The next generation of power electronics will switch faster, run hotter, and waste less energy than today’s silicon-based systems, thanks to new semiconductor materials called wide-bandgap devices. This research tackles a core engineering bottleneck: these advanced devices cannot yet be reliably packaged into practical power converters. The components that switch, filter, and control electrical energy—modules, capacitors, drivers, sensors—must be redesigned to handle the higher speeds and temperatures the new semiconductors allow. Without this integration work, the devices’ theoretical advantages remain locked in the lab. If successful, the work will shrink and toughen power converters for electric vehicles, making them cheaper and more reliable. It will also advance “more electric” aircraft systems, where electrical drives replace hydraulic and pneumatic ones, and strengthen the smart grid’s ability to handle fluctuating renewable sources like wind and solar. The overarching goal is to accelerate the shift to low-carbon energy by removing a hidden but critical technical barrier—the physical packaging and control of power electronics—rather than by inventing a new material or circuit topology.
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Transformative changes in Power Electronic Systems are anticipated over the next 10-20 years following the successful commercialisation of wide-bandgap power semiconductors devices. The enhancements in operating temperature, switching speed and losses offered by these devices will impact all sectors of low carbon electrical energy usage, leading to a new generation of robust, compact, highly efficient and intelligent power conversion solutions. The vision of the Virtual Centre in Power Electronics is to place the UK in a world leading position in providing the radical innovation needed to engineer the capabilities offered by new power semiconductor devices in high performance energy conversion exemplars. This will be accomplished through underpinning research and innovation into: the exploitation of new devices, component level integration, power conversion circuits and electro-mechanical energy conversion systems within the context of benchmarking and demonstrating new capabilities beyond the current state of art. This proposal addresses one of the central themes of the Centre in Power Electronics: Component Integration underpinning research. The program integrates advancements in power module and assembly, passive component and device driver and sensing technologies, and research concerned with improved design tools and methods, structural and functional integration and operational management and control. The ambition is to realise the full potential of advanced power semiconductor devices (for example high efficiency, ultra-fast switching and high operating temperatures) in practical power conversion circuits by engineering them with a reliable switch unit. The overall objective is to develop and demonstrate new techniques and novel technologies that contribute to addressing the underpinning challenges faced in power electronic energy management system developments, namely: Increased Efficiency; Increased Power Density; Increased Robustness; Lower EMI; Modularity in Design; Higher levels of Integration and Lower Life Cycle Costs. If successful the research will accelerate the widespread introduction of low carbon energy generation and usage, for example in making electric/hybrid vehicles more affordable, in advancing reliable 'more electric' aircraft systems, in realising a more robust 'smart' electrical grid infrastructure and in encouraging a greater adoption of renewable energy sources.
Alberto Castellazzi (Co-Investigator)Andrew Forsyth (Co-Investigator)Bernard Stark (Co-Investigator)Chris Bailey (Co-Investigator)Christopher Johnson (Co-Investigator)Li Ran (Co-Investigator)Olayiwola Alatise (Co-Investigator)Paul Mitcheson (Co-Investigator)Philip Mellor (Principal Investigator)Tim Green (Co-Investigator)
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