Yearly Annual Reports

First: The Fusion of Power Electronics and Power Systems.
When Richard Zhang was a Ph.D. student at CPES, then known as VPEC, thirty years ago, power electronics and power systems rarely interacted; they existed almost as parallel universes. Power systems, following their transformational birth 140 years ago, appeared to have matured into a phase of slow, incremental evolution. System behavior was largely dictated by the physics of passive grid components such as generators, transformers, tap changers, transmission and distribution lines, and switchgears. In contrast, power electronics advanced rapidly, driven by new semiconductor devices, circuit topologies, control methods, and packaging and integration technologies.

After more than two decades of growth in wind and solar, along with strong expansion of modern HVDC technologies, CPES has moved well beyond the era of “power electronics in power systems.” It is now clear that power electronics is becoming the future of power systems, delivering unprecedented controllability, functionality, and flexibility that conventional bulk AC grids could only aspire to achieve.

At the same time, the very notion of a “grid” is being redefined. Today, there are many grids. Transportation across land, air, and sea each relies on its own electric grid—from electric vehicles and more-electric aircraft to electrified marine vessels. Large industrial processes operate dedicated grids. Renewable generation and utility-scale energy storage are increasingly interconnected through multi-terminal, high-voltage dc networks. Inside every data center, layered ac and dc distribution networks span from 35 kV/13.8 kV ac down to 1 V/0.6 V dc powering xPUs. This fusion is reshaping both power systems and power electronics.

Second: The Fusion of AC and DC.
On September 4, 1882, Thomas Edison illuminated 400 lamps in Lower Manhattan powered by 110 V dc from the first U.S. central power station on Pearl Street in New York City, ushering in the era of the electric grid. What followed was a dramatic period of collaboration and competition among giants such as Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, Nikola Tesla, and Samuel Insull. Their story culminated in what appeared to be the defeat of dc. At the time, Edison did not know dc-dc converters or power electronics. Ac prevailed due to its economic and reliability advantages for bulk transmission.

Today, the resurgence of dc-based generation, transmission and distribution, storage, and loads is fundamentally changing the equation. Solar PV, HVDC and MVDC systems, batteries, xPUs in data centers, EV charging, and electrolysis stacks for hydrogen production are moving the field from “ac or dc—choose one,” to “dc within the bulk ac system,” and now to the coexistence and fusion of ac and dc systems.

Third: The Fusion of iT and IT - Information Technology and Infrastructure Technology.
Power electronics has long been a key enabling technology for both domains. Low-voltage VRMs and point-of-load converters for data centers and telecom, as well as medium-voltage MW-class converters for renewable energy systems, are classic examples that CPES has researched for decades. Historically, technology development for iT and IT progressed largely independently.

With the explosive growth of AI and data centers, large data centers now demand GW-level power solutions with fast time-to-power, high availability, and exceptional power quality. Large-scale power systems at higher voltage levels are increasingly involved, spanning from the utility grid to behind-the-meter data center microgrids and into gray and white spaces. Power converters and controls can no longer be designed in isolation. From utility grids on one end to chips such as xPUs on the other, power electronics must be conceived within the fusion of iT and IT.

The Three Fusions present unprecedented opportunities for power electronics. With more than four decades of excellence in research, education, and technology transfer, CPES is uniquely positioned to seize these opportunities by leveraging our close industry partnerships and strong programs within our PMC, HDI, and HPCS mini-consortia.

As CPES defines new research frontiers to serve our industry members, the Three Fusions challenge us to think differently and adopt a more system-oriented mindset—from Grids to Chips. They call for deeper strategic collaboration among CPES, industry, and government. To capture these opportunities, we can no longer move along existing innovation curves; we must explore uncharted waters and define new ones—with urgency.

We invite our industry members and government partners to help build a unique research ecosystem together that accelerates innovation through system thinking, strategic collaboration, joint research partnerships, and out-of-the-box ideas. We would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Who’s on board?

Richard Zhang
CPES Director