In the “power4re” project (Reliable converters for renewable energy supply), researchers are working on increasing the reliability and robustness of converters for wind power and photovoltaic plants.

Converters are a key technology for the energy transition. They make it possible to feed the electricity generated by wind power and photovoltaic plants into the electricity grid. However, they are exposed to harsh environmental and operating conditions – and thus among the most failure-prone system components. Failures are accompanied by high losses. Therefore, more durable converters have great economic potential.

The aim of the power4re project is to use  field data and damage analyses to investigate application-specific weak points and failure mechanisms. In this way, a concept for more reliable and robust converters and a procedure for testing the components will be developed. The findings can also be transferred to other applications, such as rail transport, aviation or electromobility. The Fraunhofer Institutes IISB, IMWS, ISE, IWES and IZM as well as partners from industry are involved in power4re.