Reducing the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) in offshore wind through a disruptive silicon carbide converter technology, SiCtek

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There are substantial global market potentials for offshore wind if the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) could become competitive with alternative low-carbon power generations. The power electronics converter is a major component in offshore turbine drivetrains and power transmission via High Voltage DC (HVDC) networks. The efficiency and economics of market dominating Silicon-based converters have plateaued, but recently introduced compound semiconductors such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) have the potential to deliver radical improvements to performance, reliability and economics of converters. This project aims to prove and demonstrate the benefits and economics of a SiC converter technology through design, build and testing of a 50 kW prototype converter as a building block for large-scale converters for offshore and HVDC applications.