Towards Power Electronic Centric Power Systems

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Advancement of fundamental research in the power electronic field will play a pivotal role in society's ability to economically transition towards electrification of its net energy infrastructure and to meet its ambitious green house gas emission targets. The shift towards renewables and electrified transport, will place additional demands on future, power electronic centric, electrical infrastructure that cannot be met by today's technology. To meet these demands, several key enabler grid technologies and supporting engineering tools will be required to optimally exploit the benefits of mixed AC and DC type power systems, as made possible by power electronics. This will result in a fundamentally different power system than the 60 Hz legacy AC power system of today. The proposed research program investigates three critical facets unique to future power electronic centric power systems. First, research into modular multi-level converters will explore new topologies to create single-stage DC/DC converter structures capable of high conversion ratios with goal that these structures provide functionality nearing that of a transformer, but for DC systems. Such solutions will provide a means of direct exchange of DC power between renewables, energy storage systems and DC loads without the multitude of costly AC/DC high power converters that are employed in today's electrical grid. This also has additional benefits in terms of improved energy efficiency and reliability of the grid. Secondly, DC networks that offer inherent capacity to electronically limit or interrupt the amplitude of hazardous grid fault currents will be developed. This development has promise to significantly reduce the cost of electrical infrastructure by providing broad access to the myriad of economic and environmental benefits that DC transmission and distribution networks can offer. Finally, next generation engineering tools are critically needed for the design, control and stability analysis of these emergent networks which will feature a high penetration of new power electronic systems that operate quite differently than the grid-interfaced power electronics of today. Classical modeling techniques, based on the theory of system linearization are failing to capture significant energy transfer mechanisms within emergent power electronic systems, yet precisely these systems provide the gateway to formerly unavailable functionality and new avenues for infrastructure cost reductions. The Global Infrastructure Hub, established by the G20, anticipates over $20 trillion U.S. will be invested globally in electrical energy infrastructure between 2020 and 2040. Optimal deployment of this investment will hinge on the technologies available for the conversion and control of electrical power, as provided by next generation power electronic systems.