Development of innovative power semiconductor technologies to support renewable energy is underway

🟦 Mitsubishi Electric’s “FLAGCHIP” Project Develops Condition Monitoring Technology for Power Semiconductors
Mitsubishi Electric is participating in the FLAGCHIP project in Europe and is developing condition monitoring technology for power semiconductor modules. In this project, we aim to demonstrate a technology that enables us to estimate the temperature of semiconductor chips and grasp the deterioration status.
Power semiconductor modules are an integral part of renewable energy systems such as wind and solar power generation, and play an important role in power conversion. However, in order to maintain its performance stably for a long time, internal temperature control is important. In the FLAGCHIP project, the development of technology to accurately estimate the temperature of SiC-MOSFET chips in power semiconductor modules and monitor the progress of degradation is underway.
🟦 Why is it important to monitor power semiconductor modules?
Amid the need to expand the introduction of renewable energy, improving the reliability and maintainability of power electronic devices responsible for power conversion has become an issue. Temperature fluctuations in power semiconductor modules have a significant impact on long-term reliability and degradation, so the development of accurate temperature monitoring technology is urgently needed.
The FLAGCHIP project brings together 11 partners, including companies and academic institutions, from nine European countries to improve the cost efficiency of the entire renewable energy power generation system. In particular, we plan to utilize test facilities for wind power generation and solar power generation systems to conduct demonstration tests in actual operating environments.
Mitsubishi Electric plans to start demonstration tests using the developed test equipment at its DC/DC converter test facility for wind power generation in France from October 2026. This research is expected to further improve the performance of power semiconductors and efficiently operate renewable energy.
🟦 Summary
We introduced the development of temperature monitoring technology for power semiconductor modules in the “FLAGCHIP” project in Europe, in which Mitsubishi Electric is participating. This technology will help improve the reliability and reduce the cost of wind and solar power systems, thereby boosting the adoption of renewable energy.