IEEE Power Electronics Magazine Compendium - March 2018 - 10

solid-state built with higher levels of
controllability and flexibility.
While large-scale bulk power
transmission will exceed 10 GW, some
plans to make global interconnection will not only be driven by device/
component technology but also by
breakthroughs in conductors, if they
become superconducting. Progress
in the last 30 years has made way for
more breakthroughs in the next 30
years. There will be continued discussion about where to use ac and where
to change to dc-dc-technology, which
is popular in long-distance highpower transmission and on ships and
railways as well as large data centers,
and more adoption will come in the
future. As this adoption increases,
there is a need for more development
and benchmarking.

Transportation

FIG 1 The wind turbine technology is growing much faster than other renewables.

However, the control of such an energy system in the future poses many
questions that need to be answered.
Ensuring system stability with converter interactions and how energy
should be traded are other issues that
will need to be addressed.
Power electronics is enabling these
solutions and has the perspective of
taking care of all control. Large-scale
PV power plants will also be built, e.g.,
parts of the Sahara (with excellent sun
conditions) could power Europe, and
power stations could be built in other
areas with good sun. However, the need
for very large-scale energy storage is
still an unanswered question; for the
moment, storage seems to be needed.

IEEE PowEr ElEctronIcs MagazInE

Modern Electrified Power
Systems
The role of power electronics in electric utilities will also be changing
from an enabling technology for
renewable generation and energyefficiency improvement to a key
technology for grid modernization.
Power electronics-based transmission and distribution grids will be
prominent in the future. These grids
will efficiently manage electricity
among power electronics-based
sources and loads either through solid-state transformers or other power
electronics-based systems, which
will optimize grid operation. In the
long term, substations might be fully

Similarly, transportation electrification is moving faster and faster. With
many benefits in controllability, efficiency, cost, lower emission, and
lower weight, transportation is driving
quickly toward more power electronics. Ships, which are, today, electrified
with a fossil-based engine and then an
electrical driving system, will change
in the future. Likewise, railways are
becoming electrified to a large extent,
and airplanes are becoming more and
more electric. Unmanned aerial vehicles are all electric, and we will see
more civil aircraft also going in that
direction. Plans are under way for
electric civil aircraft with 100 passenger capacity. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner took a large step, including the
advantage of being more electric.
The big game changer is battery
technology and its use in electric
cars. Batteries are improving so fast
in terms of cost, weight, and lifetime
that the next few decades will see a
revolution in automobile technology.
Driving range will be competitive
with fossil-fuel-based cars, and the
required charging time will be less
than 10 min. Of course, there are
technology challenges, but the road
map is quite certain. Power electronics is playing a key role in many

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power Electronics Magazine Compendium - March 2018