4160V/1MVA Utility Scale Silicon Carbide PV Inverter

Semiconductor Power Electronics Center (SPEC) at UT Austin has been awarded to develop and demonstrate an advanced utility scale solar inverter. The project goal proposed under DOE FOA-0001740, ADVANCED POWER ELECTRONICS DESIGN FOR SOLAR APPLICATIONS, is to develop and demonstrate a Modular, Multi-function, Multiport, and Medium Voltage utility scale SiC solar inverter (M4 Inverter). The M4 Inverter is the next generation utility scale PV inverter needed to drastically reduce the LCOE cost by another 50% by 2030 and to provide the grid friendly functionalities needed for a PV dominant electric grid. Project partners are ERCOT, Toshiba International, Wolfspeed and Opal RT.