Today, there is a great deal of attention focused on sustainable growth worldwide. The increase in efficiency in the use of energy may even, in this historical moment, bring greater benefit than the use of renewable energies. Electricity appears to be the most sustainable of energies and the most promising hope for a planet capable of growing without compromising its own health and that of its inhabitants. Power electronics and electrical drives are the key technologies that will allow energy savings through the reduction of energy losses in many applications. This Special Issue has collected several scientific contributions related to energy efficiency in electrical equipment. Some articles are dedicated to the use and optimization of permanent magnet motors, which allow obtaining the highest level of efficiency. Most of the contributions describe the energy improvements that can be achieved with power electronics and the use of suitable control techniques. Last but not least, some articles describe interesting solutions for hybrid vehicles, which were created mainly to save energy in the smartest way possible.

Today, there is a great deal of attention focused on sustainable growth worldwide. The increase in efficiency in the use of energy may even, in this historical moment, bring greater benefit than the use of renewable energies. Electricity appears to be the most sustainable of energies and the most promising hope for a planet capable of growing without compromising its own health and that of its inhabitants. Power electronics and electrical drives are the key technologies that will allow energy savings through the reduction of energy losses in many applications. This Special Issue has collected several scientific contributions related to energy efficiency in electrical equipment. Some articles are dedicated to the use and optimization of permanent magnet motors, which allow obtaining the highest level of efficiency. Most of the contributions describe the energy improvements that can be achieved with power electronics and the use of suitable control techniques. Last but not least, some articles describe interesting solutions for hybrid vehicles, which were created mainly to save energy in the smartest way possible.

The reduction of energy consumption through improvements in energy efficiency has become an important goal for all countries, in order to improve the efficiency of the economy, to increase energy supply security, and to reduce the emissions of CO and other pollutants caused by power· generation. 2 Electric motors use over half of all electricity consumed in developed countries. Typically 60-80% of the electricity which is used in the industrial sector and about 35% of the electricity used in the commercial sector in the European Union is consumed by motors. In industry, a motor consumes an annual quantity of electricity which corresponds to approximately 5 times its purchase price, throughout its whole life of aroun~ 12 to 20 years. Motors are by far the most important type of electric load. They are used in all sectors and in a wide range of applications, namely the following: fans, compressors, pumps, mills, winders, elevators, transports, home appliances, and office equipment, etc. It is their wide use that makes motor drive systems one of the main targets to achieve significant energy savings. As motors are the largest USers of electrical energy, even small efficiency improvements will produce very large energy savings.

This book reports the state of the art of energy-efficient electrical motor driven system technologies, which can be used now and in the near future to achieve significant and cost-effective energy savings. It includes the recent developments in advanced electrical motor end-use devices (pumps, fans and compressors) by some of the largest manufacturers. Policies and programs to promote the large scale penetration of energy-efficient technologies and the market transformation are featured in the book, describing the experiences carried out in different parts of the world. This extensive coverage includes contributions from relevant institutions in the Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

This book is part of a three-book series. Ned Mohan has been a leader in EES education and research for decades, as author of the best-selling text/reference Power Electronics. This book emphasizes applications of electric machines and drives that are essential for wind turbines and electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. The approach taken is unique in the following respects: A systems approach, where Electric Machines are covered in the context of the overall drives with applications that students can appreciate and get enthusiastic about; A fundamental and physics-based approach that not only teaches the analysis of electric machines and drives, but also prepares students for learning how to control them in a graduate level course; Use of the space-vector-theory that is made easy to understand. They are introduced in this book in such a way that students can appreciate their physical basis; A unique way to describe induction machines that clearly shows how they go from the motoring-mode to the generating-mode, for example in wind and electric vehicle applications, and how they ought to be controlled for the most efficient operation.

This book presents the latest cutting-edge technology in high-power converters and medium voltage drives, and provides a complete analysis of various converter topologies, modulation techniques, practical drive configurations, and advanced control schemes. Supplemented with more than 250 illustrations, the author illustrates key concepts with simulations and experiments. Practical problems, along with accompanying solutions, are presented to help you tackle real-world issues.

Concern for reliable power supply and energy-efficient system design has led to usage of power electronics-based systems, including efficient electric power conversion and power semiconductor devices. This book provides integration of complete fundamental theory, design, simulation and application of power electronics, and drives covering up-to-date subject components. It contains twenty-one chapters arranged in four sections on power semiconductor devices, basic power electronic converters, advanced power electronics converters, power supplies, electrical drives and advanced applications. Aimed at senior undergraduate and graduate students in electrical engineering and power electronics including related professionals, this book • Includes electrical drives such as DC motor, AC motor, special motor, high performance motor drives, solar, electrical/hybrid vehicle and fuel cell drives • Reviews advances in renewable energy technologies (wind, PV, hybrid power systems) and their integration • Explores topics like distributed generation, microgrid, and wireless power transfer system • Includes simulation examples using MATLAB®/Simulink and over four hundred solved, unsolved and review problems