Efficient Power Switching – A Key to Decarbonization
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) calls itself “the world’s greatest innovation and engineering challenge.” Since 1987, more than 10,000 young and bright minds participated in the race to create the most efficient solar car. As a newcomer to the event this year, the αCentauri Solar Race Team from ETH Zurich is employing a PowiGaN-based InnoSwitch offline switcher IC from Power Integrations to power the control board of the No. 85 race car. This innovative solution boosts energy efficiency to 95.7 percent while the system operates at maximum power, but also improves efficiency by more than 50 percent while the system drives light loads – which is most of the time. This maximizes the use of electricity generated by the car’s solar panels.
Similar to the efficiency benefits it provides the solar car racing across the Australian Outback, PowiGaN Technology can play a key role in the overall decarbonization of our planet. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in order to reach global sustainability by 2050, 37% of the carbon reduction will come from energy efficiency improvements. It’s why the IEA has labeled efficiency as the ‘first fuel.’
Gallium nitride (GaN) is the breakthrough semiconductor technology that’s revolutionizing the power electronics industry, achieving far better efficiency than silicon with a much lower price tag than silicon carbide.
Power Integrations has been leading the GaN revolution since our first PowiGaN device hit the market in 2019. Highly integrated InnoSwitch switcher ICs with PowiGaN technology is superior to comparable silicon devices with much higher efficiency at light loads and in standby mode.
The growth of the PowiGaN product portfolio is leading the way in the continuing development of GaN technology. The new 900 V PowiGaN-based InnoSwitch3-AQ ICs for automotive use and InnoSwitch3-EP for industrial applications deliver 100 W output with better than 93% efficiency and eliminate the need for heatsinks. As we continue to expand the capacity of PowiGaN devices, we will introduce GaN technology to more applications and keep contributing to the feature of carbon neutrality.
Mr. Green’s Blog is on location cheering for the αCentauri Solar Race Team. Follow #PowiGaNVan on Power Integrations’ official YouTube Channel and LinkedIn Page.
This Mr. Green blog is part of a special series of blogs, vlogs, livestreams and social posts from the #PowiGaNVan as we follow Team αCentauri through the Australian Outback for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
