Outstanding projects in power electronics: breakthroughs for more efficient and sustainable energy
IMB-CNM organizes a workshop to present its advances in power electronics, with the aim of improving energy efficiency in the power grid, mobility and other key sectors for sustainability.
On the occasion of the International Energy Efficiency Day, the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) will present three of its most outstanding projects in power electronics and one focused on energy generation. All of them contribute to a more sustainable and efficient energy consumption.
The presentation of the projects will take place on March 14 in a workshop organized by the Energy and Mobility Axis of IMB-CNM. In February there was a first session focused on clean energy and harvesting initiatives.
Power electronics is at the heart of wind turbines, electric cars or photovoltaic panels and is essential for harnessing renewable energy generation, thanks to the efficient control and conversion of electrical energy by means of semiconductor devices.
Medium-voltage converters: transforming power distribution with DC medium-voltage grids
The European SAFEPOWER (Safer and More Reliable WBG/UWBG-Based MVDC Power Converters) project, funded by the Horizon Europe framework program, aims to revolutionize power distribution in the European Union by advancing medium-voltage direct current (MVDC) grid technologies. It responds to the need for efficient, secure, flexible and affordable power distribution for renewable energy deployment.
“We address this pressing need by focusing on researching key technologies to deploy next-generation MVDC converters. These converters operate at medium voltage levels (1-35 kV) and are essential for integrating renewable energy sources, especially solar plants, across Europe,” explains Xavier Perpiñà, project coordinator and researcher in the Power Devices and Systems group (PDS) at IMB-CNM-CSIC.
The team will explore the design and fabrication of gallium oxide transistors and the design of smart silicon carbide MOSFET transistors. On the other hand, they will propose new techniques for chip-level electro-thermal analysis in power devices with the aim of improving the robustness of converters.
To meet domestic energy demand in a sustainable way, it is essential to integrate renewable energy sources locally, supplying urban centers located at a distance between 30 and 100 km. However, distribution systems based on alternating current have significant losses and lower storage capacity at these distances. To guarantee an efficient supply based on renewable energies, it is necessary to use medium voltage direct current power converters (MVDC). This technology allows for a more efficient and optimized grid. However, its implementation remains a challenge due to the complexity of current components and control strategies, which reduces its robustness. For its large-scale deployment, it is essential to improve its reliability and reduce its complexity, which requires progress in the previously mentioned enabling technologies.
Smart switching cells: transforming mobility with modular solutions for all electric vehicles
“We propose a completely novel, intelligent, modular, scalable and compact switching cell structure implemented with chip-embedding technology. With it, the chips of the power semiconductor devices are integrated inside the printed circuit boards or PCBs of the converter, instead of being soldered externally as it has been done so far in conventional technologies. This provides greater miniaturization and better performance in the circuits used in all types of electric vehicles, from motorcycles to trucks,” says Xavier Jordà, principal investigator at IMB-CNM in the European SCAPE project (Switching-cell-array-based power electronics conversion for future electric vehicles) and member of PDS.
The transition towards more sustainable and less polluting electric mobility and transport models is one of the priorities of European research. To support this, SCAPE, funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe Program, brings together nine research institutions and companies from five European countries to develop new modular and scalable electronic components for the powertrain of future electric vehicles.
The switching cells designed at the IMB-CNM have also involved the development of some critical processes in the CSIC's Micro and Nanofabrication Clean Room, and the first prototypes have shown very favorable results.
Gallium oxide: transforming power generation and management with a new semiconductor material
Recently, a new material has been rediscovered as a semiconductor substrate for power management electronics. A series of advances in the growth of crystalline substrates (wafers), coupled with device-level demonstrations of excellent properties, have catapulted the ultrawide bandgap semiconductor gallium oxide (Ga2O3) as the ultimate platform for the electrification of industry and transportation. The IMB-CNM team has been working on this material since 2016 and has contributed to the advancement of some relevant technological aspects, such as the demonstration that the material can be doped with acceptors (acceptors or holes and donors or electrons are the two carriers of any semiconductor).
“With the support of recently obtained competitive projects, such as GaO4POWER, the first semi-industrial generation of these devices in Spain and the first of its kind in Europe and worldwide will be manufactured in the IMB-CNM Clean Room”, explains Amador Pérez-Tomás, the researcher in charge of the project. It is, therefore, “a line of research that is perfectly aligned with the climate objectives of electrification and reindustrialization of the 2030 agenda for Spain and Europe”, he concludes.
Fuel cells: transforming bacterial activity into energy
Another way to achieve greater energy sustainability is through the development of energy sources based on microorganisms, such as bacterial fuel cells, to power small electronic devices in the agricultural sector in a delocalized, continuous and autonomous manner. This is the objective of two IMB-CNM projects that apply this technology to the opening and closing of irrigation valves (SOIL2POWER, Soil microbial fuel cells to power precise irrigation systems) and the production of fertilizers directly in the crop field (CONFETI, Green valorization of CO2 and Nitrogen compounds for making fertilizers).
“Microbial fuel cells obtain energy from the metabolism of agricultural soil bacteria, which in turn feed on soil organic matter in a completely green and sustainable process,” explains Xavier Muñoz, researcher in the Chemical Transducers Group and head of both initiatives.
However, these piles present a difficulty, their long latency time, as they require a start-up time to accumulate a sufficient number of soil bacteria to provide energy. At the same time, even mature and stable batteries provide a small amount of energy, partly because of the energy consumption of the battery components themselves. Considering this problem, “our goal is to reduce the start-up time by immobilizing microorganisms and favoring their ability to transfer electronics to the cathode, and to reduce the energy consumption of the cell by developing advanced low-power integrated circuits adapted to the characteristics of the cell,” adds the researcher.