Opportunities for companies in power electronics towards 2030

Despite the challenges that Dutch businesses face in the short term, the opportunities in the field of power electronics are large and numerous. These opportunities and possibilities will be provided by professor Braham Ferreira, affiliated with the University of Twente, are outlined during the digital edition of the Power Electronics event.

By: Dimitri Reijerman

During his virtual lecture, with the working title 'Power Electronics 2030: Exciting Opportunities for the Dutch Industry', Ferreira mainly focuses on the energy transition. According to the professor, this transition from fossil propulsion to electric power electronics offers significant opportunities for Dutch technology companies.

First, he outlines the growth in electronics for the coming decade: “Take the demand for power supply for computers, laptops and smartphones. This amounts to 2.1TW per year. We have calculated that the contribution of sustainable energy from 2018 to 2030 will be a total of 4TW per year. But the really big numbers will soon come from electric transport. Over this period this will amount to 1,500 TW due to the large production numbers and required powers.”

The professor continues: “There are various interesting applications for Dutch companies: electric flying, drones, agriculture that is making the transition from diesel to electric. But also consider inland shipping and the transport of containers. More customized solutions will be needed. That is where the opportunities lie for us.”

During his lecture, Ferreira will also discuss the development of batteries – “Batteries are becoming the most common source and load of power electronics systems” – and wide bandgap semiconductors, the new power transistors that bring the efficiency to 99%. In sustainable energy systems, batteries are combined with PV technology. Both are exponential technologies according to the professor: “Prices are falling quickly and performance is getting better.”

Despite these technological developments, Ferreira also wants to emphasize that new systems must have a high degree of reliability, an aspect that, according to the professor, is sometimes underestimated by people in microelectronics. And although the Netherlands does not have the scale compared to electronics production in Asia, and there is less stiff competition, in Ferreira's view our country can mainly benefit from niche products in the power electronics market.

Would you like professor's lecture? Braham Ferreira during the digital edition of the Power Electronics event (June 16 to 18)? Register for free.