NSF Workshop on Power Electronics. To be Held at National Science Foundation in the fall of 2016.

电力电子是经常结合快速开关动作，滤波和先进控制方法的电路，以便将一种电压形式转换为另一种电压形式，其目标是100%的功率效率和低成本。这通常意味着将较高的交流或直流电压转换为低得多的直流电压，从而为电器、平板电脑、手机等设备供电。然而，有时有必要增加直流输入电源（如太阳能电池板）的电压，以便它可以为120伏的交流负载供电或连接。几乎所有的电器和消费电子产品都需要一个电源转换器来连接电源和负载设备，因此电源转换器对几乎所有电子设备的效率和成本至关重要。因此，电力电子技术的进步对国家的影响很大。它们与材料科学的进步是协同的；计算机与通信工程；热工与可靠性工程；集成电路及封装；工业设计;还有很多其他领域。从历史上看，电力电子有时被视为为技术和应用的主要功能供电的“补充”构建模块。然而，最近人们意识到这种设计观点会导致能源的低效使用，并且经常会限制最终产品的性能和功能。通过将系统中的能量处理作为其功能的核心部分，系统的功能、外形因素和能量需求通常可以大大增强。在跨越这一设计边界时，必须重新评估电力电子的传统概念和定义。此外，需要建立基础设施，培训具备技能的下一代劳动力，以支持该领域新出现的需求。本次NSF研讨会汇集了电力电子研究和工业界的领导者，讨论电力电子研究的未来方向。本次NSF研讨会的目标是确定和讨论电力电子领域的新思想，这些新思想可以对现代电子、电器、智能负载和能源供应设备等领域的功能、高效能源利用和性能产生重大影响。对于能够大大提高能源来源和利用，和/或能够实现有利于社会的重要新功能的进步，人们特别感兴趣。研讨会将为推进电力电子及相关应用的基础和实践知识制定路线图。将特别关注：1)电力电子的新兴应用机会，如计算和通信、机器人、能源产生和利用、交通和生物医学应用；2)新兴技术及其对电力电子的影响，如半导体器件和磁学的进步；3)电力电子领域的新兴设计技术，如多目标优化设计方法、面向可靠性的设计方法、超高频小型化集成化设计方法、封装模块化方法等；4)对该领域有重大影响的未解决问题和挑战，如可再生能源的高渗透引起的电网振荡和不稳定，以及磁性元件中磁芯损耗的精确建模。此外，研讨会将为工业界和学术界的研究人员提供建设性的互动机会，讨论工业挑战并确定该领域面临的主要障碍。预计该研讨会将对电力电子学的研究和教育产生重大影响。

Power electronics are electric circuits that frequently combine fast switching actions, filtering, and advanced control methods in order to convert one voltage form into another voltage form, with a goal of 100% power efficiency and low cost. Often this means converting a higher AC or DC voltage into a much lower DC voltage that can power devices, such as appliances, tablets, cell phones, etc. However, sometimes it is necessary to increase the voltage of a DC input power source, such as a solar panel, so that it can power or become connected to an AC load that is at 120 Volts. Virtually all appliances and consumer electronics require a power converter to interface between the power source and the load device, and therefore power converters are vital to the efficiency and cost of virtually all electronic devices. Advancements in power electronics, therefore, have high national impact. They are synergistic with advances in materials science; computer and communications engineering; thermal and reliability engineering; integrated circuits and packaging; industrial design; and many other fields. Historically, power electronics have sometimes been viewed as "supplemental" building blocks to power the main functions of technologies and applications. However, it has recently been realized that this design view leads to inefficient use of energy and can often limit the performance and functions of the final product. By treating the energy processing in a system as a core part of its functionality, the capabilities, form factor and energy requirements of a system can often be greatly enhanced. In crossing this design boundary, the traditional concepts and definitions of power electronics must be reassessed. Furthermore, an infrastructure needs to be established for training the next generation workforce equipped with the skills to support emerging needs of the field. This NSF workshop brings together leaders in the power electronics research and industrial communities to discuss future directions in power electronics research.A goal of this NSF workshop is to identify and discuss the new ideas in power electronics that can have a significant impact on the functionality, efficient energy utilization and performance of applications encompassing modern electronics, appliances, smart loads, and energy supply devices, among other areas. There is a particular interest in advancements that can greatly enhance energy sources and utilization, and/or which enable important new functions that benefit society. The workshop will create a roadmap for advancing fundamental and practical knowledge in power electronics and associated applications. Special attention will be given to: 1) Opportunities in emerging applications of power electronics, such as computation and communications, robotics, energy generation and utilization, transportation and biomedical applications; 2) Emerging technologies and their impact in power electronics, such as advances in semiconductor devices and magnetics; 3) Emerging design techniques for power electronics, such as multi-objective optimization design approaches, reliability oriented design, ultra-high frequency design for miniaturization and integration, and packaging and modularization methods; 4) Unsolved problems and challenges having large implications for the field, such as oscillations and instabilities in the grid that are caused by high penetration of renewable energy, and accurate modelling of core loss in magnetic components. Additionally, the workshop will provide an opportunity for constructive interactions among researchers from both industry and academia to discuss industrial challenges and identify major obstacles facing the field. The workshop is expected to have significant impact on research and education in power electronics.