Photovoltaic silicon nitride inverter

Can silicon-based micro-inverters improve solar panel performance?

Regular silicon-based micro-inverters—the most critical components to take advantages of solar panel performance—have reached their limits. CEA-Leti researchers are now offering 650V & 100V GaN/Si power transistors to reduce the cost and size of solar inverters while increasing compactness:

How does a CEA-Leti micro-inverter work?

This micro-inverter helps efficiently convert the 72-cell PV module’s electrical energy into the 230V~50Hz. In fact, CEA-Leti’s GaN/Si power components (MIS-Gate: Metal Insulator Semiconductor) helps deliver superior returns and a built-in MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker) maximizes power conversion regardless of the solar irradiation.

Can active switching loss reduction networks be used for photovoltaic converters?

Within the Research Project “PV-MoVe”, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technologies IEE investigated how to use active switching loss reduction networks for power semi-conductors to enable smaller, more lightweight, and more cost-efficient photovoltaic converters.

How does a micro-inverter work?

The integration of a micro-inverter directly into solar panels enable paralleling, making it a strategic component. This micro-inverter helps efficiently convert the 72-cell PV module’s electrical energy into the 230V~50Hz.

How can a 50 kW PV inverter switch frequencies be increased?

Using newly developed additional circuitry, switching frequencies for a 50 kW PV inverter could be increased by a factor of 2.5 – 3 for the DC input stage and by a factor of 10 – 12.5 for the inverter output stage.

What are 650V & 100V Gan/Si power transistors?

CEA-Leti researchers are now offering 650V & 100V GaN/Si power transistors to reduce the cost and size of solar inverters while increasing compactness: GaN/Si are power components made of Gallium Nitride on a low cost 8” Silicon substrate. Such components are already in volume production.