October / November 2021

www.epe2021.com EPE ECCE 2021 REVIEW 15 www.power-mag.com Issue 4 2021 Power Electronics Europe More Power Electronics for a Greener World EPE ECCE 2021 from September 6 – 10 attracted some 500+ participants in a fully digital event. The more academic keynotes and the papers of this conference focused more on the system side of power electronics, particularly the grid and its subsystems, as well as e-mobility, rather than on the component side. Electrification of mobile and non-mobile systems is progressing fast. Novel battery systems are being developed not only for drones, passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicle applications, but also for stationary storage applications. They need intelligent Battery Management Systems and control units as well as appropriate charging devices. For vehicle applications, high-power charging stations are being developed to reduce charging time. Bi-directional V2X charging systems allow for better grid management and, when combined with smart charging, for an increased share of renewables in the electricity mix. Power electronics interfaces, with their emerging wide bandgap (WBG) technologies (such as SiC and GaN), are a key element in these developments towards high energy-efficient systems. The reliability aspect is crucial in these and many other applications. Considering the reliability aspect in the design phase of battery systems, drivetrains, charging systems with both AC and DC networks, etc., will improve the lifespan of those systems and provide more robustness with less maintenance. These topics were discussed in various events at this year’s EPE ECCE conference planned to be held in Ghent but due to the pandemic available digitally only. Keynotes – from systems to components The introduction of modular multilevel converters (MMCs) created a new momentum in the field of high voltage direct current (HVDC). HVDC is not anymore used only in point-to-point links embedded in AC systems or between asynchronous areas. It is now also used to transport power from offshore wind farms far from shore to land and multi-terminal direct current (MTDC) systems are becoming a reality. “With the expected massive development of renewable energy sources and the limited rights-of-way to create new overhead lines in many countries, the power system must evolve and HVDC technologies will have a major role to play”, expects Dr. Florent Morel, Research group leader at French SuperGrid Institute (https://www.supergrid-institute.com ) in his keynote. “What are the benefits and barriers for the e- mobility developments?”, asked Prof. Dr. Ir. Joeri van Mierlo from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in his keynote. Driving range, charging infrastructure availability and especially cost are perceived as important barriers for the market take-up of electric vehicles. Driving range is defined by battery performance. The challenge of infrastructure lies in the return on investment (chicken and egg problem). And the cost will evolve by technological improvement, market take-up and in the mean time policy support. The purchase price of electric vehicles is currently higher than of conventional vehicles, however the driving cost is lower. Based on a Total Cost of ownership (TCO) different vehicle technologies can be compared. Especially when comparing the environmental performance of electric vehicle technologies, the emissions during production of the specific components and their appropriate end-of-life treatment processes should also be taken into account. Therefore, the complete life cycle (LCA) of the vehicle should be included in order to avoid problem shifting from one life stage to another. “Hitachi’s mission is to contribute to society through technology; not just by providing societal infrastructure and products such as energy equipment and rail but also through what we call Social Innovation Business where digital technology is leveraged to deliver new value,” said Dr. Norihiro Suzuki, Chief Technology Officer at Hitachi Ltd. in his keynote. “Our approach is to work closely with the stakeholders in the ecosystem to drive innovation and co-create solutions that will raise quality-of-life. Social Innovation Business using “green solutions” in energy systems and transportation is focusing on carbon neutrality, as well as R&D activity in electrification and power electronics as examples, and the important role that we believe an industry- academia-government-ecosystem has in driving this innovation. V-shape model-based reliability analysis in PEPS