PowerAmerica to Showcase Significant Progress in the Adoption of Wide Bandgap Power Electronics Technology at APEC 2019
As part of Manufacturing USA, the PowerAmerica Institute and its member companies have gained acclaim for expanding the commercialization of the U.S. wide bandgap semiconductor industry
ANAHEIM, CA (March 6, 2019) – The PowerAmerica Institute, a Department of Energy-backed Manufacturing USA institute at N.C. State University, is exhibiting at the 2019 Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) in Anaheim, California, from March 17 – 21 at the Anaheim Convention Center. During APEC, representatives from PowerAmerica will be onsite to share with attendees the significant progress the institute has made toward advancing the development and adoption of wide bandgap semiconductor technology in the United States. To date, the institute has provided approximately $100 million in funding to more than 120 projects aimed at driving the industry toward the widespread adoption of next generation silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power electronics technology. A complete description of these projects is contained in the institute’s recently released annual report, entitled “Transforming U.S. Manufacturing Through Advances in Wide Bandgap Power Electronics, One Innovation at a Time.” A complete list of PowerAmerica members presenting at APEC can be viewed here.
The power electronics trade media has also taken notice of the significant contributions the institute and its members have made to the industry. In its latest issue, the editor of Power Systems Design North America, Jason Lomberg, called PowerAmerica a key player in the effort to overcome the cost hurdle faced by wide bandgap technologies, noting that institutes like PowerAmerica will “drive down prices – and the future looks bright.”
In addition to exhibiting at Booth #466, PowerAmerica will host an industry panel, entitled “Advances in the Adoption of WBG Semiconductors in Commercial and Industrial Applications,” on Thursday, March 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. in Room 210BC. The panel will be chaired by Membership Director Jim LeMunyon, along with member companies UnitedSiC, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, ABB, Navitas, and GE.
PowerAmerica members exhibiting at APEC 2019 include GeneSiC, Navitas, UnitedSiC, and Wolfspeed. Several of these companies were highlighted for their commercial successes in PowerAmerica’s 2018 annual report, including:
- GeneSiC, which is manufacturing and distributing 3.3kV SiC MOSFETS on a global scale, using the X-FAB foundry in Lubbock, Texas (the world’s only open SiC foundry and PowerAmerica’s largest project to date)
- UnitedSiC, which is shipping SiC MOSFETs in volume for use in electric vehicles and industrial power supplies
- Navitas, whose GaN integrated circuits are setting industry standards in energy efficiency, power density, and manufacturability for consumer adapters and charger applications.
PowerAmerica member companies such as Wolfspeed, John Deere, ABB, and others also have projects profiled in the report, and will participate in multiple technical sessions at APEC regarding wide bandgap technologies.
Additionally, PowerAmerica Deputy Executive Director and CTO Victor Veliadis has been selected as a mentor participant in the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) Mentoring Round Table at APEC 2019.
For more information about the PowerAmerica Institute, please visit Booth #466 at APEC 2019, navigate to www.poweramericainstitute.org, e-mail poweramerica@ncsu.edu, or call 919-515-6013.
Editor’s Note: To schedule an appointment with a PowerAmerica representative at APEC 2019, please contact Christina Sandidge, public relations specialist, BtB Marketing Communications, at christina.sandidge@btbmarketing.com or 919-872-8172.
About PowerAmerica
The PowerAmerica Institute at N.C. State University was founded in 2015 and is one of 14 Manufacturing USA Institutes nationwide. Each institute is focused on growing a sector of advanced manufacturing, making the U.S. better poised to compete economically on a global scale. PowerAmerica is backed by $70 million in funding from the Department of Energy, with matching funds from industry partners and the state of North Carolina. PowerAmerica’s mission is to save energy and create U.S. manufacturing jobs by accelerating the development and large-scale adoption of wide bandgap semiconductor technology made with silicon carbide and gallium nitride in power electronics systems.
About the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC)
As the premier event in Applied Power Electronics, APEC focuses on the practical and applied aspects of the power electronics business, including equipment OEMs that use power supplies and dc-dc converters; designers of power supplies, dc-dc converters, motor drives, uninterruptable power supplies, inverters and other power electronic circuits, equipment and systems; manufacturers and suppliers of components and assemblies used in power electronics; manufacturing, quality, and compliance test engineers involved with power electronics equipment.
