IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - December 2020 - 8

President's Message

by Frede Blaabjerg

New Directions in PELS

his is the last message for
the year 2020, written just
after the IEEE Power Electronics Society's (PELS) latest
Administrative Committee (ADCOM)
meeting-which is the memberelected board governing the society.
For the second time, it was fully virtual. The PELS meeting series was
held for three weeks before ADCOM
meeting. As per tradition, it was
held during the IEEE Energy Conversion Congress & Expo, which
also was held virtually from 11-15
October, 2020.
At the ADCOM meetings, a new
strategic plan for PELS was approved,
presenting our directions for 2021-
2025. This strategy plan process was
initiated at the last ADCOM meeting
in April, which was led by our senior past president Braham Ferreira.
Members have participated in four
strategic group meetings held in summer. Many constructive inputs were
provided by our members, which have
helped shape the new strategy plan.
The strategy has five main pillars, which are Membership Growth,
Industry Content, Agile Technical
Programs, Sustainability, and Virtual
Platforms-across all we also intend
to focus on diversity and inclusiveness. Each pillar has some goals, and
then every year it will be followed up
by a tactical plan where the executive

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPEL.2020.3033595
Date of current version: 16 December 2020

IEEE POWER ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE

neers together and discussing new
officers have the task to propose anideas are so important for the Socinually what to do and how to achieve
ety. However, the physical meeting
the overall goals. The plan is relatively
for doing networking does not exist
short and easy to read-please take
today. Consequently, we have to work
a look at the Society website-and
to make the virtual platforms better
thanks to all involved.
and more interactive to create value.
All our conferences in the autumn
Finally, it is interesting to see that
-some of them were postponed from
some conferences have a large drop in
spring-are running fully virtual and
attendance, while others not. We will
we may say there is a continuously
find the main reason for the drop in
learning curve on how to run the conattendance.
ferences, how to attend the conferencA second important approval at
es, how to profile sponsors/companies
the A DC OM me e t i n g was the exand in general how to improve the
pansion of our techvalue of the events.
n ica l com m it tees
There are numerous
(TC), which was initivirtual platforms for
We have to work to
ated at the last IEEE
implementation, but
make the virtual
FEPPCON meeting.
how to mix the optiplatforms better and
At this meeting, we
mum just streamed
more interactive to
could see areas in the
sessions with on decreate value.
power electronics
mand sessions and
domain that were not
then include discuscovered by the TCs.
sions based on these
Until now, we have had seven TCs, but
sessions is an ongoing challenge. This
now it has been expanded to 12. As a
is a place where we continuously have
result, we hope all members of PELS
to share experience and use what is
can find a home for activities-we
best for the different events. Therehave now technology TCs as well as
fore, within PELS we have formed
more application oriented, which are
a conference experience exchange
moving very fast. The existing seven
group comprising the past and the uphave been modified a little in terms
coming conference chairs in order to
of scope while the five new are in the
create the best future conferences for
Electronic Grid (eGrid), Energy Acour members as well as for others who
cess, Design Methodologies in Power
might have interest in these events.
Electronics (Models, Tools, OptimizaThe virtual platforms are needed for
tion eg. AI), Wireless Power Transfer
a long time going forward-either in
and finally Aerospace Power. These
full virtual or hybrid forms. The value
are all very important areas and I
of bringing power electronics engi-

z December 2020

IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - December 2020

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