SatCon to Develop Modular Motor Drive Systems for US Navy All-Electric Ship

SatCon Technology (Cambridge, MA) announced that it has been selected by the US Navy to develop modular motor drive systems for the Navy's DD21 all-electric ship. Under this award, SatCon will develop the initial design and perform simulation studies for a modular motor drive that will be designed to be compatible with several different motor types. The initial study phase is valued at approximately $200,000. SatCon believes that by standardizing these motor drives, based on their modular power electronics, the new modular drives would be capable of driving several types of motors, as well as providing regulated ac/dc output power for UPSs and auxiliary power unit applications.

SatCon recently was awarded a $2.7 million subcontract to design and develop the integrated power conversion system for the new ship. “We're pleased to be selected to develop another system for the Navy's DD21 all-electric ship," commented David Eisenhaure, president and CEO of SatCon. Eisenhaure related that this modular motor drive concept has multiple potential benefits, including commercial and Naval applications, as well as potential benefits to the automotive and distributed power markets.