EPIC and SBE Initiate Collaboration Efforts to Support Advancements in Power Electronics
Charlotte, NC and Barre, VT – February 28, 2018 – UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) and SBE announced today the launch of a mutual collaboration effort to improve High Power Electronics success in industry by utilizing EPIC’s new state-of-the-art testing, simulation, and design engineering resources with SBE’s industry leading DC link technologies for use in Power Conversion.
EPIC is a unit of The William States Lee College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, which began operations in 2012, to serve as a university center specializing in workforce development and applied research for the electric power industry. In 2018, EPIC is adding to the capabilities of its Flexible Power Laboratory with a major expansion to the laboratory equipment. A new 1 million volt-ampere (1 MVA) circulating power test bed will permit inverters, converters, and circuit protection equipment to be evaluated at both 480 V industrial voltage and 4160 V medium voltage. With these new capabilities, customers can validate critical power electronic elements such as grid-tie inverters for renewable energy under full power grid-simulated conditions. EPIC maintains an experienced staff of engineers to support customer projects over short, intermediate, and extended time frames.
SBE’s industry known Power Ring Technology allows customers to achieve full power utilization and reach new levels of power conversion efficiency. As new semiconductor technologies are launched, old power electronic architectures are no longer suitable to achieve the desired goals. SBE has developed a range of device approaches and layout topologies which allow the new, next generation systems to reach their expected and full potential.
A customer needs to be able to design these components in as well prove that they are achieving the expected results. This new collaboration between UNC EPIC and SBE makes it possible to hit aggressive timelines and quantify success. This requirement is often a problem for new system development due to lack of capable test lab capacity and test engineering resources. Problem solved!
“I am very pleased that EPIC now has a formal relationship with my longtime colleagues at SBE Electronics,” said Dr. Mike Mazzola, Director of EPIC. “With our improved facility, EPIC will be an attractive full-service applied research partner within the ecosystem of suppliers of the next generation of high-frequency power electronic components and products that SBE is assembling.”
“SBE is pleased to start this collaboration effort with UNC EPIC. Our customers need a capable and trusted third party location to validate their system critical parameters using SBE leading edge technology” stated Ed Sawyer, SBE President & CEO. “The industry needs additional skilled resources to develop and execute these important tests at a capable world class facility and UNC EPIC brings this to the table”.
About EPIC
The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte serves as a state-of- the-art research center that provides education and applied research opportunities to students with energy related interests. Their industry-education partnerships unite students, faculty and industrial partners to collaborate on interdisciplinary research and learning. www.epic.charlotte.edu.
About UNC Charlotte
A driving force of growth, discovery and innovation for the metro Carolinas, UNC Charlotte is a Doctoral and Research Intensive institution and the third largest of the 17 universities within the University of North Carolina system. With enrollment of over 29,000 students, UNC Charlotte has 139 undergraduate majors with 78 programs leading to Bachelor’s degrees, 63 programs leading to Master’s degrees and 23 programs leading to Doctoral degrees. www.uncc.edu
About SBE
SBE Inc. is a technology leader and volume manufacturer of film capacitors for industry. Originally a part of Sprague Electric, the company has been making capacitors since 1946. Over the past 8 years, spearheaded by a US Department of Energy grant, the company has transformed into focused supplier of high power solutions for transportation, alternative energy, medical, industrial, network power, and military/avionics. SBE has developed several patented technologies to bring industry leading products to these markets. Headquartered in Vermont, SBE has additional facilities in Colorado and China.