Advances in the performance and efficiency of power electronics are vital for addressing the growing energy challenges we face. It has been estimated that power supply losses typically account for 20 to 70% of all energy that electronic products consume, and as much as 4% of our entire national electrical energy consumption can be traced to power supply losses for electronic loads, owing largely to poor average power supply efficiencies. Especially important are power supplies that operate from either the ac grid or from dc distribution voltages to supply low-voltage dc loads such as computers, electronic devices and LED lighting.
Intellectual Merit: The research opportunity we address is to greatly improve power converters for delivering energy from high-voltage dc or ac sources to low-voltage dc loads. We focus on input voltages consistent with the ac grid (e.g., up to 240 Vac) and dc distribution systems (e.g., 260 ? 410 V dc), and output voltages of volts to tens of volts, as these are key applications for energy improvements. Our goal is to achieve efficiencies beyond 97% (<3% loss) and maintain high efficiency for wide operating ranges, reducing loss by a factor of about 2-3 as compared to conventional systems.
To achieve this goal, this research will develop new soft-switched resonant power converters that mitigate losses occurring in conventional designs. Innovations are pursued in each of the main power subsystems in a power converter (inverter stage, transformation stage, and rectifier stage), along with advances in system architecture and control. We introduce methods to shape the operating waveforms to reduce circuit stress and loss, enabling both high efficiency and small size. Moreover, we introduce means to provide operating ?gear shifts? that increase the range for which high-efficiency operation is maintained. Lastly, we exploit circuit topologies and a system architecture that reduce the burden (and loss) associated with voltage transformation. These technologies will be developed individually, integrated together, and validated in a series of prototype converters.
Broader Impacts: The research program will also be leveraged to meet broader educational goals: it will enhance the education of students, including both undergraduate and graduate students. Research findings will be incorporated into the MIT curriculum, and will be disseminated more broadly through MIT?s online learning platforms and publications. We will also develop a ?research and learning? outreach program for K-12 students, exposing them to the role of power electronics in energy efficiency while collecting valuable data regarding power electronics usage.
