Japan's new energy NEDO: Developed the world's smallest photovoltaic inverter

The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan recently announced that the Next Generation Power Electronics Research and Development Organization, a technical research organization jointly established by industry, government and academia, has successfully developed the world's smallest inverter. Compared with ordinary photovoltaic inverters, its size is only about one-twenty-fifth, shrinking to about 500 cubic centimeters. This achievement is expected to be applied to electric vehicles and railways in the future.

A photovoltaic inverter is a device that converts direct current into alternating current. It is often used in home appliances and other fields because it can improve the rotation efficiency of motors. Photovoltaic inverters are also an indispensable device in the process of connecting the direct current generated by solar photovoltaic power generation to the alternating current transmission lines.

The photovoltaic inverter developed this time uses silicon-carbon compounds as semiconductor element materials instead of the conventional silicon. The power conversion efficiency is improved, thus achieving miniaturization. In the experiment, the photovoltaic inverter successfully continuously drives a motor with an output power of 15 kilowatts, which is more than 15 times the power of a household air conditioner.