Page 48 - PEN eBook May 2023

DESIGN DESIGN
Wine Down

Friday with

Maurizio

3.3-kV SiC MOSFETs

Enable Grid-Connected

Energy Storage

By Ranbir Singh, executive vice president, and Siddarth Sundaresan, senior vice
president of SiC technology and operations, both at Navitas Semiconductor

The grid supplies energy from generators and delivers or sags), variations in the primary frequency at which
it to customers via transmission and distribution power is delivered, low power factor (voltage and
(T&D) networks. In the U.S., use of electricity storage current excessively out of phase with each other),
to support and optimize T&D has been limited due to harmonics, (the presence of currents or voltages at
high storage costs and limited design and operation frequencies other than the primary) and interruptions
experience. Recent improvements in storage and power in service.
technologies, however, coupled with changes in the
marketplace, herald an era of expanding opportunity Utility-attached storage reduces costs by allowing
for electricity storage. purchase of inexpensive electricity during periods of
low demand and supply of that energy when the price
Figure 1 illustrates the future vision for electricity would otherwise be higher. Storage may also be used
production and T&D infrastructure, identifying in lieu of adding generation capacity. In many areas,
grid-connected storage as critical for more reliable, transmission capacity is not keeping pace with peak
more cost-effective models. Energy storage improves demand, meaning transmission systems are becoming
T&D performance by compensating for electrical congested—driving increased transmission access
anomalies and disturbances like variations in voltage charges and use of congestion charges or “locational
(e.g., short-term spikes or dips, longer-term surges marginal pricing.”

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