Researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research Global plan to develop a new device for capturing residual magnetic energy from electrical current.
After an experiment performed at a military hotel in Tokyo, the system called Magnetic Energy Recovery Switch (MERS) racked up a peak power savings of 39 percent. Now, researchers want that MERS to be implemented in the entire facility by next year, including the printing room, offices, gym, laundry and a break room.
In other words, this device represents a new way to control the flow of energy more efficiently. The experimental installation, at the Hardy Barracks hotel in Tokyo, involved several fluorescent lights. The MERS technology also helps to decrease the electromagnetic interference and produces less heat, thus saving a lot of energy.
“In trying to align with the Joint Statement of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee, scientists are trying to help reduce the impact on local communities by reducing the energy footprint of existing U.S. installations, becoming more responsible stewards of the environment,”said Dr. Chandra Curtis, program officer in ONR Global’s Tokyo office.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2008 more than 517 billion kilowatt-hours of energy were used for lighting by the commercial and residential sectors.
[Source: Cleantechnica]
