<\/p>\n
Transformers form the backbone of electricity transmission and distribution, says Srdjan Lukic, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University. In addition to doing the job of stepping up and down voltage, transformers also often provide what\u2019s called galvanic isolation, meaning there\u2019s no direct electrical path flowing through them. That can help limit disturbances from moving through the grid, improving safety.<\/p>\n
The problem is that today\u2019s transformers are big and bulky, and they\u2019re also difficult and expensive to replace, Lukic says.<\/p>\n
Solid-state transformers essentially add so-called power electronics\u2014semiconductors that convert and control electricity to the typical blueprint of today\u2019s transformers.<\/p>\n
While a conventional transformer operates at the frequency of the part of the grid it\u2019s connected to, a solid-state transformer actually controls the frequency of the current. Typically, a solid-state transformer first converts incoming AC power from the grid to DC power, and then to a higher-frequency AC power using switches made of a semiconductor like silicon carbide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From there, a magnetic component changes the voltage. Because the advanced semiconductors allow transformers to exert so much control over the frequency and stability of the current, the magnetic core can be much smaller than in a conventional transformer. Some come in at roughly one-tenth the size but have the same capacity, Lukic says.<\/p>\n
Finally, additional power electronics convert the electricity from high-frequency AC to its required form\u2014generally back to DC power and finally to lower-frequency AC.<\/p>\n
Today, stepping voltage up and down is many transformers\u2019 only job. But solid-state transformers can do much more. They absorb the jobs of devices like rectifiers and inverters (which convert AC to DC power and vice versa), shrinking the total footprint of the electrical equipment and potentially cutting the amount of power lost in the system.<\/p>\n
In August, the New York Power Authority and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) tested a one-megawatt solid-state transformer under realistic utility conditions at EPRI\u2019s test site. The device was built in Lukic\u2019s lab, and it was the first such test for a transformer of that capacity, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
#solidstate #transformers #power #boom<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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