribution systems

(Nanowerk News) MTECH Laboratories, LLC has been awarded a $150,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to demonstrate the feasibility of its novel, high-efficiency energy distribution system for large buildings.
MTECH will use the award to conduct joint research with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's (CNSE) Energy and Environmental Technology Applications Center (E2TAC) and EYP/energy, a division of EYP Architecture and Engineering, to advance its distribution technologies for use in a variety of locations - including semiconductor manufacturing facilities, hospitals and large data centers - where high power consumption and cooling are becoming major issues.
Dr. Michael J. Hennessy, President of MTECH, said, "We are pleased to receive this funding through the National Science Foundation's Small Business Innovation Research program. This partnership will leverage the . technological capabilities of CNSE's E2TAC and the design expertise of EYP/energy to assist MTECH Laboratories in rapidly developing and commercializing its next-generation technology."
Dr. Pradeep Haldar, CNSE Professor and Head of Nanoengineering and Director of CNSE's E2TAC, said, "We look forward to working with MTECH Laboratories and EYP/energy to accelerate the development and deployment of MTECH's innovative technology for improved efficiency in energy distribution. This partnership is particularly important given the increased complexity in design and operation of high-tech buildings, and the growing need to integrate the use of clean and renewable sources of energy."
The distribution system is a DC-based system utilizing superconductors and cryogenic power conversion devices. For the past decade, MTECH has pioneered development of ultra-efficient power converters for military and aerospace applications. These devices convert power from DC sources such as solar cells, fuel cells and batteries to conventional 60-Hz AC power.
MTECH's converters operate at extremely low temperatures, and are compatible with high temperature superconductors, making them ideal for use in locations having existing cryogenic infrastructures -- providing ultra-efficient power transfer when combined with superconducting cables.
Implementing MTECH's technology in data centers enables the use of cryogenically cooled computers, common in supercomputers in the 1970s. These may reappear in the future, especially as the size limitations of silicon processing are reached. Because computer performance (speed and energy efficiency) can be enhanced by cooling, data centers represent an ideal application for MTECH's cryogenic power distribution systems.
About MTECH Laboratories. MTECH Laboratories, LLC is a broad-based R&D firm whose expertise encompasses power electronics, magnetics, materials research and animation. MTECH is a pioneer in the field of Cryogenic Power Electronics and is one of the few companies in the world developing high-power cryogenic inverters for integration with superconducting cables, motors, and generators. For more information about MTECH Laboratories, please contact Bill Wilson, Business Manager, at (518) 885-6436, or visit www.mtechlabs.com.
Source: CNSE