AgileSwitch Receives BFTP Funding For Solar Inverter Power Modules
AgileSwitch, LLC announced that it has received funding from Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) of Southeastern Pennsylvania for design, development and testing of Advanced Power Conversion Assemblies (APCA) modules to be delivered to potential customers who are manufacturers of solar inverters, wind turbines, smart grid and other providers of renewable energy products.
The company says the need for its products is being driven by market requirements for more powerful, faster IGBT Switch Drivers capable of withstanding higher voltages. As both switching speeds and switch sizes increase, the demands on Switch Drivers increase.
Typically modules like the APCA are developed by inverter manufacturers. This requires that they have the capability in house to bridge digital design as well as mechanical and power electronics. Inverter companies are typically looking to differentiate based on functionality outside of the power conversion process itself – through software and service, and are looking for third-party solutions.
AgileSwitch develops transformative technology that improves the performance and efficiency of drivers for IGBT switches. IGBTs are used in a variety of power converters including solar/PV inverters, wind turbines, motors drives, uninterruptable power supplies, industrial machines, hybrid electric vehicles, traction and power distribution.
The company’s first product is a driver for an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) module, which is a component of an inverter, a device that converts direct current to alternating current. These IGBT drivers were designed from the ground up to be compatible with IGBTs produced by Fuji Electric Semiconductors. AgileSwitch previously received funding from BFTP for development of these drivers.
AgileSwitch received funding from PA’s Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority through its Competitive Energy Consortia (CEC) program. The CEC is part of the region’s efforts to establish Greater Philadelphia as the hub…Power Valley…for alternative energy development in the Mid-Atlantic.
This project is Supported by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s BFTDA through the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania. This funding should not be construed as an endorsement of any products, opinions, or services. All projects are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
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