Applied Technology Review : News

Riyadh Saudi Agriculture 2022 and the concurrently held Forum, under the patronage of the Ministry of Environment Water and Agriculture (MEWA), have attracted more than 450 companies from 45 countries, that includes 11 country pavilions from around the world.   The 39 th edition of the Saudi Agriculture Exhibition, is the Middle East largest and most influential for the agriculture industry, has surpassed all previous records this year, covering over 18,224 SQM displaying latest technologies and agriculture solutions. The event will be held once again at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, from 17 th October to 20 th October. The exhibition and co-located conference focus on serving KSA national priorities as outlined in Vision 2030 and MEWA directives, in particular food security and expanding agriculture investment, efficient water utilization, and sustainability issues of the sector. Mohammed Al Hussaini Executive Consultant of Riyadh Exhibitions Company (REC), the Organizers of the event, announced that “NEOM- agriculture sector professionals are taking a leading role in the exhibition and related conference, presenting their vision and activities toward the latest agriculture technologies for the future of the sector. Technologies that will transform the way food is grown and consumed in desert-like environments. NEOM strives to become the world’s most food self-sufficient region, able to nourish residents with diverse, healthy food whilst preserving natural resources and reducing waste, as well as provide an exceptional model for the future of the sector in the Kingdom and worldwide.” He also added that “Other sector prominent Kingdom organizations are also showcasing key technologies and sustainability solutions for the agriculture sector. SALIK, the PIF organization responsible for enhancing food security and sustainability for the Kingdom is participating.  SABIC and Maaden will include latest agriculture fertilizers amongst their solutions, TASNEE and its affiliates such as NNTC will showcase their exceptional contributions to improving the efficiency of their water usage DIBAL soil additive that provides more efficient use of water in soil by the plants, the kind of solutions MEWA has called for and has encouraged. “ The diversification and balanced agro food development is addressed by participants such as the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), Saudi Organic Food Association (SOFA), United Feed, and Al Khorayef, who presents a large exhibition of latest farm technologies and agriculture machinery and solutions. Al Hussaini, further noted that “Given global events and disruptions, food security and sustainability is a more important national objective than ever. The 39 th edition of Saudi Agriculture importance as a national and international community platform to collaborate in sector development, share last technology, and build new partnerships has become essential. The exhibitors and visitors, through their collaborations support the sector’s development to keep pace with the latest technologies towards achieving a sustainable national agricultural sector, while conserving the Kingdom's natural resources, in accordance with the Kingdom vision 2030.” ...Read more

The collaboration between AutoGrid and Mysa will bring utility-scale virtual power plants for grid modernization through thermostat technology. "Mysa's mission is to make smart home energy management tech that keeps folks comfortable and builds a better future for our planet. A significant part of that better future is the wider shift towards HVAC electrification , which Mysa supports with our products for electric baseboard heating, already installed in thousands of homes throughout the U.S. and Canada. Also, homeowners all over North America are rapidly adopting our latest product for ductless mini-split heat pump systems. With our innovative products, bringing our customers access to demand-response programs across the U.S. is a major way to help utilities with flexibility in their grid systems. Great partners like AutoGrid help move us closer to realizing Mysa's vision of a fully electric future," said Joshua Green, Co-Founder, and CEO of Mysa. AutoGrid will introduce a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) in collaboration with Canadian manufacturer Mysa, an industry-leading provider of Virtual Power Plants (VPP). Smart thermostats for electric heating and cooling systems will benefit consumers and utility companies. PSE's VPP project postponed a new substation in the Pacific NorthWest due to a targeted demand side program.   A comprehensive and scalable dispatch solution for both of these technologies, as well as other IoT solutions from various thermostats and Water Heater Controls platforms, will be provided by AutoGrid by combining its VPP platform with Mysa's smart thermostat technology. The comprehensive Demand Response program allows PSE to delay costly transmission and distribution projects, saving ratepayers money while allowing the company to modernize its infrastructure responsibly without incurring substantial upfront costs. "We have been using smart thermostats with our VPP technology for quite some time. Mysa is unique in that their products allow complete smart control of high voltage electric heating and cooling systems. This market is underserved by other smart thermostat makers, yet is prevalent in northern parts of the U.S. and Canada, where there is the widespread use of electric home heating and cooling. We are excited to launch this partnership," said Amit Narayan, Founder, and CEO of AutoGrid. ...Read more

Cleanroom technology enables engineers and scientists to prepare for safe space travel. Space travel has been commercialized highly in recent times. Several private companies in various nations are spending enormous money on designing and manufacturing space shuttles. Space technology is evolving rapidly with time, which gives rise to many technological solutions for the development and maintenance involved in a space mission. Space travel is a combination of numerous small and big projects and technologies. Therefore, it becomes necessary to check and confirm every minute detail. One single mistake can cause massive damage to the project. Cleanliness plays a vital role in space travel, as it eliminates small particles that can cause endanger the mission. For example, a cleaning rag stuck in the pipeline can cause a crash. Smeared optics, dirty solder joints, and unclean bearings are weak points that must be prevented. During error analysis after an accident, the engineers have learned this lesson the hard way, through a harrowing and costly process. Technological advancement has developed cleanroom technology to deal with disposable industrial issues. Cleanrooms have a vital role in space travel as it involves various component production and integration. Trends in future satellite integration rooms The requirements and costs of cleanrooms in space travel will increase in the future. About 300 square meters are needed to integrate a satellite with a length of 5 meters. There is a daily usage fee of several hundred euros per sqm, contributing to the price per sqm. As a result, the cost of the cleanroom alone already consumes millions of dollars. Cleanroom requirements are increasing as a result of optical systems in particular. A system's dust sensitivity increases with its miniaturization. Satellites of this type will need to be integrated into rooms of ISO class 5 or above in the future. Establishing higher classes only in targeted areas can be accomplished cheaply. Satellites with sophisticated optical systems will require more than this. Airborne Molecular Contamination (AMC) is now being studied instead of particles alone, especially organic components in the air. Transport in mobile cleanroom There is a great deal of transport required for satellite integration. An organization's quality depends on the strength of the weakest link in its chain. It follows that transport and integration must be subject to the same conditions. As a result of the transport container, a robust and climate-controlled cleanroom of Class 8 can be constructed on the move. It is also imperative that the launch site maintains the same cleanroom quality as the launch facility. It is believed that there are several different ideas for a space cleaning crew, ranging from vacuum cleaners to shooting debris into space. If the space nations want to be able to clean up Earth's orbit, they will have a lot of work to do regardless of which method of cleaning is used. ...Read more