为应对人工智能数据中心及电动汽车领域激增的电力需求，研究人员与企业正致力于开发更紧凑、可控性更强的固态变压器，以升级传统电网设施1。此类技术通过结合磁性组件与高功率半导体，旨在解决大型传统变压器长达数年的供应等待问题，目前业界已投入数十亿美元强化美国变压器供应链，其中高压传输变压器领域投资达17亿美元，配电变压器领域为13亿美元1。
在技术验证方面，2024年8月，纽约电力管理局（NYPA）与电力研究所（EPRI）合作测试了一台由北卡罗来纳州立大学Srdjan Lukic教授实验室制造的1兆瓦固态变压器原型机1。该设备效率约为98%，较同等规模的传统变压器与整流器组合高出约2个百分点，展现出优于现有设备的性能潜力1。尽管该技术当前主要应用于数据中心等低压场景，但商业化进程正在加速1。初创公司Heron Power于2月份完成1.4亿美元融资，计划将其固态变压器产品“Heron Link”推向市场1。该公司正在加利福尼亚州建设一座价值1亿美元的工厂，预计2027年投产，并于2029年实现每年40吉瓦的生产能力1。
As the surge in electricity demand from electric vehicles and artificial intelligence data centers strains traditional power grids, researchers and companies are developing solid-state transformers to provide more compact and controllable alternatives for grid upgrades 1. These devices combine magnetic components with high-power semiconductors and have demonstrated higher efficiency potential than traditional equipment in recent tests 1. Although currently applied mainly in low-voltage scenarios such as data centers, the industry is accelerating commercialization through funding and factory construction to alleviate supply bottlenecks caused by long lead times for conventional transformers 1.
In August 2024, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) tested a 1-megawatt solid-state transformer at an EPRI test site 1. The prototype was manufactured by the laboratory of Srdjan Lukic, a professor at North Carolina State University, and achieved an efficiency of approximately 98% 1. This performance is about 2% higher than that of equivalent combinations of traditional transformers and rectifiers 1.
Commercialization efforts are gaining momentum. Heron Power raised $140 million in February to commercialize its "Heron Link" solid-state transformer 1. The company is building a $100 million factory in California, which is scheduled to begin production in 2027 and reach an annual output capacity of 40 gigawatts by 2029 1. According to Wood Mackenzie analysis, companies have recently invested $1.7 billion in U.S. high-voltage transmission transformer supply chains and $1.3 billion in distribution transformers 1. Wait times for large conventional transformers have extended to five years 1.
评论
还没有评论，欢迎留下第一条。