Features
Power_electronics Features

BEV advancements are driving sales, but vehicle safety and reliability will ensure long-term viability
Innovative power architectures using power modules provide power redundancy and improve overall safety and system performance By Patrick Kowalyk, Automotive FAE,Vicor
More details...
AC/DC power factor correction module offers up to 1,512W
A full brick package developed by TDK-Lambda, the PF1500B-360, is for high voltage distributed power architectures
More details...
Renewable Energies Features
 
Lightning Motorcycles deliver a smooth ‘magical feeling’ even at 215mph! December, 06 2023
Innovative modular power system design delivers an unequalled riding experience
View PDF

Technologies to harness wind power for net zero - September 2023 September, 08 2023
The offshore wind industry has a major role to play in reducing carbon emissions, but the industry faces a number of challenges. ABB Energy Industries discusses some technology developments which are being increasingly used to tackle these for a reliable sustainable renewable source.
View PDF

The emerging role of preventative maintenance in wind turbines - issue 6/2014 September, 22 2014
In contrast to on-site staff at traditional power stations or the ready road access to transformer stations, wind turbines are generally unmanned and located in rural areas or in offshore wind farms....
View PDF

Solar Inverter Performance Improvement Utilizing 650V High speed 3 IGBT Power Modules - issue 7/2013 November, 04 2013
For applications which require an output filter or have a boost/buck choke, higher switching frequencies can lead to advantages on system level. One application where both can be found is a solar inverter....
View PDF

Power Module Design for an Efficient Three-Level Utility Grid Solar Inverter - issue 7/2013 November, 04 2013
The race to achieve highest efficiency had engineers turning to innovate topologies and new components such as SiC to take the lead. In parallel, after years of dormancy, old but very innovative ideas such as the mixed-voltage NPC topology have been rediscovered....
View PDF

Parallel Switch Increases Efficiency of Power Module for PV Inverters - issue 5/2013 August, 26 2013
As the solar market matures, electronic power designers are faced with new challenges in inverter designs. The older less efficient two level designs will simply not meet next generation requirements, nor compete successfully in the marketplace....
View PDF

New SiC JFET Boost Performance of Solar Inverters - issue 4/2011 July, 13 2011
The article proposes a new normally-on Silicon Carbide (SiC) JFET device concept with monolithically integrated body diode. The new device combines ultra fast switching with ohmic forward characteristic and a zero recovery characteristic of its body diode.
View PDF

How to handle Electricity from µW to MW in Windmill Applications May, 04 2011
Within the complex entity known as 'The Windmill' handling electricity in an extreme wode range of power levels is the omnipresent challenge.....
View PDF

Renewable Energy Testing - issue 8/2010 December, 20 2010
A new versatile instrument combines the benefits of a high speed oscilloscope and those of a traditional data-acquisition recorder in a single, portable instrument. It also incorporates a number of features that make it suited to tests on renewable energy systems.
View PDF

Three Phase Two-HF-Switch PV Inverter with Thyristor Interface - issue 4/2010 September, 01 2010
To feed-in an alternating current into the medium voltage AC grid several requirements have to be kept. Next to rugged and interface-insusceptible electronics, attention has to be given to the new grid connection guidelines in Germany since 2008. Such new rules significantly affect the cost of inverters nowadays, especially when usual semiconductor devices like IGBTs are employed....
View PDF

Power Semiconductor Technologies for Renewable Energy Sources - issue 4/2010 September, 01 2010
High power semiconductors are key components for controlling the generation and connection to the network of renewable energy sources such as wind-turbines and photovoltaic cells. For a highest efficiency of the energy source, it is therefore essential to select the right device for the given conditions.......
View PDF

New Design Proposals for High-Power Renewable Energy Applications - issue 4/2010 September, 01 2010
Renewable energy applications are a great challenge for Power Electronics, with efficiency and reliability being the prevailing requirements. Today, 1700V low-voltage silicon is vastly superior. For input/output powers of several MW, dozens of modules with dozens of chips need tpo be connected in parallel. The best solution is paralleling inverters/power blocks, but such solutions require additional low-voltage transmission from the source to the medium-voltage (MV) transformer....
View PDF

GaN Power Devices for Micro Inverters - issue 4/2010 September, 01 2010
GaN power products are set to have a direct impact on future efficient PV solar inverter/converters. By reducing losses in each stage of the power conversion, GaN based devices will help in increasing total energy harvesting. The integration with driver ICs and other components will drive the size reduction and high volume commercialisation ....
View PDF

Transfer Mold IPM for Photovoltaic Application - issue 4/2010 September, 01 2010
A new llow loss large dual in-line Package Intelligent Power Module with rating of 50A/600V is designed for photovoltaic generation. It features a high heat dissipating insulation sheet, 5th generation CSTBT IGBTs and high output current driver IC leading to higher switching frequencies....
View PDF

Solar Power Conversions - A system solution to alternative energy demand May, 18 2010
Power electronics design plays a key role in the performance of a solar power system, as design engineers first look at maximum conversion. Since PV modules have very low efficiency from solar to electrical energy (in the range of 20 percent), the efficiency of a power inverter is meanigful to minimise solar module area and volume in the entire system...
View PDF

More efficiency for 3 - Level Inverters April, 28 2010
The use of renewable sources is one of the key issues when it comes to creating a new basis for worldwide energy supply. Wind power has been in use for over 20 years now, with technical advances leading to improvements in efficiency and reliability. The output of wind power units is steadily increasing. The switchover from 2 to 3 MW per unit is currently underway. Unlike wind power converters, central solar inverters bear huge potential for technical optimisation.
View PDF

Energy Harvesting gets a boost - issue 1/2010 March, 25 2010
A wide range of low-power industrial sensors and controllers are turning to alternative sources of energy as the primary or supplemental means of supplying power. Ideally, such harvested enery will eliminate the need for wired power or batteries altogether.
View PDF

Design concept for a transformerless solar inverter - issue 1/2010 March, 25 2010
Vinvotech is able to offer a wide spectrum of power modules for solar applications. For transformer-less single phase solar inverter the power module FZ06BIA045FH-P897E is able to carry an output power of 6KW but for efficiency optimisation a nominal power of 3KW is recommmended.
View PDF

Current Sensing in Advanced Power Electronics Applications May, 21 2009
The progress in the development of power electronics applications such as advanced drives and regenerative electrical conversion needs new hardware components like current measuring transducers with advanced features. LEM provides appropriate solutions for current measurement in such applications.
View PDF

Powering Microcontrollers from Ambient Energy Sources December, 02 2008
The green power movement has spawned intense interest in the need for clean and renewable energy sources. This attention is usually focused on large scale power generation to supply homes and industry. however, the need for clean and renewable energy also finds a place with low power applications such as remote microprocessors or industrial sensors. Ambient light, heat and vibration sources can generate power for microcontroller or microprocessor circuits as described in the following.
View PDF

Reliable Power Electronics for Windmill Generators February, 22 2008
Power modules - Reliable Power Electronics for Windmill Generators. Issue 2 2008
View PDF

Newsletter sign up

Sponsors