The PROGRESSUS project - Highly efficient and trustworthy electronics, components and systems for the next generation energy supply infrastructure

High-power requirements of ultra-fast charging stations and the uptake of many low-power charging stations give rise to special challenges when designing smart charging infrastructure. In support of Europe’s 2030 climate targets, the EU-funded PROGRESSUS project aims to propose a next-generation smart grid demonstrated by the application example of a smart charging infrastructure integrating seamlessly into current smart-grid architecture concepts. To do so, it will research new efficient high-power converters that support bidirectional power flow. It will also develop a novel smart charging algorithm for a group of AC charging stations taking local electricity consumption and generation into account. Furthermore, new DC microgrid management strategies for energy efficiency and service provision that consider renewable energy sources, storage and flexible loads will be investigated. Moreover, novel high-bandwidth sensor types for intrusion-less measurement will be explored. Finally, security measures based on hardware security modules and blockchain technology to protect services and track energy certificate transactions are investigated. The project’s solutions will promote a more environmentally friendly and efficient next-generation energy supply infrastructure.The paper is structured as follows. Section I provides a brief introduction to the PROGRESSUS project while the subsequent sections present selected project results. In Section II a highly efficient EV charging station including a buffering battery is presented. Section III describes an innovative EV charge station management system that maximizes the grid utilization. In Section IV a solution for tradeable green certificates featuring blockchain and hardware-based security is presented while Section V describes an innovative high bandwidth Hall sensor for control and monitoring.