Reliability of electronic components and systems with WBG technology

Power electronics plays a vital role in various applications, from household devices to electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. This report, a result of the 4E PECTA Platform, covers reliability challenges at both component and system levels, discusses the state of the art in design processes, and proposes indicators for policymakers to support WBG adoption in energy applications.

Analysis and Loss Measurements of WBG-Based Devices

Commercial power supplies with wide-bandgap (WBG) Technology promise enhanced efficiency. PECTA analyzes WBG-based devices, supported by Swiss research, focusing on measurement concepts, loss assessments, and a deep understanding of the WBG device benefits.

Application Readiness Map for Wide Bandgap (WBG) Semiconductors

The Power Electronic Conversion Technology Annex (PECTA) Application Readiness Map for Wide Bandgap (WBG) Semiconductors describes their expected market position through 2035. It is based on interviews with many experts and various roadmaps and could be used as a basis for deciding which power semiconductor technology to choose. This report presents an updated version and the underlying assumptions.

Energy saving potential of WBG commercial power converters in different applications

This report explores the potential of wide bandgap (WBG) power semiconductor devices, such as SiC or GaN, in enhancing energy efficiency compared to traditional silicon-based systems. Estimating global energy savings, the research focuses on applications like data centers, photovoltaic inverters, low-voltage motor drives, electric vehicle charging stations, inverters for battery storage, and laptop chargers. Findings […]

Wide Band Gap Technology: Energy and environmental related Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

This report reflects the results of the work: Energy and environmental related Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of PECTA, during the period 2020 to 2023. It explores the energy and material aspects and environmental impacts of selected applications incorporating WBG technology. The report introduces the main guiding research questions, presents the methodology for the analysis, and […]

Policy development on energy efficiency of data centres

For data centre energy efficiency, this report provides: overview of data collection/registration projects, overview of current/planned government measures, quantitative estimates of savings from possible measures, and issues for policy makers to consider.

Improving the Mp metric for evaluation of Flicker

TLM (temporal light modulation) related measurements and calculations have become a focus with new regulations by European Commission and other regulatory authorities setting limits for TLA (temporal light artefacts) for LED lighting products. Generally, the regulations rely on PstLM (IEC TR 61547-1-2020) for flicker and SVM (TR 63158-2018) for stroboscopic effects.  Due to the complexity […]

Understanding LED performance: Evidence-based approaches to supporting stakeholders of energy-efficient lighting programmes

The SSL Annex takes an evidence-based approach to evaluating LED product performance. Using comprehensive market data from product registries and other sources, the Annex developed recommendations on product performance and research into test methods that reduce the time and cost burden for government, industry and consumers.  This paper highlights several activities that exemplify this evidence-based […]

EPE Paper – Policy measures to drive WBG for end use equipment

This paper discusses different potential policy measures to support the WBG uptake in end use equipment. The EU product regulations and specifically the potential PV inverter efficiency requirements, are discussed, serving as an example. Standardisation, in various fields (test methods for reliability and efficiency, rules for environmental footprint, modules and package architecture) and economic support […]

EPE Paper – Energy saving potential of WBG-commercial power converters in different applications

This work estimates the yearly global energy savings potential of different power electronics applications featuring commercial wide bandgap (WBG)-based power converters. It is the first study analyzing real products in the market. We show that WBG-based products exhibit considerable energy-saving potential in all investigated applications. Further, because of the large annual increase of installed photovoltaic […]

EPE Paper – Identifying the potential of SiC technology for PV inverters

Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices offer energy efficiency improvements over conventional silicon (Si) semiconductors. Through measurements and simulation results, this paper intends to quantify this efficiency improvement in a typical photovoltaic (PV) application. This allows designers and policy makers to better understand the benefits of SiC, enabling more informed decisions.

EPE Paper – Measurement of WBG-based power supplies

This paper discusses different measurement methods to evaluate the efficiency of WBG-based power supply solutions, including electrical measurement methods and their verification with calorimetric methods, and compares the performance of Si-based and GaN-based chargers. The efficiency of chargers was measured at different load conditions, and it was observed that the maximum efficiency occurred generally at […]