by Frede Blaabjerg, Driving Power Electronics into the Future—Quo Vadis his year, the IEEE Power T Electronics Society (PELS) celebrates its 30th anniversa- ry. Just as three decades is a long time in human life, itis also a long time for modern power electronics technology. What progress and what an impact! Concepts and applica- tions we could only imagine 30 years ago and even before have now, in many cases, been imple- ‘mented in today’s society. Hundreds of gigawatts of solar and wind power have been installed, e.g, and adjustable-speed drives are a com- ‘modity in all heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning applications, ‘with huge energy savings. Similarly, ‘small portable electronies are every- ‘where, Other important applications are the electrification of the trans- portation sector and widespread industralization ‘But quo vadis? Are we there, or is ‘there more todo for all us ithe field? Prediction, especially about the future, is difficult. 1 will say we are not there ‘and there isa lot more to do, There is ‘eed for new and innovative solutions {or electrification ofthe world Devices and Components Power devices/components have been fa driving force for a large part of power electronies technology devel- ‘opment. As components get better, ‘cheaper and more compact designs are being realized. Consequently, ‘wide-bandgap technology (gallium nitride and silicon carbide) promises ‘to revolutionize power electronic sys- ‘tems in the future at low, medium, and ‘very high power levels. Much higher switching frequencies and much high- cr voltages with lower losses will give higher power densities, smaller foot- print requirements, better control per- formance, and so on. However, there will be big challenges with respect 10 packaging and protection as well as electromagnetic interference/electro- ‘magnetic compatibility Future designs will have to change radically. Interestingly, these changes will happen because of the availability of auch better simulation tools, which can handle multiple fields ike magnet- les, electrical, thermal, and structural parts, Cost is an issue today: Large ‘volume/large scale will change this fig- lure of merit, driving it toward a much, better number. Even better materials {or power devices are inthe pipeline, ‘When combined with packaging tech- nology, these better materials will en- able modular power stacks, thereby casing the implementation of multilev- topologies. Last but not the least are ‘the magneties and capacitors, where ‘there is still room for improvement, further challenged by the new power devices. They may be more solid-state ‘based in the funure, Power Generation ‘The modern world is seeking solu: tions to become more sustainable in terms of power generation. One of the solutions is to implement renewable generation in the electrical power sys- tem, Wind turbine technology has bbeen the fastest-growing technology, followed closely by photovoltaic (PV) systems (Figure 1). With steady growth for decades, the installed wind power reached 500 GW capacity in 2017. This increase in capacity, ogeth- cer with the upscaling of single wind turbine power capability (e.g., the 8-10 MW offered by manufacturers may increase to 15 MW in the future), has pushed the research and develop- ment of all aspects of wind power engineering “Asmore and more power electronic ‘converters are used, there is a greater effort to lower cost per Kilowatt and kilowatt hour. Toward that goal, high- cr power density and lower weights fare needed, To reduce operation and ‘maintenance costs, there isa constant rnced for higher reliability for all sys- fem components. Substantial work is being carried out in the wind turbine technology area to comply with more stringent grid codes, especially grid fault ride through and reactive power Injection, which challenge the power converter topologies and wind turbine components during operation. ‘A-serious competitor to wind is PV. ‘The cost of panels is dropping so fast that the cost of PV energy may soon bbeat any fossil-based generation sys tem, This will make PV a standard component everywhere, helping hous- cesbecome more of less self-sufficient. Ieee rower eiscrnonics wAcazine 9 eee eeeFIG 1 The wind turbine technology is growing much faster than other renewables. However, the control of such an en: ergy system in the future poses many questions that need to be answered Ensuring system stability with con verter interactions and how energy should be traded are other issues that will ned to be addressed. Power clectronics is enabling these solutions and has the perspective of taking care of all control. Larges PV power plants will also be bull, eg parts of the Sahara (with excellent sun conditions) could power Europe, and power stations could be bull in other areas with good sun. However, henced for very large-scale energy storage is still an unanswered question; for the moment, storage seems to be nceded. 10 use power euecrnonics wAcazine Modern Electrified Power systems ‘The role of power electronics in elee tic utilities will also be changing from an enabling technology for renewable generation and energy. efficiency improvement to a key technology for grid modernization Power clectronies-based transiuis sion and distribution grids will be prominent in the future. These grids will efficiently manage electricity among power clectronics-based sources and loads either through sol: ld-state transformers or other power clectronics-based systems, whieh will optimize geid operation, In the long term, substations might be fully solid-state built with higher levels of controllability and flexibility, ‘While large-scale bulk power ‘transmission will exceed 10 GW, some plans to make global interconnec: tion will not only be driven by devices component technology but also by breakthroughs in conductors, if they become superconducting Progress In the last 90 years has made way for ‘more breakthroughs in the next 90 years. There willbe continued discus sion about where to use ae and where to change to de-de-technology, which Js popular in longdistance high: power transmission and on ships and railways as well as large data centers, and more adoption will come in the future. As this adoption increases, there is a need for more development and benchmarking Transportation Similarly, transportation electrifica: tion is moving faster and faster. With many benefits in controllability, eff cieney, cost, lower emission, and lower weight, transportation is driving ‘quickly toward more power electron les, Ships, which are, today, eleetified witha fossilbased engine and then an lectrical driving system, will change in the future, Likewise, railways are becoming electrified to a large extent, ‘and airplanes are becoming more and ‘more electric. Unmanned aerial vehi cles are all eleetric, and we wil see ‘more civil aireraft also going in that direction, Plans are under way for ‘electric civil aiteraft with 100 passen. ‘ger capacity. The Boeing 787 Dream liner took a large step, including the advantage of being more electri. ‘The big game changer is battery technology and its use in electrie cars. Batteries are improving so fast Interms of cost, weight, and lifetime that the next few decades will see a revolution in automobile technology Driving range will be competitive with fossil-fucl-ased cars, and the required charging time will be less than 10 min, Of course, there are technology challenges, but the road map is quite certain. Power clee tronics is playing a key role in manyaspects, such as battery handling, driving, and interconnection to the ‘grid. This large battery capacity will ‘be an important asset of the grid op- ‘eration, and how to handle and use it isa challenge. As storage is reduced in price, it wil also be used in hous- , ships, and other areas where it _makes sense from a cost standpoint. ‘The Millions of Converters and Systems Power converters will be everywhere, oth as loads and generators. The ‘dynamic interaction and control of interconnected power electronic con- verters pose new challenges to the safe and reliable operation of the sys- tem where they are located. In a grid, there can be rullions of converters, ‘The present modeling and analysis techniques of power electronic sys- ‘tems are stil ineapable of quantifying the risks of system instabilities and resonances. Moreover, the full control- lability of power electronic convert- ‘ers, underpinned by advances in digi- tal signal processors, makes the fault characteristics of the power system highly dependent on the controllers of power converters. Power electronic hardware could become more and ‘more modular at different power lev- ls, and more algorithms for control, ‘monitoring, and protection will be used to adapt for different applica- tons. The risks of hardware design ‘wil also be affected by software opt- ization in the controllers of both ower converters and power systems. Very traditional assessment of power system reliability is seen today, ‘where power electronic converters are assumed to have a certain mean time between failures, which is ob- tained by means of handbook caleula- ton, We are not yet able to consider a ‘more advanced physical failure analy- sis for power system design, and being able to do so in the future will enable utilities to better predict the cost of {introducing more renewables. The control interactions of power con- verters will also cause the operating De aod Ce eee Cree environments and mission profiles of power electronic components to vary over a wide range of timescales. The rollabilty assessment of such systems combined with the impact of control software optimization at the power system level does not exist today, and ‘we need to improve it, A method to test large-scale system resources ef- ficiently before they are put into op- eration must also be developed, This method needs to be a mixture of phys ical hardware as well as multiphysies and realtime simulation systems, The Interconnection of Power and Security Power devices have been one of the two major technologies to develop power electronics technology. The ‘second is the microprocessor and all its possible applications, such us con- ‘wo, monitoring, protection, and inter- connection. The cost mapping of a power electronics product is very biased toward software development ‘and will continue that way for several reasons, Manufacturers of power elec: tonies technology have much more Information about the system and can provide a service for their customers, eg, through wireless connection to the cloud. However, this makes the power cleetronic system vulnerable to eyberthreats. Hence, cybersecurity will be very important to ensure sys- ‘tem safety. Achieving that will require ‘combination of power electronics engineering and the diseipline of soft ware, It is a serious threat, but the possiblities are also large, eg, in con- dition monitoring and health manage- ment. A better understanding about the processes power electronies is controlling is important in, e.g, on- the-fly updates of processes and ‘machine-Jearning algorithms to assist decision making. Quo Vadis? Some directions for the future are cov: cred here, but power electronics appli- cations are huge, and more will come. Power supplies for computers, power {in the human body, power electronics for health treatment, the evolution in motor drives, energy harvesting, pulsed power in waterfood treatment and clectrofitering are just a few growing applications. Looking back 30, years, PELS has successfully per: Tormed its tasks. The next few decades will be very exciting forall of the Society members. And we should remember to energize all of the young talent in our community to contribute ‘wthis vision. ‘About the Author Frede Blaabjerg is a professor and Villum Investigator at Aalborg Univer- sity; Denmark References (0156. Kawaban and MJ, “ols sd emerging splcason of power eects In gsten” IBEE J Bren. Set. Topics Pacer Beco, 1.2, pp Jae 201. (2). ye yea FC: L,“OStre for (9) A @ Hag, “Power semiconductor devicat for sonar gid and renewable every stems” [a] F Ble, Yang DY and X Wang “Distbuted power generation sens and 20 sx daly 2007 [6] aaberg and Ma, “Wind energy 9s (6) JH Bost, F Blabjerg and D. Tan, “The future of electri power processing a cox ‘version: Highligh fre PEPPCON 1X" 188 ower Bectron Mag, vo 4, 9.3 9p. 28-2, Sep 201 von eee power euscrnontcs macazine 11Reprinted from June 2014 issue of IEE Power Electronics Magazine Electric Motors in Electrified Transportation A step toward achieving a sustainable and highly efficient transportation system by Berker Bilgin and Ali Emadi he transportation sector is one of the largest ‘energy users, and the main source of energy in our transportation system is still fossil fuels. As an example, in the United States, 98% of transportation energy comes from oll, ‘but most of itis wasted due to the low efficiency of con: ventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. To day's low fuel efficiencies make the automotive industry ‘one of largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. ‘ipa aba are are "te of pute 2 ce 10 12 wee Powegetecrnowies magazine. | Jone 18 au suai amass