IEA 4E TCP-PECTA: Power Electronic Conversion Technology (Working period 2019 - 2021)

The Power Electronic Conversion Technology Annex (PECTA) is one of four Annexes (EDNA, EMSA, SSL and PECTA) within the IEA 4E TCP (Technology Collaboration Program of Energy Efficient End-Use Equipment) and was launched in march 2019.

Overall Goal

The overall goal of PECTA includes collecting and analyzing information on new wide bandgap (WBG) based power electronic devices, coordinating internationally acceptable approaches that promote WBG-based power electronics and developing greater understanding and action amongst governments and policy makers.

Specific Goals

• Collecting and analyzing information on new WBG-based power electronics as energy efficient technology.
• Share expertise and pool resources on this energy efficient technology.
• Coordinating internationally acceptable government approaches that promote WBG-based power electronics.
• Developing greater understanding and promote government actions that encourage the use of WBG-based power electronics.
• Accompanying and supporting international standardization public organizations (e.g. IEC).

The annex is split into 2 different stages:

• Introduction phase (March 2019 – April 2020) and
• Established phase (May 2020 – February 2024)

During the Introduction Phase two main tasks have been investigated in detail:

• Task 1: Validation of efficiency potential of different WBG applications
• Task 2: Identification of development of a short and long-term roadmap for power devices in order to determine a global view.

Furthermore, the position of the Operating Agent (Annex Coordination) was also covered by the Austrian participation.

Main results of the Austrian participation were the generation of knowledge in order to assess applicability of possible long-term concepts considering integration of WBG, coordination of the Annex as Operating Agent and leading an Academic Advisory Group. Furthermore, PECTA acts as independent knowledge platform, which allows Austrian policymakers and industry to support the market entrance of WBG technology.

The obtained results serve as an objective source of information for stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, industry, customers from relevant or related sectors, etc.). The national participation addressed the main topics defined by PECTA in Task 1 and Task 2 (efficiency potential and roadmaps) and also enabled

• national and international networking activities,
• access to a worldwide network of leading experts in the field of Wide Bandgap,
• free and direct access to current work results consisting of inputs from national and international universities, research institutions and industry,
• incorporation and feedback of results and experiences from PECTA into ongoing national and international projects, as well as the possibility of initiating and implementing new research projects,
• an increased national and international visibility due to the coordination of PECTA via holding the operating agent position.

Finally, based on key-findings from Phase 1, six tasks (Task A-F) were derived and specified for the following work period (2021-2024):

• Task A: Completion and Updating available efficiency figures
• Task B: Energy and environmental related life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Task C: Revision of elaborated Application Readiness Map
• Task D: Policy measures and mapping with applications on a timeline
• Task E: Measurement of Power Supply Efficiency
• Task F: Standards to support the WBG-Market entrance

Austria (Operating Agent), Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland

Operating Agent and national Expert

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
Dr. Markus Makoschitz
Giefinggasse 2
1210 Wien
E-Mail: markus.makoschitz@ait.ac.at

ExCo Representative

Dr. Adriana Díaz
ECODESIGN Company GmbH
Schwindgasse 4/2
1040 Wien
E-Mail: diaz@ecodesign-company.com