Power Conversion
Whereas power management are the “brains” for smart grids, power conversion technology provides the “muscles” for them enabling true smart power management and acting as the linking pin between electricity transport grids, local grids, all electric powered applications, (renewable) energy sources and short/long term storage facilities. As such, the efficiency of power converters is of high importance enabling optimal usage of generated (renewable) energy, but also the cost and lifetime of them determining minimal Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Next to that, advances in power conversion technology will pave the way for future power quality, minimisation of transport and distribution losses and even enable optimal usage of the electricity grid by avoiding reactive power flows. The power converters developed in PROGRESSUS WP2 will result in higher efficiency over the state-of-the-art and local energy storage thus strongly reducing peak loads from the electricity grid while also key targets as smaller size, reduced converter losses, and lower cost will be achieved.
The Power Conversion objectives are:
- Design and implementation of power converters for ultra-fast and DC charging stations
- Development of an ultrafast EV charger with integrated battery storage enabled by a reconfigurable power converter
- Design and implementation of a bidirectional power electronic system for DC charging infrastructure of EVs
- A more complete thermal characterization both for the active devices and the market ready product. The obtained data can work as feedback at system level design to improve reliability
- Development of techniques for efficient modularisation of multiple power converters and fast chargers
- Design and develop a proof-of-concept of a 200kW wireless EV charging system with 20% smaller size, reaching peak efficiency for the galvanic isolated resonant DC/DC stage with peak efficiency of > 97%, which is 2% higher than conventional systems
- Develop and verify models for harmonics study and mitigation, and stability analysis for both high-power charger and charging station levels
The developed power converters will result in higher efficiency over the state-of-the-art and local energy storage thus strongly reducing peak loads from the electricity grid while also key targets as smaller size, reduced converter losses, and lower cost will be achieved.