Wolfspeed, Inc. has unveiled a silicon carbide module designed to transform the renewable energy, energy storage and high-capacity fast-charging sectors through improved efficiency, durability, reliability and scalability. The 2300 V baseplate-less silicon carbide power modules for 1500 V DC Bus applications were developed and launched utilizing Wolfspeed’s state-of-the-art 200 mm silicon carbide wafers.
Wolfspeed also reports that it is partnering with EPC Power, a premier North American utility-scale inverter manufacturer. EPC Power will be employing the Wolfspeed modules in utility-grade solar and energy storage systems, which offer a scalable high-power conversion system and high-performance controls and system redundancy.
Source: Wolfspeed“The solar and energy storage market remains among the fastest-growing segments of the renewable energy industry. As the pioneers of silicon carbide, we are driven to create solutions that will open the door to a new era of modern energy,” said Jay Cameron, Wolfspeed senior vice president and general manager, power. “Energy efficiency, reliability, and scalability are top of mind for our customers, such as EPC Power, who recognize the substantial advantages Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide brings to the table.”
Industry leading switching performance
Wolfspeed's 2300 V modules will improve system efficiency, while reducing the number of passive components. They offer 15% greater voltage headroom compared to similar silicon carbide modules, improved dynamic performance with consistent temperature stability and a substantial reduction in electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter size. Wolfspeed’s technology achieves a 77% reduction in switching losses over insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and a two times to three times reduction in switching losses for silicon carbide devices intended for 1500 V applications.
Market scalability through design simplification
The 2300 V silicon carbide modules will allow system designers to leverage lower cost printed circuit boards to cut manufacturing costs and significantly reduce development time compared to legacy bus bar solutions. Furthermore, Wolfspeed’s 2300 V modules will enable the industry to adopt the two-level topology, resulting in simplified system design and reduced driver count compared to IGBT-based three-level configurations. The benefits of 2300 V modules support a building block approach to easily scale power tenfold, from kilowatts to megawatts.
Prolonged system lifetimes and durability
Wolfspeed’s 2300 V silicon carbide modules will allow customers to further enhance the lifetime and durability of their systems. This is achieved through an optimized Failure in Time rate for continuous 1500 V DC operation and improved cosmic ray susceptibility compared to a 2000 V design. When used in a two-level implementation, 2300 V modules reduce the amount of potential single points of failure across the system.
