Power America Showcases Wide Bandgap Power Electronics Progress at APEC 2019
The PowerAmerica Institute, a Department of Energy-backed Manufacturing USA institute at N.C. State University, is exhibiting at the 2019 Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) in Anaheim, California, from March 17-21. During APEC, representatives from PowerAmerica will be on hand to share with attendees the significant progress the institute has made in the development and adoption of wide bandgap semiconductor technology in the United States.
To date, the institute has provided about $100 million in funding to more than 120 projects targeting the widespread adoption of next-generation SiC and GaN power electronics technology. A complete description of these projects is included in the institute's recently released annual report titled, "Transforming U.S. Manufacturing Through Advances in Wide Bandgap Power Electronics, One Innovation at a Time."
The power electronics trade media has also taken note of the significant contributions the institute and its members have made to the industry. In its latest issue, the editor of Power Systems Design North America, Jason Lomberg, called PowerAmerica a key player in the effort to overcome the cost hurdle faced by wide bandgap technologies, remarking that institutes like PowerAmerica will "drive down prices - and the future looks bright."
In addition to exhibiting at Booth #466, PowerAmerica will host an industry panel titled, "Advances in the Adoption of WBG Semiconductors in Commercial and Industrial Applications," on Thursday, March 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. in Room 210BC. The panel will be chaired by Membership Director Jim LeMunyon, along with member companies UnitedSiC, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, ABB, Navitas, and GE.
PowerAmerica members exhibiting at APEC 2019 include GeneSiC, Navitas, UnitedSiC, and Wolfspeed. Several of these companies were highlighted for their commercial successes in PowerAmerica's 2018 annual report, including:
- GeneSiC is manufacturing and distributing 3.3kV silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETS on a global scale, using the X-FAB foundry in Lubbock, Texas (the world's only open SiC foundry and PowerAmerica's largest project to date)
- UnitedSiC is shipping SiC MOSFETs in volume for use in electric vehicles and industrial power supplies
- Navitas is developing GaN integrated circuits that are setting industry standards in energy efficiency, power density, and manufacturability for consumer adapters and charger applications.
PowerAmerica member companies such as Wolfspeed, John Deere, ABB, and others also have projects profiled in the report and will participate in multiple technical sessions at APEC regarding wide bandgap technologies.
Additionally, PowerAmerica Deputy Executive Director and CTO Victor Veliadis was selected as a mentor participant in the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) Mentoring Round Table at APEC 2019.
PowerAmerica Institute invites APEC 2019 attendees to visit booth #466.
