Iqbal Husain
Modern society is based on a stable supply of energy and especially electrical energy. But our planet’s energy needs and sources are changing drastically. New technologies are rapidly evolving through the current global electrification revolution which are driving up the demand for electricity. Much of the emerging technologies in transportation and distributed energy resources (DER) are strongly influenced by decarbonization goals to address global energy supply challenges and environmental concerns. In transportation, global electric vehicles (EVs) sales exceeded 10 million units in 2022 and are projected to grow by 35% in 2023. We may be seeing thousands of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, i.e., four passenger capacity eVTOL air-vehicles, flying in cities in the next decade. Renewable energy integration into the power grid, particularly that of wind and solar, are increasing at an unprecedented rate, with many countries around the world setting net-zero and clean energy targets for the next two decades. In December 2022, the state of South Australia set a new record for renewable energy generation and resilience after running entirely on renewable energy for 10 consecutive days and exported excess electricity to a neighboring state. So how can you keep up with the electrification revolution and related technological advancements?
The answer is the IEEE Electrification Magazine. We started this journey 10 years ago as a quarterly magazine focused on all matters related to microgrids aboard EVs, ships, trains, planes, and off-grid applications. Issues were dedicated to present the latest technological advancements on electric cars, electric ships, electric planes, electric railway, and stationary microgrids. Feature articles written by experts in the field focused on advanced concepts, technologies, and practices associated with all aspects of electrification in the transportation and off-grid sectors from a technical perspective in synergy with nontechnical areas, such as business, environmental, and social concerns. The articles are more application-, integration-, and demonstration-oriented, with use case descriptions of different electrification segments. The writing style adopted in these articles effectively conveys the technical intricacies while reaching the readers with generality. The pioneers of the magazine envisioned that this approach was the best way to connect and engage the technology researchers, developers, and engineers, harmonizing the community.
Today the magazine has evolved significantly, expanding well beyond its initial scope and integrating knowledge on all aspects of electrification without limiting the focus to the five topics initially envisioned, but still remaining within their boundaries. An example is the March 2022 issue from last year focused on grid-forming converters. These converters have become increasingly important for power system operators to address the fundamental problem of steady state and dynamic stability of interconnected systems as an increasing number of inverter-based resources penetrate into the power grid. Another of last year’s issues (December 2022) focused on grid-edge computing. Rapid growth of renewable energy, and particularly that of wind and solar, is forcing a changeover from the traditional model of centralized power generation to a mix of centralized and distributed generation. A U.S. Department of Energy study conducted through the National Renewable Energy Lab illustrates multiple pathways to achieve the 100% clean energy goal by 2035. The electricity mix in the least-cost pathway shows wind and solar energy providing 60–80% of generation and overall utility capacity grows to roughly three times the 2020 level by 2035, including a combined 2 TWh of wind and solar. The integration of DERs (e.g., wind, solar, and other synergistic assets, including EVs, energy storage, and smart appliances) have the capability to provide much needed flexibility to electric power systems for improved reliability, resiliency, and economic efficiency. Grid-edge computing can play an important role in unlocking the great benefits and potentials these technologies can provide to enhance visibility, flexibility, and controllability of the power system. As you can see, our magazine is much more today that just microgrids.
But microgrids are still a key component of electrification. From the early 2000s, inverter-base microgrids required grid-forming capabilities. The inverters used to interface asynchronous source and storage give better controllability, but simultaneously reduce the grid inertia and strength. This creates control and protection issues that must be solved, as well as specifications and standards that need to be developed. Controlling reduced inertia power systems is a major concern for global stability guarantees. But the solution will enable faster synchronization and robustness against widely varying grid impedances, ranging from strong to ultraweak grids. IEEE Electrification Magazine will continue to cover topics like this now and in the future.
Our articles on renewable energy incorporate various themes and project descriptions, including microgrids, DERs, and grid integration. You can find articles on space microgrids, green nanogrids, electric utility microgrids, remote community microgrids, industrial park smart microgrids, networked microgrid operations, blockchain for peer-to-peer energy trading in networked microgrids, and microgrid management solutions. You can even learn how microgrid technology can be used in railway power supply to make them more flexible for accommodating spatiotemporally varying loads and distributed energy sources.
EVs, including on-road, off-road, and aircraft, are expected to grow substantially in the coming years, with many new vehicles and the introduction of new technologies. We are looking ahead for days where a 1,000-mile-range EV will alleviate range anxiety for many battery-powered vehicle owners. There are continuous improvements in lithium-based battery technologies, while significant R&D efforts are also underway for developing solid-state batteries with optimized battery cell chemistries and formats. Hydrogen storage and fuel cell vehicles are also making great strides. From the IEEE Electrification Magazine June 2022 issue on aircrafts, we can learn how the ultra lightweight nature of hydrogen as an energy carrier makes it an appealing choice for aircraft applications, as well as the challenges that need to be addressed. With significant developments and policies and goals in affordable, renewable-sourced hydrogen in various parts of the world, the economic viability for aircraft applications may be changing soon.
Two of the major electric powertrain components for electric propulsion are the power electronic converter and the electric machine. Power semiconductor devices based on wide bandgap (WBG) and ultra-WBG (UWBG) materials are considered to be the disruptive technologies for high-performance power electronic systems. The superior material properties of WBG (silicon carbide and gallium nitride) promise significant power density and efficiency increases compared with the well-established unipolar and bipolar silicon-based devices. The need for developing heavy rare earth and rare earth-free electric machines with high-power density and high efficiency is omnipresent, and we expect to see innovations in terms of machine designs, new materials usage, and new manufacturing technologies. EV manufacturers have already introduced the use of continuous wave winding or wrapping the high-speed rotor with a carbon fiber sleeve for retaining uniquely structured configurations. Winding, lamination, and permanent magnet material developments in recent years are enabling electric motor designers to push the boundaries for the maximum speed and power/torque density with design innovations. Electric boats, ferries and ships also benefit from these developments in electric machines. Railway is already heavily electrified in many parts of the world, but these developments in electric machines, power electronics, and power delivery will further enhance the electrification in the railway sector.
EV charging is another hot topic frequently addressed in our magazine and well-liked by the readers. The article “Towards Extreme Fast Charging” published in the March 2019 issue is one of the most popular articles of the magazine. The advances in power electronics converters are enabling the development of extreme fast charging stations where drivers can fully charge a passenger vehicle in less than 10 min. Industry and academia are simultaneously developing these technologies, where the power converter enabled by solid-state transformers will be connected directly to a medium voltage feed, reducing the footprint required while enhancing the efficiency of charging. UWBG (i.e., diamond and Ga2O3) materials can take the power device performance beyond the limits of WBG-based devices and enable high-voltage (≥10 kV) unipolar devices for various applications.
For the past 10 years, the IEEE Electrification Magazine produced world class articles to keep its readers well informed. The next 10 years will be no different in this respect. However, energy systems are evolving and demand continues to grow for clean, efficient, and sustainable technologies for renewable electricity generation and transportation electrification. Coordinated efforts by industry and research communities are expanding microgrids, solving the hard problems of low inertia systems, and advancing fundamental developments at the device level to open entirely new engineering possibilities. And we can all continue to read about these technologies right here in IEEE Electrification Magazine.
Iqbal Husain (iqbal_husain@ncsu.edu) is the ABB Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Director of FREEDM Systems Center at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607 USA. He served as the EIC of IEEE ELectrification Magazine from 2016 to 2020.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MELE.2023.3291189
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