China

According to the New York Times, China is the world’s largest fossil fuel consumer, accounting for more than a fifth of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.  To counteract its demand for power, the nation is developing an extensive smart grid system that some experts predict will grow from $22.3 billion in value to an impressive $61.4 billion by 2015.

Recently, China constructed what could be the world’s largest battery-based energy storage station that will supply the smart grid with clean energy.  According to EarthTechling, the lithium-iron-phosphate system consists of 100 megawatts (MW) of wind power generation capacity, 40 MW of solar, 36 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery-based energy storage and a smart power transmission system.

United States

Thanks to government incentives, states and municipalities across America are realizing the benefits of the smart grid.  For example, Idaho Power just finished installing approximately a half million smart meters for rural residents.  Two months ago, the U.S. government announced that it is taking energy conservation a step further with its new Green Button initiative.  The program is bringing together utility providers, energy consumers and private industry to develop Internet and mobile applications (like Tendril Energize, pictured left), which will ultimately allow consumers to monitor and control their home energy usage from their smartphones.  Green Button puts cost savings potential at the fingertips of smart grid energy consumers.

To learn more about Palladium’s expertise in emerging green technology, check out this recent article in Electronic Products entitled “Lithium batteries: Powering future smart grids,” written by our own Tom Larsen.

-      Rebecca Kritzman, director of global marketing

Overall Trends

CONNECTED DEVICES.  MOBILE APPLICATIONS.  SOCIAL ASPECTS.  This year, CES was buzzing about devices that all connect to the Internet – TVs, smartphones and other devices capable of streaming video over an Internet connection.  Many of these devices incorporate apps and social media components allowing users to access interactive content at the touch of a finger.  According to MagnaGlobal, in Q3 of 2011:

• Americans owned 105.7 million smartphones (up 47 percent over Q3 of 2010)
• 61.6 million game consoles (up 34 percent over Q3 of 2010)
• 20 million tablets (up 488 percent over Q3 of 2010)

Wow! Unified access to content on a myriad of devices (something Apple is working on via TV and iCloud services) is rumored to be in the works. Portability, size, weight and the need to be able to stream the Internet means that there is even MORE importance of reliability and lasting performance of battery power.

Ultrabooks

Last May, Intel introduced the concept of Ultrabooks to rival Apple’s MacBook Air.  These laptops feature slim designs and longer battery life to meet consumer demand, and according to Intel’s slogan, they are “Ultra Responsive. Ultra Sleek.”  At this year’s CES, Toshiba and Lenovo are just a couple manufacturers who have introduced additional Ultrabooks. Regardless of the manufacturer, Ultrabooks all require reliable, long-lasting battery life, which makes lithium-ion the preferred technology.  Li-ion battery technology is lighter and can be engineered to fit small devices; moreover, its slow loss of life enables Ultrabooks to meet consumer demand for device longevity.

Digital Health

At Palladium, we manufacture battery packs for both consumer electronic devices and medical devices, so we’re excited to see the two traditionally distinct vertical markets merging in the best interest of patient care.  CES is full of digital health gadgets galore like Fitbit’s Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale and the  Metria Sensor Patch, which combines sensors and software for short-term health monitoring.  Further, due to increasing hospital costs and the aging population, demand for mobile, home medical devices and monitoring systems are rising.  This is creating a class of easy-to-use, reliable consumer electronics such as glucose monitoring and blood pressure devices.  At home medical devices require long-lasting, reliable and safe battery power due to their high-stakes applications.

If you’re an OEM exhibitor or an attendee at this year’s CES and are interested in Palladium’s custom battery pack solutions, click here to request a proposal!  See you next year at CES 2013!

-          Rebecca Kritzman, director of marketing

#10 – “Lithium-based battery pack solutions are becoming more affordable—not to mention the technology of choice for many different types of devices.  I’m thankful for anything that helps deliver an excellent power solution to our customer—in a cost-effective manner!”    – Mike Kral, director of logistics and supply chain

#9 – “I’d like to offer thanks to lithium polymer cell technology because it allows us to design battery packs that don’t suffer from memory effect, which is needed for medical devices like smart infusion pumps that save lives.”  – Howard Granat, regional sales manager

#8 – “Lithium technology is safe and reliable (Palladium has shipped more than 500 million battery packs without a major recall) making it great for military devices like two-way radios used by soldiers in combat.  Thanks to our troops!”    – John Michie, director of HR

#7 – “I’m thankful for lithium technology because it’s considered ‘safe for disposal’ by the Environmental Protection Agency! Three cheers for being green!”  – Rebecca Kritzman, director of marketing

#6 – “This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for the lithium-based battery pack in my car’s GPS that will ensure I get to my in-laws safely and on-time this holiday. I’m never late to the in-laws, especially if meat AND pumpkin pie are involved.” – Tom Larsen, strategic market development manager

#5 – “I’m thankful for lithium-ion technology because we can engineer it to fit small, lightweight consumer devices like smartphones. And who isn’t thankful for their smartphone?” – Anson Martin, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing

#4 – “I’m thankful for lithium batteries because they provide OEMs and consumers long-term cost savings since they have high energy density and don’t have to be replaced as often as other formats.  I’m all about the bottom line.” – Anees Mohammad, chief financial officer

#3 – “I live in California and back the renewable energy movement out here, so I’m thankful that lithium technology is becoming one of the preferred technologies for storing the wind and sun in smart grids across the globe!” – Chad Walden, director of sales

#2 – “Not only is lithium technology reliable, but it can operate in a range of temperatures, meaning it can withstand a range of global climates. Now that’s something be thankful for.” – Dr. Like Xie, vice president of technology

#1 – “I’m CEO, so naturally I know the number one reason everyone should be thankful for lithium technology!  Lithium technology is perfect for everything from data capture devices to telematics to renewable energy to medical devices around the world. Lithium technology powers just about everything in our lives and helps delight our customers.” – Art Salyer, president and chief executive officer

Today, Palladium’s chief executive officer and president, Art Salyer, is interviewed in Industry Week about our “Brazil Advantage” and why many manufacturing companies are expanding operations in this unique South American country.  Click here to read the story.

At Palladium, we closely follow medical device trends and respond by creating custom engineered lithium battery packs for the next-generation of portable and at-home equipment.  Below are four innovative medical devices that are currently keeping our design engineers in the USA and in China busy:

• Home Recovery and Portable Devices – Due to rising demand for hospital beds and increasing in-hospital care costs, the industry is experiencing a trend in at-home patient recovery.  This trend is creating a need for smaller, more portable devices that are easily operable by at-home nurses and patients themselves.  Responding to this need, Palladium’s design engineers have developed miniaturized battery packs with added safety protocols for at-home use.

• Medical Data Capture Devices – Since more patients are living longer, recovering at home and living in long-term care facilities, physicians are faced with a need to reliably capture patient vitals on a continual basis outside of the doctor’s office.  These data capture devices must contain a reliable battery pack with respect to connectivity, safety and perhaps most importantly – data security.

• Smart Infusion Pumps – These medical devices have revolutionized the way medical personnel administer IV therapy, but they also can contribute to adverse drug events (ADEs).  Therefore, modern smart infusion pumps contain error-reduction software and must contain battery packs that do not suffer from memory effect, ensuring programmed infusions are administered as prescribed.

A global leader in lithium battery packs, Palladium is currently engineering medical device applications with lithium polymer cell technology.  These cells can be manufactured to fit in a variety of small enclosures and are lighter in weight – necessary features for modern medical equipment.

To learn more about powering medical devices, click here to read an article in the current issue of Medical Electronics Design written by Palladium’s own, Riad Nakhleh.

- Rebecca Kritzman, director of marketing

The Palladium Energy sales and marketing team at Battery Power 2011 this morning.

Prior to this morning’s keynote presentation, our company had the opportunity to make a special announcement about Palladium’s commitment to powering the world with lithium-based, green technologies by expanding into existing and emerging markets.

We are pleased to unveil a strategic alliance with Trojan Battery Company, the world’s leading manufacturer of lead-acid deep-cycle batteries.  The new partnership will offer Trojan’s customers lithium-based solutions under the Trojan brand in key markets which include renewable energy, golf, transportation, floor machine, aerial work platform, marine and recreational vehicles.

I’m most excited about the opportunities this partnership provides for Palladium to play a larger role in the renewable energy market which includes various smart grid applications like smart meters, routers and sun and wind storage.  Lithium, traditionally the preferred technology for many portable and back-up applications due to inherent fit, form, function and green characteristics, has long been regarded as an environmentally-friendly, green technology—a requirement for the renewable energy market.

The world’s leading smart meter manufacturers already trust Palladium’s smart grid power solutions, but this partnership will eventually catapult our company into medium and large format applications like the storing the sun and wind, allowing us to have an even larger role in powering the world with green technology.

You can click here to read today’s press release.  Hope to see some of our readers on the tradeshow floor today (we’re at booth #208) to discuss our big news and exciting future!

- Art Salyer, president and chief executive officer

Students across the country are heading back to the classroom, but many of these students will be ditching textbooks and picking up e-readers.

According to new research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, e-reader ownership has recently been growing faster than tablets.  In fact, the number of adults in the U.S. who own an e-reader doubled from November 2010 to May 2011.  Currently, 12 percent (or approximately 30 million) of Americans own an e-reader.

With e-reader usage climbing, it’s not surprising that e-reader manufacturers and publishers are marketing to students.  The typical college student spends $900 per year on textbooks.  However, last month Amazon announced that Kindle users now have the option to rent e-textbooks anywhere from 30 to 360 days.  Students can make notes and highlights on the Kindle like in a traditional textbook, which will then be saved, even after the e-text rental expires.  Amazon claims the e-text rental service will save students up to 80 percent off the list price of traditional text books.  Another bookseller giant, Barnes & Noble, is offering students $100 worth of study guides and tools with the purchase of its e-reader, the NOOK.

Some colleges actually encourage students to use e-readers because it reduces paper consumption – saving money and conserving natural resources.  Princeton University recently completed a pilot program – providing three faculty members and 51 students with a Kindle DX.  By using digitized documents versus printed texts, pilot participants printed just over half the amount of paper than control groups who did not use e-readers.

With so many classroom benefits and applications, analysts expect that digital textbooks will comprise 20 percent of the textbook market by 2015.  Powering the demand for these consumer electronic devices are lithium-ion batteries – ensuring e-readers have enough juice to survive the midnight cram session.

Palladium Energy is the most experienced battery pack designer and manufacturer for handheld consumer electronic devices – including those used by scholarly co-eds.  Our technology experts and design engineers pay careful attention to creative lithium-based cell and mechanical design solutions and in-depth integration of battery power source with device circuitry. We know that today’s batteries must make-the-grade in order to survive a semester of freshman intro courses.

-          Rebecca Kritzman, director of marketing