The National Workshop on Power Electronics (NWPE - 2015) under the umbrella of National Mission on Power Electronics Technology (launched by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) Govt. of India) organized a workshop on Power Electronics at Delhi Technical University on 6th and 7th November 2015. The theme of the workshop was "Power Electronics for Sustainable Energy". Dr. Deepika Yadav, Associate Professor and Ms. Charu Jain, Assistant Professor from Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurgaon attended the event.

After the inauguration ceremony Prof. Madhusudan Singh, Head EED, DTU gave the welcome address and Dr. M M Tripathi, Coordinator NWPE - 2015 gave a brief introduction of the workshop. He explained that Power Electronics plays an important role in any country’s industrial economy, sustainable energy generation, energy efficiency, quality of power systems and on eco - friendly transport systems.

The expert speakers for the two days workshop were as follows:

Prof. Kalyan Sen, C T O, Sen Engineering Solutions, Inc., Pittsbu rgh, USA

Prof. Bhim Singh, HoD, EED, IIT Delhi

Prof. Pramod Agarwal, HoD, EED, IIT Roorke.

Dr. P. C. Pant, Director, MNRE, GoI.

Mr. V. K Agarwal, Executive Director, POSOCO

Prof. S. N. Singh, IIT Kanpur

Dr. Shantanu Mishra, IIT Kanpur

Dr. Rajeev Singh, IIT BHU

Mr. Ashok Kumar, BEE, MoP, GoI.

Dr. Praveen Kumar, IIT Guwahati

Mr. G.M Rakhe, MD & CEO OGLD Pvt. Ltd, Banglore

Mr. Satish Kumar, Former Director (Electrical), DMRC

Dr. Z V Lakaparampil, Sr. Direct or, CDAC-T

Mr. Renji V. Chacko, Joint Director, CDAC-T

Prof. Bhim Singh, the Chief Guest for the workshop said Power electronics is the key technology for the efficient use, distribution and generation of electrical energy. It is estimated that by wider adoption of power electronics about 30% of reduction in electrical energy consumption can be achieved. For many applications technologies are already available but the biggest obstacle to the further market penetration of power electronics are Economy, Policy and Public Acceptance. So the need to find better and more effective ways to present the importance and value of power electronics in a way that can be understood by policy makers and that can capture the imagination of the general public. Energy payback time is a powerful tool to weigh the value of energy savings achieved by using power electronics against the energy needed to manufacture the systems. Power electronics systems have considerably shorter energy payback time compared to other technologies required for achieving a fully sustainable energy system.

Prof. Kalyan Sen, the Key Note Speaker for the workshop addressed the audience on the topic Recent Trends in Power Electronics for Sustainable Energy. He said that Power electronics technologies have been widely used in renewable energy systems, which by definition include hydro power, municipal solid wastes, biomass, geothermal, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, wind power, and tidal and wave. Recently, a new energy source - fuel cell, joined the lineup and contended to become a future distribution energy resource. These distributed energy resources require certain type of power electronic technology to make them in useful formats either through “rotational” or “stationary” power conversions.

The first session was taken by Dr. Z. V. Lakaparampil. He discussed on the major activities of NaMPET and highlighted on the Technology Transfer & Technology Support Package.

Prof. S. N. Singh then lectured on Solar and Wind Energy and its connectivity to grid. He mainly highlighted on the efficient feeding–in of non-conventional power (solar, wind etc.) to the grid and on the stabilization of the power grid, as the fluctuating renewable energy in the grid is on increase. He explained that in today’s electricity generation system, different resources make different contributions to the electricity grid. This fact sheet illustrates the roles of distributed and centralized renewable energy technologies, particularly solar power, and how they will contribute to the future electricity system. Then Prof. Singh discussed the advantages of a diversified mix of power generation systems.

Dr. Praveen Kumar discussed the concept of Electric Vehicles where he highlighted on the efficient variable speed drives for automation and the energy efficient and low emission mobility with Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles.

Prof. Pramod Agarwal discussed on the Power Electronics and Application in Smart Grid. It was explained to the participants that the power electronics devices used in smart grids are required to have a function that is capable of accommodating fluctuations in frequency or voltage, as well as a function for safely interconnecting with a power system. The speakers then briefed the usage of Power Electronics in Smart Grids and further discussed about Complex control and how it become easier to implement in the distribution of energy, enabling more efficient utilization of the public infrastructure.

Dr. Rajeev Singh discussed on the topic Energy Storage Systems and Pico-grids. The shift towards distributed power generation and higher contribution of energy to the grid from “infirm” power sources like solar and wind are creating new challenges in grid integration of renewables. The seasonal fluctuations in solar power generation and the inherent unpredictability of energy from these sources have led to increased adaption of energy storage systems.

The participants from the industry gave Presentation and Demonstration of Indigenous Power Electronics. Power Electronics is defined by the basic functionality to convert, control and condition electric power according to the needs of the different loads. Many market segments such as domestic and office appliances, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, factory automation and drives, traction, automotive and renewable energy, can potentially benefit from the application of power electronics technology. Acceptance of power electronics as a key technology to solve energy related challenges has caused many countries to launch large R&D programmes in the area.

The workshop ended with Valedictory Session and certificate was awarded to the participants. It was a very knowledgeable event that gave the participants a good exposure on Power Electronics.