Alternative energy and high efficiency influence product range

Farnell has selected the alternative energy sector as its latest focus market. The emphasis in this area of high importance has seen the leading multi-channel distributor add over 1,000 new products targeted at applications in alternative energy and high efficiency product design. Suppliers include leading industry names such as Microchip, ST Microelectronics and Tyco plus niche suppliers such as Advanced Linear Devices. The new additions take Farnell’s total number of products in this sector to over 5,000.

The latest issue of the company’s informative Technology First Journal looks in detail at alternative energy through a range of topical articles and features. Additionally, the element14 technology portal and e-community will feature a dedicated discussion and information group covering the topic to provide support and information for design engineers working on new projects.

Alternative energy encompasses areas such as wind power generation, hydro power and solar energy as well as less publicised techniques such as harnessing vibration and thermal energy to produce electricity. High efficiency is crucially important in the electronic circuitry that supports alternative energy systems to ensure that a minimal amount of the power generated is wasted in the form of electrical losses. The company also recognises that when considering the wider electronics market, components that have low power consumption or support energy efficient design, are crucial in helping engineers in the development of end products that have low total cost of ownership and deliver environmental benefits.

Lynn Ma, Technical Marketing Manager-Europe, Farnell said: “The development of alternative energy sources and the efficiency of both industrial and consumer electronics equipment remains under the spotlight as globally we seek to address the unsustainable rate at which the world’s natural resources are being consumed. The electronics industry has a key role to play in the development of effective systems to support alternative energy generation and energy efficient design as a whole. Through our focus in this area we are seeking to simplify component selection and sourcing and speed the design process for our design engineering customer base.”