“What’s the relationship between new energy and chips?”
As a digital chip engineer, I feel like there isn’t much of a connection, to be honest.
Last month, I attended the Texas Instruments’ “Renewable Energy Semiconductor Technology Innovation Summit” and had the privilege of discussing the question mentioned at the beginning with many industry experts, including energy storage, photovoltaics, charging stations, and the power grid. As it turns out, I was presumptuous.
Next, I’ll share with everyone the three questions we discussed:
- What are the potential pain points of renewable energy?
- How can semiconductors help address these pain points?
- How can semiconductor technology continue to drive the future development of renewable energy?
01
What are the potential pain points of renewable energy?
When discussing this question, several guests entered a “complaint” mode. For instance, Su Zhigao, the R&D Director of New Energy Storage, pointed out that the long cycle life and safety and reliability of electrochemical energy storage, as the primary carrier for energy storage, are the major pain points. Nowadays, an increasing number of customers expect the lifespan of energy storage products to reach 15-20 years, which requires thorough consideration of safety and reliability issues in product design.
In addition, the biggest concern for everyone regarding energy storage products (especially batteries) is safety. “Safety” is a broad concept, encompassing the safety of battery materials and the safety of battery management systems. Whether it is possible to design more reliable fault prediction algorithms to provide early warnings before battery failure or accidents occur is also a significant challenge for energy storage products.
Shifting to the field of photovoltaics, Wang Feifei, the Product Line Director of Guelwaat Energy Storage, mentioned that despite the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry, there are still two challenges: cost and grid connection. The cost issue is understandable because, without subsidies, the fixed cost of photovoltaics currently cannot compete with traditional energy sources like thermal and hydropower. Grid connection refers to how to better integrate photovoltaic power generation into the traditional power grid and manage and bill for these new energy sources, issues that were rarely considered before.
Huang Jianbin, the Deputy General Manager of Techrules, the main charging pile business, also stated that renewable energy sources have strong intermittency, making long-term stable usage a challenging problem. Furthermore, although charging electric vehicles with new energy sources is relatively inexpensive at present, it’s largely due to substantial subsidies. Once these subsidies are reduced, reducing the cost of electricity further becomes a pain point for these new energy companies.
02
How can semiconductors help solve these pain points?
The reason why many people may think that chips have little to do with energy is perhaps because traditional energy sources are more labor-intensive and capital-intensive industries. However, entering the field of renewable energy such as photovoltaics, energy storage, and charging stations has created a surge in demand for semiconductor chips and devices. Taking photovoltaics as an example, currently, photovoltaic panels primarily use polycrystalline silicon and monocrystalline silicon, achieving conversion efficiencies of 20% to 25% and using photovoltaic inverters to maximize energy conversion and increase electricity generation.
As a major player in analog and power chip manufacturing, Texas Instruments (TI) also has a wide range of relevant products and technologies. For instance, TI has its MCU C2000TM for real-time control, which is considered a star product in the industry. In the field of battery safety and management, TI is focusing on real-time battery detection and analog front-end direction in industrial applications. TI will continue to invest in higher precision and higher power density technologies and products. In the field of third-generation semiconductors, TI has been investing for over a decade, manufacturing in its factories and processes to ensure reliability and low cost.
Furthermore, TI is also involved in traditional analog devices and related technologies related to renewable energy, such as isolators, current and voltage sensing, current sensors, and more. The focus in these areas is to develop lower-cost, more reliable products. Emerging semiconductor fields, including wide-bandgap semiconductors like silicon carbide and gallium nitride power devices, as well as innovative algorithms for power products, will lead to overall efficiency improvements.
Of course, as a semiconductor manufacturer, close collaboration and cooperation with downstream renewable energy companies are essential. This involves not only innovating semiconductor components and materials but also engaging in system-level collaborative innovation.
For example, in the charging field, there are often situations of supply and demand imbalance and wastage. Each electric vehicle has a battery that operates at temperatures ranging from 70 to 100 degrees. If not in use for an extended period, it can effectively function as a small energy storage unit and can even be considered for integration with the power grid to sell excess energy, achieving “peak shaving and valley filling.
03
How can semiconductor technology continue to drive the future development of renewable energy?
Let’s start with the photovoltaic industry. Despite being a relatively mature industry, there are still numerous opportunities for the future of photovoltaics. For instance, in the case of photovoltaic inverters, the focus is primarily on improving conversion efficiency, including efficiency in energy storage systems. These advancements will create more demand for third-generation semiconductors, high-performance chips, and high-precision chips.
Regarding energy storage products, TI has already established deep collaborations with several industry leaders, applying automotive-grade, highly reliable chips to energy storage products. Simultaneously, specific designs and optimizations are being made for high safety and reliability in battery management systems.
For charging stations, semiconductors are required to support high power, high current, and high-temperature operating conditions. Additionally, there are many opportunities for intelligent solutions in charging station operations. Integrating AI technology into the construction and operation of renewable energy infrastructure may also be a future development direction.
04
In Conclusion
Renewable energy and semiconductor technology are not only related but also hold significant importance. This is the most substantial takeaway from my participation in the TI “Renewable Energy Semiconductor Technology Innovation Summit.”
As a leading player in analog devices and embedded chips, TI is accelerating its investment and initiatives in the renewable energy sector. In the field of photovoltaics, TI provides highly efficient solutions for photovoltaic inverters. In the energy storage sector, TI’s chips offer comprehensive monitoring, protection, and balancing functions for lithium battery packs, enhancing system energy density and stability. TI leverages battery management and power conversion technology to improve the performance of renewable energy storage systems. In the realm of electric vehicle charging stations, TI provides high-performance real-time controllers and wireless connectivity products, contributing to the development of rapid and efficient electric vehicle charging solutions.
In the closing discussions, several industry leaders unanimously expressed that the future has arrived, and renewable energy has become an unstoppable force. Traditional energy sources are transitioning to new energy sources, and traditional technologies are evolving into new technologies. While challenges abound, they are, in fact, significant opportunities for technological development.
From this perspective, every individual and company participating in this field has substantial opportunities, contingent on their vision and execution capabilities.
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