Power Electronics Europe Feb/March 2023

MARKET NEWS 5 www.power-mag.com Issue 1 2023 Power Electronics Europe Power electronics devices are found across multiple industries – some of which have seen disruptive or even traumatic changes during 2022. This article looks at what has been happening, and how the chip manufacturers have been responding. The power electronics industry is a dynamic arena which is constantly being modified by numerous trends and events - a situation which is as true in 2022 as in any other year. And these change factors can be widely disparate, as power electronic devices and systems are found across the entire electricity supply chain, from the generating station, across the grid, and to the items that consume the electricity. All very different environments, and subject to different influences. Such change factors range from a shift in demand caused by political or economic events, to suppliers introducing new technologies that create better opportunities in the marketplace. Yet supply and demand cannot be neatly compartmentalized. For example, a green-driven growth in demand for EVs will stimulate suppliers to innovate new technology – yet, equally, the appearance of innovative products such as lower-cost or higher-capacity batteries will accelerate demand. And events in one sector of the power electronics marketplace can ripple through to other areas. Growing numbers of EVs, for example, will put increasing pressure on power stations generating the electricity they need. With these considerations in mind, let’s look at what has been happening in the power electronics industry during 2022. What were 2022’s key power electronics industry trends and events? Di rect