[SYP Webinar] Power Electronics as a Key Enabling Technology for Building Decarbonization
Friday 31 July 2026 at 2:00 PM CET, 8:00 AM ET, 5:30 PM IST
By Frede Blaabjerg (Aalborg University, Denmark), Niwton Gabriel Feliciani dos Santos (Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia), Satish Naik Banavath (Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad, India) and Edivan Laercio Carvalho (NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal)
Register now using the link below:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2536135075638273883
Abstract:
DC power is gaining increasing attention in residential and commercial buildings due to its potential for higher energy efficiency. By eliminating reactive power losses and reducing multiple AC–DC conversion stages inherent to traditional AC systems, DC architectures can achieve improved efficiency, simplified design, and enhanced controllability. The shift toward DC distribution aligns with the rapid growth of renewable energy and energy storage technologies. Since many distributed energy resources, such as photovoltaic (PV) systems and batteries, operate with DC power, DC distribution enables more direct integration, reduces conversion losses, and increases on-site energy self-consumption. In this context, widespread adoption of DC systems introduces new technical challenges and opportunities in power electronics and system design. These include the development of advanced DC–DC converter topologies, high-performance grid-interface converters for AC–DC interoperability, and improved control, monitoring, and protection strategies. In particular, the lack of natural current zero-crossing in DC systems requires innovative protection solutions such as solid-state and hybrid circuit breakers. This webinar explores key innovations and emerging opportunities shaping present and future DC power technologies for building applications.
Presenters’ bio:
Frede Blaabjerg (Fellow, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark, in 1995. He was with ABB-Scandia, Randers, Denmark, from 1987 to 1988. He became an Assistant Professor in 1992, an Associate Professor in 1996, and a Full Professor of power electronics and drives in 1998 with AAU Energy. In 2017, he became a Villum Investigator. He is an honoris causa with University Politehnica Timisoara (UPT), Timisoara, Romania, in 2017 and Tallinn Technical University (TTU), Tallinn, Estonia, in 2018. He has authored or coauthored more than 600 journal papers in the fields of power electronics and its applications. He is the co-author of eight monographs and editor of 14 books in power electronics and its applications, e.g., the series (4 volumes) Control of Power Electronic Converters and Systems (Academic Press/Elsevier). His current research interests include power electronics and its applications, such as in wind turbines, PV systems, reliability, Power-2-X, power quality, and adjustable speed drives. Dr. Blaabjerg was the recipient of 38 IEEE Prize Paper Awards, the IEEE PELS Distinguished Service Award in 2009, the EPE-PEMC Council Award in 2010, the IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award in 2014, the Villum Kann Rasmussen Research Award in 2014, the Global Energy Prize in 2019, and the 2020 IEEE Edison Medal. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS from 2006 to 2012. He has been a Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Power Electronics Society from 2005 to 2007 and for the IEEE Industry Applications Society from 2010 to 2011, as well as from 2017 to 2018. In 2019–2020, he was the President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society. He has been Vice-President of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences. He has been nominated from 2014 to 2021 by Thomson Reuters to be among the 250 most cited researchers in Engineering in the world.
Niwton Gabriel Feliciani dos Santos (Member, IEEE) was born in Rosário do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 1995. He received the B.S. degree (Hons.) in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Pampa, Alegrete, Brazil, in 2018, and both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil, in 2020 and 2024, respectively. He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Power Electronics Group of TalTech – Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, and is a member of the Brazilian Society of Power Electronics (SOBRAEP), IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS), IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IES), and IEEE Young Professionals (YP). His research interests include partial power converters (PPCs), electric vehicle (EV) chargers, photovoltaic (PV) systems, DC microgrids, and power electronics for data center applications. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the IEEE Estonia Section YP Affinity Group and has received the IES-SYPA Award to attend IECON 2025.
Satish Naik Banavath (Senior Member, IEEE) received the B.Tech. degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, India, in 2010, and the M.E. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India, in 2012 and 2018, respectively. From 2012 to 2014, he was with the Defence Research and Development Organization, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, Bengaluru, India. From September 2017 to May 2018, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA. Later, he joined Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited, where he was a Research and Development Manager from July 2018 to January 2019. He is currently working as an Associate Professor with the Department of Electrical Electronics and Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad, Dharwad, India, where he joined in February 2019 as an Assistant Professor. His current research interests include multilevel power converters, power converters for renewable energy conversion, electric vehicles, and DC circuit breakers.
Edivan Laercio Carvalho (Senior Member, IEEE) received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Technology—Paraná, Pato Branco, Brazil, in 2015 and 2018, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil, in 2021. Since 2025, he has been an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal. He is also a Researcher with the Power Electronics Group, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia. His research interests include high-frequency power converter topologies, net-zero energy buildings, and advanced power management systems.