Backup generators are filthy, wasteful and prone to performance problems depending on the frequency and duration of electric grid outages.

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ABB's best trick is its ability to take electric current of any voltage and frequency, chop it up into tiny bits and reassemble it into the form needed.

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Phasor measurements track the amount of stress placed on the electric power grid by providing granular data about frequency, voltage and phase angle conditions in real-time.

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Interestingly, the movement includes many who still believe that the lower frequency radiation from power lines and electric appliances and motors also poses a cancer threat, in spite of the fact that 30 years of research has shown no effects.

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Although they have not been found to cause any harm, the cables on conventional pylons, which transmit a three-phase alternating current, generate a strong electric field and a continuous buzz of low-frequency radio waves.

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That conundrum was solved by getting the high-frequency signals to penetrate deeper using alternating waves of electric and magnetic fields.

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In 1997 the National Research Council issued a major report on the health effects of exposure to power frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF), such as those due to electric power lines.

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Power electronics modify the voltage, current or frequency of electricity in applications as diverse as solid-state lighting, intelligent motors and electric vehicles.

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