News Releases

07/01/2009

Hitachi America, Ltd. Releases New RCU Regenerative Converters

--RCU Series Represents an Affordable "Green" Alternative to Traditional DB Systems--

TARRYTOWN, NY, July 1, 2009 – Hitachi America, Ltd. today announced the release of its RCU Series of regenerative converter units. The RCU Series offers an affordable “green” alternative to traditional dynamic braking (DB) systems. Instead of wasting regenerative energy as heat, the RCU reclaims that energy, converting it into 3-phase alternating current (AC) power. The energy is recycled through the AC line, resulting in increased energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption. In many applications, the amount of energy that can be reclaimed is quite significant, thus providing a measurable return on investment and short pay-back cycle relative to the cost of the RCU.

Furthermore, the waste heat generated by conventional DB often creates the need for additional cooling and air-conditioning, which can be costly. Thus, the elimination of DB waste heat is a secondary benefit of the RCU Series. In this way, incorporating an RCU in the system allows for a smaller cooling system (HVAC), offsetting the up-front cost of the regenerative unit, and additionally, reducing the demands placed on the cooling system.

The RCU is simple to install and operate, with only five connections necessary for basic operation. It incorporates LC-filtering to mitigate harmonics and an LED display for monitoring of operation and faults. The RCU is available in several sizes, and units can be parallel-connected for higher power handling.

For more information, please contact www.hitachi-america.us/inverters or inverterinfo@hal.hitachi.com.

Hitachi America, Ltd., headquartered in Tarrytown, New York, a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., and its subsidiary companies offer a broad range of electronics, electronic contract manufacturing services, power and industrial equipment and services, automotive products and consumer electronics with operations throughout the Americas. For more information, visit www.hitachi-america.us. For information on other Hitachi Group companies in the United States, please visit www.hitachi.us.

Hitachi America, Ltd., Industrial Systems Division supplies a broad range of Industrial Infrastructure products and services. The division markets sophisticated electrical and electronic industrial equipment and components for application in pharmaceutical plants, food & beverage processing, steel making, mass transit systems, chemical plants, and other manufacturing facilities.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 400,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2008 (ended March 31, 2009) consolidated revenues totaled 10,000 billion yen ($102.0 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials, logistics and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at www.hitachi.com.