On the television show “Home Improvement”, Tim Allen’s character always sought “more power” for whatever project he was working on. The theme of the Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC) 2014 could have been “less power”. APEC 2014 featured five days of seminars and sessions including professional education, technical papers and industry sessions. The conference also featured an exhibit hall with 226 exhibitors. We at Semiconductor Intelligence attended part of APEC 2014 last week in Fort Worth, Texas.
The “less power” theme was reflected in many of the technical and industry sessions. Wide band gap devices (semiconductors using materials such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride) can enable higher performance and less power for applications such as RF, LED lighting, motor drives and electrical power conversion. Energy harvesting captures minute amounts of naturally-occurring energy for many sensing, monitoring and control applications. Smart power grids will help deliver power more efficiently and reliably. Motor drivers and controllers are increasing the power efficiency of motors.
Another theme at APEC was “alternative power.” A track on renewable energy systems featured sessions on photovoltaic and wind energy. Several sessions on solar power emphasized the strong growth in residential photovoltaic panels. Other sessions examined technologies related to alternative energy such as energy storage and DC power transmission. Many of the vehicle power electronics sessions focused on electric drive vehicles.
The exhibition hall occupied most of the Fort Worth Convention Center and covered all aspects of power electronics. All the major power semiconductor companies were represented. The companies with the largest booths were Fairchild, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, International Rectifier and Vishay. Many of the companies on the exhibitor floor emphasized the “less power” theme through applications such as LED lighting and power efficient motor controllers.
APEC 2014 showed the power electronics industry is alive and well, driving new technologies and applications. Remember that none of the electronics devices driving growth in the semiconductor market can work without power.
