Meet FLAGCHIP project!

As power electronics continue to evolve, wide band-gap (WBG) and ultra-wide band-gap (UWBG) semiconductors are becoming essential for enabling more efficient, compact and reliable energy conversion systems. These technologies are especially relevant for renewable energy generation, DC grids, electric mobility and offshore applications — but their full potential requires advances not only in device design, but also in packaging, monitoring and system integration.

FLAGCHIP, a 42-month Horizon Europe project now in full execution, addresses this challenge by developing next-generation WBG and UWBG power modules, together with advanced condition and health monitoring (C&HM) methods that support predictive maintenance. The project combines innovations at device, package and system level to deliver high-performance and cost-effective solutions for future power electronic architectures.

To validate these developments, FLAGCHIP demonstrates its technologies in two complementary pilot sites:

• a DC/DC MVDC converter in France

• an AC/DC offshore wind turbine and substation converter architecture in Norway

The project advances several key areas: new techniques for temperature and degradation estimation in SiC devices, integrated sensing within compact power modules, hybrid data-driven and physics-based C&HM methods, and comprehensive techno-economic assessments to support market adoption.

By the end of the project, FLAGCHIP aims to lay the foundations for more efficient, reliable and commercially viable WBG/UWBG-based power electronics — strengthening Europe’s position in the energy transition.

Visit their website and find out more: https://flagchip-project.eu/