This specialisation belongs to the Master's in Electrical Engineering.
Power electronics is nowadays found in almost every system where electricity is used for computing, communication, renewable energy harvesting and transportation. It is an important technology for improving energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions. If you think of microcomputer as the brain in an electronic system then the power electronic converters are the muscles that control the flow of power between batteries, solar cells, the electric grid, electric machines and electromechanical actuators.
In the Power Electronics & Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) group we do research on the hardware and controls of energy conversion systems, often in the context of challenging applications. Our research focuses on three principal areas:
- Battery Electronics: Apply power electronics to integrate batteries in systems and extend the lifetime of the battery. Improve reliability by new packaging technologies and EMC immunity solutions.
- Electromagnetic Compatibility: Modelling of conducted and radiated electromagnetic interference and power quality due to harmonics. Development of test techniques to achieve immunity on PCB and system level.
- Energy Access: The theme is small solar systems with battery storage to provide off-grid electric services to 3 billion people living in energy poverty. Sustainable socio-technical solutions are expected to be scalable, regionally relevant, holistic, and leverage 21st century technologies with exponentially declining prices.
- Power Electronics Technology: investigate power semiconductor devices and advanced packaging techniques. New bandgap semiconductor material, GaN and SiC makes it possible to smaller power supplies and high performance RF amplifiers.
- Power and Energy Measurement Systems: accurate measurements of electrical power flow and energy efficiencies in electrical systems for reducing the carbon footprint. New concepts are applied to improve accuracy, explore fundamental limitations and devise calibration methods.