Easter egg at the end of the article | I heard that Infineon has been involved in energy saving.

According to the International Energy Agency, as governments around the world fully implement their energy and climate commitments, heat pumps have become one of the world's most important low-carbon heating methods. The International Energy Agency estimates that by 2030, heat pumps have the potential to reduce global carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) emissions by at least 500 million tons, which is equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of all cars in Europe today. According to the International Energy Agency's vision of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, the number of heat pump installations worldwide will increase to about 600 million units by 2030.

Heat pumps operate without carbon emissions and do not consume gas; the compressor pumps are powered by electricity, ideally from renewable sources. A heat pump can run a motor using just 1kW of electricity to extract energy from the environment, and then transfer up to 3kW to 6kW of heat energy to the building. This is why heat pumps are highly efficient - in short: because the energy comes from the environment, the heat pump consumes less electricity than the heat energy it ultimately delivers. Combined with energy storage systems, heat pumps can absorb fluctuations in electricity generated by renewable sources, thereby using wind and solar power to meet growing electricity demand.

Heat pumps use a refrigerant cycle to transfer heat energy that exists in the environment (such as heat energy in the air, water or earth) to the building. For example, an air source heat pump draws in outside air through a fan, thereby providing ambient heat to the heat pump. In a heat pump, the temperature of the outside air causes the refrigerant medium to evaporate and become gaseous. The compressor then compresses these gases, causing the temperature of the gas (refrigerant medium) to rise. The high-temperature refrigerant gas is then condensed in the condenser, releasing heat. In the building to be heated, circulating water is used as the heating medium. This water absorbs the heat released by the refrigerant in the condenser and conducts the heat to the distribution system for heating or storing hot water.

In short, a heat pump converts ambient heat into energy that can be used in the home. Infineon Semiconductor Solutions offers energy-saving smart residential heat pump solutions that bring more intelligence and efficiency to modern heat pumps: using our Smartest Power Designs to achieve the highest efficiency levels and smallest form factors. Our comprehensive portfolio of single-phase and three-phase solutions covering all power levels makes it easy for you to choose the most suitable solution for your heat pump.

To view our complete range of heat pump solutions, please click here .

The past seven years have been the hottest on record, so it’s no wonder that demand for indoor cooling has skyrocketed. In 2021, electricity used for cooling accounted for nearly 16% of final electricity consumption in buildings (equivalent to about 2 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity). This represents a huge potential for energy savings, and Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, said: “The growing demand for air conditioning is one of the most critical blind spots in the current energy debate.” Higher efficiency standards can reduce the need for new power plants, thereby reducing emissions and lowering costs.

Smart air conditioning systems in particular can take advantage of these benefits, reducing energy consumption and improving comfort by targeting cooling. To adjust performance to actual needs, these devices can "see", "hear" and "feel" their surroundings. Sensors and controllers can identify the number and location of people in the room. Using this information, the air conditioner changes the fan speed and oscillation range. Smart systems can also measure temperature, CO2 concentration and air quality to decide when to inject fresh, cool air, contributing to significant energy savings.

Infineon offers a full range of air conditioning system components to meet various high-level performance and efficiency requirements. For example, motor frequency conversion products can improve the noise, vibration and service life of the system, while also significantly saving energy. Infineon's indoor air conditioning system components are easy to integrate, with a small and slim appearance, compact packaging design, and high power density, which can achieve excellent reliability and energy efficiency, making your product stand out.

To view the complete air conditioning system solutions, please click here.

The sound of a refrigerator running constantly is a thing of the past. Previously, the motors could simply be switched on or off, or kept running all day, which resulted in huge energy consumption and noise. Modern refrigerators are intelligently networked , and the refrigerator motors are controlled by power chips, sensors and microcontrollers (in other words: variable frequency technology). These components bring pleasant changes to the motors, which are quieter, more energy-efficient and smaller in size. Appliances with variable frequency technology can consume electricity only as it is actually needed . This is much more energy-efficient than switching the motor on and off frequently throughout the day.

The principle is simple: by constantly collecting data such as temperature, humidity and motor speed, sensors can help home appliances run more efficiently. Based on this data, a microcomputer or microcontroller can calculate the necessary control instructions to reduce the refrigerator's energy consumption. The power chip executes these instructions to make the motor reach the optimal speed and keep the refrigerator at a constant temperature. In this way, the cooling can be adjusted according to the current demand, because the motor speed is adjusted according to the load.

Infineon offers a comprehensive product portfolio for variable frequency refrigerator compressors. Whether it is to achieve the highest level of integration or to achieve the best cost-effectiveness, Infineon semiconductors can seamlessly connect and work together to help you easily create systems with low energy consumption, small size and smoother operation. Infineon has realized compact, rugged and reliable systems with lower power consumption and modern touch user interfaces. In addition, modern refrigerators that are becoming more and more intelligent and interconnected can also respond to user needs by sending real-time data to users who control refrigerator operations through the Internet. At the same time, manufacturers can also remotely analyze refrigerators and give predictive maintenance suggestions. In this process, Infineon's system solutions can provide secure data acquisition, control and device connection functions. Through intelligent power design, achieve the highest equipment efficiency, the smallest form factor, and improve your carbon footprint (CO2 emissions).

To view the complete smart refrigerator solution, please click here .

This is an invisible, but crucial task. The charger is responsible for powering smartphones, tablets, and other devices with the "correct" current and voltage. This means that it converts AC power to DC power and converts the original 230V (110V in the US) to a lower voltage, such as 5V, that the device can use. Otherwise, the device cannot be charged and may even be damaged. However, during this conversion process, energy is lost. We can feel this loss: the charger can get warm or even hot, depending on the components and quality of the electronic system.

Advanced microelectronics inside the devices can significantly reduce this waste heat. The properties of the semiconductor technology gallium nitride (GaN) are ideally suited in this regard: These transistor components enable higher switching frequencies in voltage converters while keeping losses very low. In short: GaN semiconductors can help devices achieve extraordinary energy savings.

Reducing heat generation is important, but at the same time, devices need to be powerful yet convenient. Gallium nitride also meets this challenge, making it possible to reduce the size of devices without reducing performance. In turn, a charger of the same size can charge more devices without affecting the charging time. Technically speaking, GaN semiconductors enable higher "power density". Infineon's GaN technology can therefore help achieve a variety of different environmental benefits: saving materials and resources, reducing transportation efforts, and reducing electronic waste.

An important new EU regulation will come into force in December 2024: Smartphones, tablets and headphones must be equipped with USB-C ports, primarily for sustainability reasons. Other types of devices will follow later. In the near future, only one standard connector will be needed to supply power to a wide range of electronic devices: this also means significantly fewer chargers and thus less e-waste. Semiconductors from Infineon, including GaN power stages and transistors, are driving this new technology: they enable efficient and fast charging.

View complete charger and adapter solutions here .

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