GaN & SiC: Transforming Power Electronics for EVs, Solar, and Fast Charging

Renewable energy capacity is expected to increase significantly in the near future.

- Chandrasekaran J

Renewable energy prospective

Governments across the globe are taking initiatives to increase awareness on renewables through introduction of various schemes & incentives.

Indian government has set a target of achieving 500 GW installed capacity of renewable energy by 2030. Also, both central and state governments have introduced various schemes to promote electric vehicle (EV) to reduce country’s reliance on fossil fuels, increase local production, and attract global EV investments. PM E-DRIVE (Promoting Electric Mobility and Driving Reforms in Vehicle Ecosystem), FAME-II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) are notable schemes.

Distributed Solar PV, a major contributor of renewable energy worldwide, in combination with EVs, would play a vital role in carbon footprint reduction.

Semiconductor industry is one of the key enablers of this transformation by developing innovative technologies by addressing the demands of high-performance power solutions.

Infineon Technologies, a global leader in semiconductor industry, offers a broad range of power products, associated drivers, sensors & controllers portfolio cater these evolving demands.

GaN & SiC in Solar PV Applications

Solar PV system architecture can be classified into three major categories viz.

• Micro Inverters, typically employed in residentials and small commercials, catering power from few hundred Watts to few tens of kW,

• String inverters with optional optimizers, preferred in large residentials, small, medium & large commercials, with few tens to few hundreds of kW, and

• Central inverters, most suited for Large Solar Farms, catering power in the order of MW.