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The Issues

• Decarbonization of the electricity sector
• Eco-design, life cycle assessment
• Energy Security

Interdisciplinarity

From a technological standpoint, the challenges range from materials and processes to the electrical system. The integrated eco-design methodology is based on a reflective approach inspired in part by the humanities and social sciences. Finally, an economic analysis is conducted on the industrial context within a sector characterized by intense international competition. The various disciplines involved in the project will compare their analyses of this sector and thereby highlight the challenges facing EP as a driver of electricity decarbonization.

A Transformative Project

PowerAlps will build a community of stakeholders in the field of power electronics, facilitating interactions between the materials sector and the electrical distribution applications sector (to define relevant technological directions). The eco-design approach applied to this field will drive progress in both disciplines and spur behavioral changes within the power electronics sector. Finally, economic researchers will find in PowerAlps a practical application in a rapidly evolving field, as well as numerous industry contacts. Benefits are expected in the area of education, as well as increased appeal for future doctoral students. Through the development of a white paper, this project will provide recommendations to public policymakers.

A national and international reach

National acceleration strategies such as PEPR (TASE, Electronics) and IPCEI (ST, Valeo) highlight the importance of the power electronics sector. The ECPE competence center in Europe and the IEEE have already established roadmaps for power electronics, but these focus solely on technology and often take a generic applications perspective. PowerAlps adds a component dedicated to the power grid and an integrated approach to eco-design and industrialization.

To increase the visibility of the Grenoble site

The roadmap defined by PowerAlps will naturally position the Grenoble site as a leader in the field of power electronics at the national level. The final event will bring together key decision-makers and stakeholders from the public and private sectors to present and discuss the “PowerAlps” vision for power electronics, notably through the development of a white paper. Internationally, a workshop will be jointly organized with ECPE, open to the European community. Other workshops are planned during international IEEE conferences. Finally, certain research projects are likely to lead to commercialization initiatives.