A cloudy day can significantly challenge the efficiency of solar panels. Now, Infineon technologies seem to have the solution with new bidirectional inverters. Infineon Technologies with Delta Electronics has developed a three-in-one system that integrates solar, energy storage and charging of electric vehicles.
The new duo-developed bidirectional inverters help the electric cars not only charge but to be used as buffer storage or as household emergency backup power.
Infineon and Delta Electronics believe bidirectional energy flows could also be used to realize new vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) solutions.
“To make a sustainable contribution to decarbonization, we must think electromobility holistically: from green power generation to a stable, efficient grid infrastructure to storage and consumption,” says Peter Wawer, head of Infineon’s Industrial Power Control division. “With our solutions for bidirectional charging, the electric car can be charged inexpensively with solar power at home and also serves as a buffer storage.”
A single-family home can consume an average of 10-15 kWh of energy per day. A fully charged car battery with a capacity of 30 to 100 kWh could therefore theoretically bridge a few days as an emergency power solution. Homeowners thus secure inexpensive electricity as well as more independence in power supply.
Infineon’s energy-efficient power semiconductors made of silicon carbide (SiC) increase the power density in these new bidirectional inverters.
Hence the new Delta bidirectional inverters tout to allow a maximum continuous current of 34 A achieving peak efficiencies of more than 97.5 percent.
With this new compound material SiC and new bidirectional inverters, one can reduce energy losses when converting current by around half also the size of charging stations be reduced by about 30 percent.
With SiC, photovoltaic systems become more powerful, charging times at fast-charging stations and wallboxes are shorter, and the range of electric cars is five to ten percent higher.
Infineon is said to be the number 1 in power electronics, enabling the expansion of renewable energies and the energy-efficient storage and use of green electricity.
Infineon power semiconductors are also setting standards in charging stations: the 50 kW Hypercharger from alpitronic is the first wall-mounted charging station that allows two cars to be charged simultaneously.
Further Info about Infineon’s contribution to energy efficiency www.infineon.com/green-energy
