ABSTRACT
As we prepare to enter the 21st Century we stand on the
threshold of a Power Electronics Revolution.
The last 50 years have seen the growth of power
conversion to the point at which today about 15% of the
electric power produced undergoes some form of
electronic conversion. However, most of this occurs at
the “consumer end” of the supply chain from battery
chargers to locomotives. Although HVDC transmission
has exploited line-commutated power electronics for the
past three decades, it is the 1990s which have witnessed
the commissioning of self-commutated power
electronics at the transmission level. Developments in
semiconductors and their packaging technology will
drive power electronics into distribution applications as
device efficiency and reliability increases whilst the cost
of the switched megawatt falls.
The key semiconductors enabling this predicted
transition will be reviewed and the anticipated demands
of system builders on device suppliers discussed.