Integration—A Major Driver of Power Electronics Innovation

Integration is a fundamental innovation vector and features prominently among the X-Concepts of power electronics (modularization, decentralization, digitalization, hybridization, integration) that facilitate x-times performance improvements, utilizing basic scaling laws. After briefly introducing these X-Concepts, the paper takes a holistic perspective on integration in power electronics and highlights the various aspects beyond the typical focus on maximizing power density of components and building blocks by means of advanced packaging and manufacturing methods: Integration concepts exist on all hierarchical levels of power electronics functional elements and units (materials, component, building blocks, converters, systems, and systems of systems), and encompasses not only the hardware but also the software/control domains, especially on the higher hierarchical levels. Salient examples for integration on all levels are provided. Moreover, we discuss benefits and barriers of integration in power electronics, and challenges and opportunities for academic research. There is an immediate need for research to drive integration on all levels in combination with the other X-Concepts. Thereby, new tools for the multi-domain design of highly integrated systems are necessary, which should also inform digital twins of hardware realizations to enable augmented-reality experimental analysis, i.e., enhancing measured terminal waveforms by estimates of non-accessible inner quantities, possibly using artificial intelligence and/or machine learning. Finally, we consider power electronics integration in the wider context, i.e., complementing technological by economical and environmental aspects, which leads to the “Integration Trilemma” representing the three key competing requirements in the context of integration: ultra-compact realizations of units with specific functionality, low costs/economies of scale through standardization, and, importantly, the dismantlability at the end of life, which is crucial for facilitating repair, refurbishment, and recycling, i.e., compatibility with a future circular economy: Power Electronics 5.0, which refers to the general next step of power electronics development where X-Concepts etc. are implemented in an environmentally compatible form.