IEEE Electrification Magazine - December 2019 - 3

ELANTAS is Your Solution Provider
for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles
The most interesting
trends are found in
onboard dc power
systems, which are
the bases for flexible
shipboard and
terrestrial power
systems.

Insulating Films
Impregnating Materials,
Conformal Coatings,
Encapsulation and
Potting Resins
for use in

that time, the goals were better fuel efficiency and
control, which resulted in a paradigm shift from
mechanical to electric propulsion. The trend then
spread to several other types of vessels.
Now, the pressure is greater because the goal is
decarbonization of the sector. Here again, we find
very interesting parallels with the terrestrial case
of microgrids. Power electronics is raising the bar
of efficiency, thanks to innovative materials and
creative system architectures and design concepts. In this sense, the most interesting trends
are found in onboard dc power systems, which are
the bases for flexible shipboard and terrestrial
power systems.
All of these changes have been realized through the
ability to make automation independent from hardware structure, which was made possible by a process
of abstraction that is summarized in IEEE Standard
1676-2010. The main outcome is the creation of modular, flexible, and reconfigurable architectures and solutions that enable more efficient maintenance
processes. The same strategy of abstraction and standardization that brought incredible benefits to microelectronics had its first clear application in power
electronics, thanks to the introduction of the so-called
power electronics building block.
The first two feature articles provide examples of
recent applications. "Electrification and Automation
in Maritime Applications," by Mauro Bellone, Monica
Lundh, Mattias Wahde, and Scott MacKinnon,
describes the region of Västra Götaland in western
Sweden, which is experiencing significant growth in
the number of journeys made by public transport.
Even more significant expansion is envisioned; however, facing growth while trying to achieve sustainability is difficult. The article analyzes this issue in
the context of increasing efficiency on waterways. All
in all, this is a complex optimization problem of supporting operation through the process of transitioning to new technologies, such as battery-driven
systems. As usual, the transition presents the complex challenge, even if the final target is quite clear.

Motors
Chargers
Power Electronics
Battery Packs
Celebrating 100 Years
of Innovation

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Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MELE.2019.2951902

IEEE Elec trific ation Magazine / D EC EM BE R 2 0 1 9

http://www.elantas.com http://www.ieee-pes.org/technical-activities

IEEE Electrification Magazine - December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Electrification Magazine - December 2019