IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - March 2020 - 64

Society News
By Ashok Bindra

APEC 2020 Brings the Latest in
Power Electronics Technology

C

ontinuing its long-standing
tradition of bringing the lat-
est advances in power elec-
tronics technology and applications
to practicing professionals and
researchers from around the world,
the 35th annual IEEE Applied
Power Electronics Conference and
Exposition (APEC) returns to New
Orleans, Louisiana, in 2020. It will
be held at the New Orleans Ernest
N. Morial Convention Center from
15 to 19 March. New Orleans was
the venue for the first APEC 35
years ago. Sponsored by the IEEE
Power Electronics Society (PELS),
IEEE Industry Applications Society,
and Power Sources Manufacturers
Association (PSMA), APEC 2020 is
expected to attract nearly 6,000
engineers and researchers for five
days of professional netw o r k i n g ,
hands-on learning, and strategic
business development as well a
vast exposition featuring state-of-
the-art products and services.
From components to instruments
and tools, the three-day exposition
will feature hundreds of manufac-
turers and service providers that
cater to the power electronics
community in a variety of ways.
The participating companies will
display cutting-edge products and
instruments for a variety of indus-
trial and military applications.

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPEL.2019.2961204
Date of current version: 19 February 2020

64

IEEE POWER ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE

capacitor-technology challenges re -
A day before the conference, PELS
sulting from the introduction of galli-
and PSMA will host two workshops
um-nitride and silicon-carbide topolo-
simultaneously. The high-frequency-
gies, the impact of e-mobility, and
magnetics workshop will focus on the
other issues. The impact that market
requirements of higher application fre-
shortages have on new developments
quencies, while the capacitor work-
and possible solutions will be in-
shop will shed light on application
cluded. The capaci-
challenges and new
tor technologies to
capacitor technolo-
be reviewed include
gies. The high-fre-
APEC sponsors will
supercapacitors,
quency-magnetics
offer the Student
tantalums, polymer
workshop's morning
Attendance Travel
horizontal chips, ce-
session will offer lec-
Support Program that
ramic specialties,
tures on modeling
and the latest film
and character iza-
provides up to
developments. Eight
tion; the afternoon
US$1,000 per student
technology-demon-
per iod will survey
toward travel and
stration stations will
winding techniques.
conference expenses
be available during
At lunchtime, there
for as many as
brea k fa s t , lu nch,
will be an interac-
60 students.
and following the
tive technology dem-
day's events.
onst ration. Each
Professional edu-
technical-presenta-
cation seminars will t a k e p l a c e o n
tion session will be followed by a pan-
1 5 March. Approximately 18 educa-
el discussion and Q&A. Tom Wilson of
tional seminars will address the need
SIMPLIS Technologies and Dr. Charles
for in-depth discussions of important
Sullivan of Dartmouth University
and complex power electronics top-
will be the magnetics workshop's
ics. Each one will combine practical
keynote speakers. The concluding re-
application with theory to further
marks by Alexander Gerfer of Wurth
educate engineers working in power
Elektronik will review the day's pre-
electronics and related fields. The
sentations and their potential impact
seminars will last for 3.5 h (including
on the power electronics industry.
breaks) and complement the technical
The capacitor workshop will ad-
papers and special presentations.
dress the needs of junior and ad-
The APEC plenar y session will
vanced designers of dc-dc converters,
open during the a f t er noon of 16
frequency drives, inverters, and other
March, with invited experts provid-
power-conversation applications. It
ing views of what the future holds for
will also cover the application-based

z	March 2020
IEEE Power Electronics Magazine - March 2020

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