Smart transformer for the power grid uses SiC
When electric cars are being quick-charged, high amounts of energy are needed at charging stations for a short time. Such peak loads lead to bottlenecks in the electricity grid and are one of the problems in the expansion of electromobility. The numerous challenges of the energy transition require a flexible and reliable power grid that compensates for fluctuations in energy consumption and generation.
With the expansion of renewable energy supplies, the number of decentralized energy producers and consumers such as wind power plants and charging stations is also increasing, creating more demand for such smart power components.
“The conventional infrastructure is not designed for bidirectional current flows,” said Professor Marco Liserre, Professor of Power Electronics at CAU. The new power electronics components could help to distribute electricity according to demand and thus better control the energy grid and counteract overloads and failures. Together with his research group, Liserre has developed a power electronic transformer that transforms medium voltage into low voltage with only minor energy losses and also enables DC connection. “We want to modernize the power grid and make it fit for the energy transition. What we need is a flexible, efficient and above all reliable system,” he said.
A modular design means the Smart Transformer developed in Kiel is easy to maintain and can be scaled easily and cost-effectively for various applications. It could reduce energy consumption and increase security in data centers and aircraft electronics. In both environments, the infrastructure has a deliberately redundant structure: Multiple systems ensure that operation continues reliably and the power supply does not interrupt if individual components fail. Since several building blocks already exist, fewer electrical double structures are required, which increases reliability and saves costs”.
The basic block of a current prototype of the intelligent Kiel transformer combines low-voltage direct current (800 V) with medium-voltage alternating current at 2.6 kilovolts (line-to-line) with an output of 100 KW. The transformer was developed as part of the European research project HEART (Highly Efficient And Reliable smart Transformer), which has been running at CAU since 2014.
From 23-27 April 2018, the research team will present part of its prototype at the University of Kiel stand at the Hanover Fair (Hall 2, Research & Technology, Stand C07).
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