GaN power devices are ideal for energy-efficient and compact power conversion systems. Vertical GaN technology could offer the full potential of GaN’s material properties as it is based on GaN substrates. Our guest is Robert Kaplar, Manager of the Semiconductor Material and Device Sciences Department at Sandia National Laboratories.

On the PowerUp Podcast: Combatting climate change will require a restructuring of the power industry. The time has come to transition from fossil fuels to carbon-neutral energy generated by renewable sources. Our guest is Glenn Weinreb, director of The Manhattan 2 Project, and author of over 18 articles for Power Electronics News about ways to combat climate change.

PowerUP Expo is a virtual conference and exhibition that envisions the future of power electronics. This PowerUp podcast includes Expo participants providing a sneak peak at keynotes, panel discussions, technical presentations, and tutorials from the event.

Electric vehicles are going mainstream as EV charging infrastructures continue to expand. According to the World Economic Forum, 215 million electric passenger vehicles will be on the road by 2030. The rapid adoption of electric vehicles over the next decade will increase the demand for EV supporting technologies.

In this powerUP podcast, we discuss with Gregorio Cappuccino, Associate Professor of Electronics in the department of electronics, computer science and systems at University of Calabria – Italy, and Thomas Michael Hogg, author of "Profitable Growth Strategy - 7 proven best practices from German companies".

Going with renewable power sources is not the only way to make the grid greener. Adopting open source technologies can also contribute to mitigating climate change. In this Power Up podcast, we discuss open source innovation in the energy and electricity sectors with Shuli Goodman, founder and executive director of LF Energy, a Linux Foundation project. 

Silicon carbide (SiC) has the potential to increase the overall system efficiency in electric vehicles. In the solar industry, SiC inverter optimization also plays a large role in cost savings. In this podcast with Anant Agarwal, IEEE Fellow Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University, we will discover the benefits and the applications of SiC.

Replacing batteries is onerous for many medical wearables. One solution is wireless charging. We talk with Cesar Johnston, EVP of Energous, about the company’s WattUp technology, which will relieve people with next-gen hearing aids from having to worry about battery replacement—sponsored by Energous.

Energous is a global leader in the advancement of wireless charging technology and its WattUp technology supports both near field and at-a-distance charging. Energous develops RF-based wireless power transfer technologies and customizable reference designs, provides worldwide regulatory assistance, a reliable supply chain, quality assurance, and sales and technical support to customers around the world. The company received the world’s first FCC Part 18 certification for at-a-distance wireless charging and has been awarded more than 200 patents for its WattUp technology.

The  cost of electric vehicles must be lowered and their driving range extended. Both issues require improvements in battery technology, and improvements in batteries. The adoption of silicon carbide ICs is expected to help reduce battery cost and improve battery performance. In this podcast we will talk with Stephen Lambert, Head of Electrification, McLaren Applied, about using SiC to get into the fast lane toward the electrification of vehicles. With Nitin Dahad, editor-in-chief of embedded.com.

Decarbonization will require clean energy sources, and hydrogen power is becoming one of the more promising alternative energy options. In this podcast we will talk about hydrogen power with Susanné Wallner, who helps manage a testbed for sustainable technologies in Sweden, and Patrick Le Fèvre, CMO of Powerbox.

SiC technology provides superior switching and improved thermal performance compared with similar silicon devices. This translates into improved efficiency, higher power density, better electromagnetic interference (EMI), and reduced system size and weight. New SiC designs are emerging to meet growing high-power requirements for electric vehicles and other energy applications. In this podcast, Victor Veliadis will explain the role of Silicon Carbide for several applications. Victor Veliadis is Executive Director and CTO of PowerAmerica, and an ECE Professor at NCSU (North Caroline State University). He has many U.S. patents, 6 book chapters, and over 120 peer-reviewed technical publications.