As more and more electricity is being generated from intermittent sources of power, such as solar and wind energy, powerful electric energy storage devices are becoming more necessary to level out corresponding irregularities in the power supply. Fraunhofer scientists have recently made an important breakthrough with their development of a redox flow battery that reaches stack power up to 25 kW, with a cell size of 0.5 m². This is eight times larger than the previous A4-sized systems. [ + ]

Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia has added Philips Lumileds as a supplier partner. [ + ]

Richardson RFPD has launched a website resource focused exclusively on silicon carbide (SiC) technology for energy and power applications. [ + ]

Researchers at the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) have created an artificial material, a metamaterial, with optical properties that can be controlled by electric signals. [ + ]

A new type of lithium-sulfur battery that can run electric vehicles is being developed at the Baosteel-Australia Joint Research and Development Centre, based at The University of Queensland (UQ). [ + ]

Touch technology innovator Peratech is working with the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London to develop wearable electronics that use the company’s award-winning QTC sensors. [ + ]

Specialist industrial automation and controls distributor Inaco Automation Controls has announced a new distribution alliance with Rittal for Australia. Inaco will now distribute the Rittal portfolio of enclosure systems. [ + ]

Select Fabricators, a US manufacturer and developer of RF/EMI solutions including shielded enclosures, pouches and curtains, has signed an agreement with Victorian company EMC and RF Solutions for the distribution of its range of Select-A-Shield RF/EMI shielded enclosures and pouches. [ + ]

UK-based instrumentation company Mantracourt has announced the appointment of two technical partners in Australia, Queensland-based Delphi Force and Melbourne- and Sydney-based Applied Measurement, to promote awareness of its load cell and strain gauge amplifier technologies and its T24 range of wireless instrumentation. [ + ]

Scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Toronto/Canada have now succeeded in manufacturing silicon-based light-emitting diodes (SiLEDs). [ + ]

A Mayo Clinic study has concluded that patients with implanted cardiac devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators can safely drive or ride in an electric car without risk of electromagnetic interference (EMI). [ + ]

Premier Farnell has been recognised for the third year in a row as one of the World’s Most Ethical (WME) Companies by The Ethisphere Institute. The recognition highlights companies that outperform industry peers when it comes to ethical behaviour. [ + ]

In a world first, a team of researchers from Australia, China and the US has created a super strong metallic composite by harnessing the extraordinary mechanical properties of nanowires. [ + ]

Motion Technologies is now a systems integrator and Australian distributor for all Delta Tau motion control electronics products. [ + ]

A multiuniversity team of researchers has artificially engineered a unique multilayer material that could lead to breakthroughs in both superconductivity research and in real-world applications. [ + ]