Powering the Future: Universal Power Converters for Renewable Energy, EVs, and Beyond
ECE Associate Professor Mahshid Amirabadi has been working on innovative research that focuses on developing smaller and more efficient converters to reduce the cost of renewable energy and electric vehicles.
This article originally appeared on Northeastern University Center for Research Innovation.
There is a global shift toward renewable energy and electric vehicles, but these innovations rely on one essential technology: power converters. These devices regulate and direct the flow of electricity between sources and loads.
Yet, today’s converters face serious limitations. They are bulky, rely on fragile electrolytic capacitors, and can require frequent replacement. This adds cost, reduces reliability, and slows down the widespread adoption of sustainable energy systems.
Dr. Mahshid Amirabadi, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Northeastern University and recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, is tackling this challenge head-on. Her work in power electronics focuses on developing converters that are smaller, more durable, and more efficient. These solutions could significantly reduce the cost of renewable energy and electric vehicles while enhancing overall system reliability.
Universal Converter: A Breakthrough in Converter Design
The core of this research is the Capacitive Link Universal Converter, a topology that marks a fundamental shift from traditional approaches. Instead of relying on large electrolytic capacitors, this design uses small, highly reliable film capacitors.
Film capacitors are more durable, less sensitive to heat, and significantly extend the lifetime of the device. Analysis has shown that Amirabadi’s converter can double converter lifetime, boost power density by up to 30 times, and reduce the overall bill of materials.
Furthermore, the converter is universal and reconfigurable. It can integrate multiple sources and loads in hybrid systems, adapting to new components as they are added. That makes it suitable for a wide range of applications, including residential solar systems and shipboard power systems.
Power Converters: Applications Across Industries
The potential applications of this converter technology span some of today’s most critical energy challenges.
In electric vehicles, current systems typically rely on multiple converters to handle various tasks, including stepping up the battery voltage, powering the motor, charging the battery, and managing low-voltage components. Instead, this design can accomplish all of these functions with a single converter. By eliminating the need for a separate onboard charger and consolidating components, this approach reduces both cost and system complexity, making EV technology more efficient and affordable.
The benefits also extend to renewable energy systems. With current technology, solar panels can last up to 25 or 30 years. However, the inverters for these panels often need to be replaced at least once or twice during that lifespan. These replacements increase the overall cost of renewable energy, thereby limiting its full economic potential. In contrast, this converter, with its longer lifetime and greater reliability, helps solve this problem and ensure that renewable installations deliver the cost savings and resilience they promise over the long term.
The design also holds promise for microgrids and hybrid systems. Because it can manage a diverse mix of sources and loads, including from batteries, wind, and solar, it serves as a flexible interface for modern energy networks. This adaptability makes it well-suited to support the growing demand for more resilient power systems.
As Amirabadi explains, “By increasing the reliability of converters, we can significantly reduce the overall cost of electricity from renewable systems and accelerate their adoption.”
Commercialization and CRI’s Role
Amirabadi’s team has demonstrated the converter’s capabilities at the kilowatt scale in laboratory settings. The next phase of research is scaling up to higher power levels, where the converter can be validated for industrial and commercial deployment.
Northeastern CRI has collaborated with Amirabadi to safeguard intellectual property, file patents, evaluate the market, and establish connections with potential industry partners.
“The CRI has been very helpful to our research from the start,” Amirabadi notes. “They have protected our IP, filed patent applications, and are helping us identify companies that may be interested in the technology.”
This research has already attracted support from the Department of Energy, the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, and MassCEC.
Amirabadi’s capacitive link universal converter could redefine the future of power electronics, making renewable energy more affordable, electric vehicles more accessible, and critical power systems more reliable. With CRI’s support, her research is on track to transition from promising prototypes to real-world deployment.
Read full story at Northeastern University Center for Research Innovation