In order to bring forward the renewable energy expansion as set down by the German government, small decentral power plants and large multimegawatt-scale photovoltaic plants as well as large-scale storage systems must be installed. In addition to the classic grid feed-in, hybrid power plant solutions (e.g., PV/storage power plants) as well as industrial prosumer concepts become important.
Within the scope of numerous developments for the industry as well as research projects, we have built up an in-depth expertise around power converters from the low and medium voltage range up to the multi-megawatt range.
Our R&D objective has always been to optimize the overall system by applying new technological approaches to reduce the costs of power electronic systems during manufacture, installation, and operation. Our extensive laboratory infrastructure with test and development facilities for DC and AC systems in the voltage range up to 40 kV and power ratings up to 20 MVA forms the basis for our services on behalf of our industrial partners and contracting authorities.
In the low and medium voltage range, silicon carbide (SiC) transistors can be used to build compact and efficient power converters with and without galvanic isolation. The resulting higher switching frequencies open up new possibilities, e.g., for circuits with medium frequency transformers or for compensation of harmonics up to the kHz range. In the future, single and three-phase inverters will be able to operate directly on medium voltage without a transformer. This opens up opportunities for new application opportunities, especially for renewable energy and power grids. SiC transistors also play a significant role in mobile applications, such as railroads, when it comes to saving weight and installation space.