Focus on solving DC power solutions

Although these challenges require us to use a variety of political and economic means to effectively deal with them, there is a technological means that is increasingly showing its importance. High-voltage innovative methods can make the transmission and conversion of electric energy more efficient, thereby reducing the power loss between the power supply and the terminal equipment.

These innovative methods have brought about changes in the way of generating electricity, such as the introduction of renewable energy sources and the improvement of the power-saving performance of power-intensive equipment such as motors and refrigeration equipment. This allows a steady increase in energy efficiency, lower costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Even a small efficiency increase can have a significant impact. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated in its 2015 mid-term forecast that by 2040, U.S. power generation will increase by 24%-an annual increase of about 1%. EIA also predicts that about 6% of the electricity generated in the United States is wasted in power supply and configuration-in recent years, more than 14 million megawatt-hours of electricity have been wasted each year. By improving efficiency and saving part of the wasted power, the total power generation required can be reduced.

Advanced semiconductors are one of the most important technologies to make power generation, transmission and consumption more efficient, and this technology is still under continuous development. Intelligent control and new power semiconductor materials realized by integrated circuits can realize power conversion with minimal loss. Smart integrated circuit hardware enables efficient communication between power grids, factories, homes, automobiles, and other systems, as well as efficient control of the power usage of the system. In addition, as the backbone of power supplies and battery chargers, power management circuits are an important factor in the rapid development of portable electronic devices; while improving efficiency, life is more convenient. Texas Instruments (TI) makes full use of its design, manufacturing and packaging expertise to create high-voltage analog and mixed-signal solutions. These solutions will elevate efficiency to a whole new level in the next few years.

Why put the emphasis on high pressure?

The voltage varies widely. The voltage of power plants can be as high as tens of thousands of volts, and the voltage of regional transmission lines can be as low as less than 1 volt. These voltages are used internally by high-speed digital components such as embedded processors. There are many intermediate voltage levels distributed on power distribution lines. For consumers, the most familiar ones are 110/120 volts and 220/240 volts. For residential, commercial, industrial, and automotive applications, the high voltage ranges from tens of volts to hundreds of volts; from levels a little higher than electronic circuits to levels used in transportation and industrial equipment.

According to research data from the market research company IHS, power management integrated circuits that operate at all voltage levels represent a huge demand for integrated circuit suppliers-this area amounts to 30 billion U.S. dollars per year. Brand-new integrated circuit product markets continue to emerge, such as AC/DC converters, inverters, bidirectional converters and DC/DC converters. The ability to provide integrated circuit solutions with high integration, high power density and high intelligence can further improve the overall performance of the system.

Power conversion is a golden development area, because every voltage conversion involves power loss from power plants to end applications. In addition, under the same conditions, the power loss of low voltage is higher than that of high voltage during power transmission. For these reasons, the most effective method is to make the high voltage as close as possible or even directly into the terminal device before using a conversion method that minimizes power consumption to step down the high voltage. When there are high voltages near the equipment and users, additional protective measures must be taken for the machine and the human body.

The term "equipment" is often reminiscent of the factory floor. In fact, industrial applications such as motors, robots and central control systems are also important areas for power supply innovation. At present, various industries around the world are undergoing intelligent automation transformation. This transformation is coming so fast that some people call it the "fourth industrial revolution" (the first three are steam engine, mass production, and early automation). ) Or Industry 4.0. In this transformation, the so-called "smart factory" has played a decisive role. It represents higher machine intelligence and stronger system communication capabilities. The primary goal of the smart factory is to achieve