Aspects of Power Electronics Evolution in Europe

The relevance of power electronics in Europe is demonstrated not only by their sales volume (more than $7 billion per year, a significant portion of total world sales), but also by the impressive number of companies involved in power electronics, from market leaders down to small companies distributed all over Europe. This article describes the state of the art and the main evolutionary trends in Europe in the fields of power semiconductor devices and technology, industrial drives and power conditioning, traction drives, and space and military applications.