1. Planning for APEC 2017 is in Full Swing
   
2. You Are Invited to the 2016 PSMA Planning Meeting
   
3. Meet Your Directors
   
4. About Our Members
   
5. Welcome to PSMA
   
6. APEC 2017 Sponsors Continue Student Travel Support Program
   
7. PSMA Offers Power Supply Safety & Compliance Database as Free Resource for All Industry Professionals
   
8. PSMA Magnetics Committee and IEEE PELS High Frequency Magnetics Workshop
   
9. 3D-PEIM A Successful Inaugural Symposium
   
10. 5th International PwrSoC 2016 Workshop on Power Supply on Chip to be Held October 3-5 in Madrid, Spain
    
11. INTELEC® 2016 Registration is Now Open
    
12. Mark Your November Calendar for WIPDA 2016!
    
13. International Workshop on Integrated Power Packaging 2017 Call for Papers
    
14. Cybersecurity of the US Electrical Grid
    
15. IHS Markit Forecasts Merchant Power Supply Market to Grow Modestly
    
16. Solar Energy Stock Index Q2 2016
    
17. Solar Energy DealReader Q2 2016
    
18. EMS Stock Index Q2 2016
    
19. EMS DealReader Q2 2016
    
20. Events of Interest – Mark Your Calendar

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.

Previous issues of update: Q4_2015 | Q1_2016 | Q2_2016

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PSMA UPDATE is published and distributed via e-mail quarterly by the Power Sources Manufacturers Association. Send editorial information and comments to:

Permission to reprint information and articles as published is granted: a courtesy line is appreciated.

Membership in PSMA is open to any organization or corporation involved in the power sources and supplies industry. For membership information, visit our website or contact us by fax, telephone or email.

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.

 

lans for APEC 2017 are well underway. The Call-for-Papers closed in July with well over 1,000 digests submitted. Now the committee and over 100 volunteers have been addressing the task of peer-reviewing all of the digests in preparation for the Technical Planning meeting on September 25, 2016 in Tampa Florida. At that time, the tough task will be to select the top 500+ papers for the program and assign each to a specific Technical Session.

The next important deadlines, in late August and early September, are for submission of proposals for both the very popular Industry Sessions as well as the highly-informative Professional Education Seminars. All the information you need to submit your proposal for either of these tracks can be found at apec-conf.org/conference/speakers.

We are excited to announce the brand-new APEC Conference website. The new website not only has a fresh new look but it is designed to allow easy navigation to find the information you are looking for. Take a few minutes to go the site and take a look around. www.apec-conf.org. Conference Registration will open on September 17th and in addition to making your reservation to attend, you will also be able to book your hotel accommodations. As usual, APEC has secured blocks of rooms at the closet hotels to the convention center and as usual, these rooms will sell out long before next March.

The entire APEC Conference Committee is excited about bringing our “premier global event in applied power electronics” to Tampa, March 26-30, 2017. Tampa is a great place for the conference with excellent restaurants and recreational opportunities and a full Spouse and Guest Program is planned.

You do not want to miss this conference so make your plans now to attend APEC 2017!

Provided by: Greg Evans, APEC 2017 Publicity Chair

ll members of PSMA companies are invited to attend and to offer their inputs and suggestions for the projects and activities the Association should focus on in the coming year The 2016 PSMA Planning Meeting will take place on Saturday September 24 in Meeting Room 4 at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina in Tampa, FL.

The Board of Directors relies on the inputs generated at the Annual Planning Meetings to identify, consider and select programs for the following year that will bring benefits to the PSMA membership. For example, initiatives generated at recent Planning Meetings have resulted in the Power Supply in Package and Power Supply on Chip project and workshops, the Energy Efficiency Database project and the 3D Power Packaging projects and 3DPEIM Symposium.

This year’s meeting will begin with a brief review of the year to date accomplishments and a summary of ongoing activities by Eric Persson, Chairman of the PSMA. This will be followed by an update of the six-quarter financial forecast and brief status reports from the active PSMA committees.

Most of the meeting will feature an open forum to introduce and discuss possible special projects, initiatives, and priorities for the coming months. All members of PSMA Companies are encouraged to provide inputs. Even if they cannot attend the meeting in person they are requested to email suggestions to power@psma.com and they will be considered and included in the discussions. In the coming months, the PSMA Marketing Committee will summarize the results of the meeting and prioritize which projects and initiatives should be included in the focus for the next year.

All members and guests attending are invited to remain after the Planning Meeting to participate in the September meeting of the Board of Directors, which will take place immediately following. After the Board Meeting, interested individuals are invited to tour the exhibit area space in the Tampa Convention Center and the meeting room facilities planned for APEC 2017.

The APEC 2017 Technical Program Committee will meet the following day, Sunday September 25, to discuss the technical abstracts submitted and to organize the technical sessions, professional education seminars, rap sessions, and industry presentations for APEC 2017 in March. Since PSMA is a co-sponsor of APEC and all members are invited to participate in this important activity.

To make your room reservations at the Marriott call (888) 789-3090 and reference APEC 2017 Planning Meeting to receive the group rate of $129.00 USD plus taxes. You may also book online: resweb.passkey.com/go/APECPlanningMeeting. Room block reservations are available until September 5th.

If you plan to attend the 2016 PSMA Planning Meeting please email the Association Office at power@psma.com.We look forward to seeing many of you at these important meetings.

our members of the Board of Directors are elected at the PSMA Annual Meeting held every year during the APEC conference. Each Director serves a three year term and is eligible to be reelected for one additional term.

In this issue we would like to introduce you to Dustin Becker and Brian Narveson, who were both reelected to a second term at the PSMA Annual Meeting in March 2016.

 
Dustin J. Becker’s last position was Vice President of Technology, Emerson Network Power - Energy Systems, Technical Business Leader for Emerson Network Power, Degrees Received: BSEE, MSEE, MBA

Dusty has been involved in the design and development of DC Rectifiers, DC/DC Converters, and DC Power Systems for both indoor and outdoor applications since joining Emerson in 1968. Dusty has held the positions of Engineer, Design Engineer, Staff Engineer, R&D Manager, Director of Engineering, VP of Operations, VP of Systems Engineering, VP of Product Development, and currently VP of Technology.

His current focus is new technology directions in the areas of Power and Outside Plant, including high power delivery systems as well as 380Vdc distribution.

Dusty holds three patents and has two patents pending. He is the author of over 30 technical papers and magazine articles on the subject of DC power conversion and distribution.

Dusty is the Chair of INTELEC 2016. He is a past Co- Chair for the INTELEC (PELS TC 7) Technical Committee, has served as a Committee member, session chair, and is currently a member of the INTELEC IEC.

Dusty is past Chairman of the PSMA (Power Sources Manufacturing Association) Board of Directors, a current Board member, and is Co-Chair of the PSMA Energy Efficiency committee.

He also sits on the NEMA Energy Storage Technical Committee as well as the recently formed IEC TAG for IEC Smart Grid Standardization.

Dusty is a “Technical Expert” for IEC 22H – DC UPS work group. He is a member of the Green Grid technical committee – Power Sub-working Group; the E-merge alliance, Data & TelecomTechnical Standards Committee; the PELs Nominating Committee; and the APEC Technical Committee.

Provided by Dusty Becker, Emerson Network Power - Energy Systems

Provided by Brian Narveson, Narveson Innovative Consulting
 

Enphase headquarters in Petaluma

nphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH) is a global energy technology company and the world’s leading microinverter supplier for the solar industry. The company is based in Petaluma, California, just north of San Francisco, with offices in 12 countries around the world. Enphase delivers simple, innovative and reliable energy management solutions that advance the worldwide potential of renewable energy. Martin Fornage co-founded the company in 2006 with the aim of bringing smart, distributed energy resources that consist of hardware, software and bi-directional communications to the solar industry.

Enphase technology is designed to increase energy production, simplify design and installation, improve system uptime and reliability, reduce fire safety risk, and provide a platform for intelligent energy management. Since our inception, we have shipped over 12 million microinverters and more than 500,000 Enphase residential and commercial systems deployed in 100+ countries.

Our fifth-generation microinverter product is already on the market, with our sixth-generation suite set to debut in early 2017. In the inverter and power conversion sector, microinverters and other module-level power electronics have become the dominant inverter choice for residential and small to medium commercial solar installations in the U.S. and other regions. In addition to microinverters, the company recently launched the Enphase Home Energy Solution in Australia. The Enphase Home Energy Solution is the world’s first fully integrated platform for managing solar and energy storage as one entity, and it combines generation, management, and control to provide a complete, smart grid-ready home energy solution for residential customers.

Enphase AC Battery

Enphase S-280 Microinverter

Energy storage requires smart electronics, and leading energy technology companies such as Enphase are well-positioned to take advantage of the fast-growing market segment around storage. The necessity for intelligent energy management solutions like ours, with the inverters serving as the “brains” of the systems, has become evident as more solar is deployed, and the utility grids must handle a larger and larger amount of distributed energy generation assets.

Enphase ASIC

In addition to moving into total energy management, Enphase continues to drive relentless innovation in its core microinverter business. Our sixth generation microinverters will offer deeper integration of components in custom chips, and design innovations that decrease the materials used and reduce the size and physical volume of the unit, lowering production costs and making installation easier for customers. With this smaller size, unit efficiency will also increase in order to reduce power dissipation.

Solar is transitioning from simply injecting raw energy into the power grid to being smartly integrated with storage, energy management technologies, and the grid. Networking capabilities and remote control and monitoring of power electronics are an absolute necessity in this new paradigm of transactive energy. Enphase energy management solutions will enable a more ubiquitous deployment of those smart, distributed energy resources to help the world realize the full potential of renewable energy. For more information, visit us at www.enphase.com

Provided by Martin Fornage, Co-founder,
Chief Technology Officer, Enphase Energy

Editors Note: We would like to feature your company in a future issue of the Update. Please contact the Association Office for information about how to submit an article for consideration.

Appulse Power Inc.
Mete Erturk
606 3rd Avenue, Unit 221
San Diego, CA 92101-6839
Telephone: 858-888-5163
E-mail: erturk@appulsepower.com
Website: www.appulsepower.com

Appulse Power is a fast-growing technology company with disruptive innovations in power management. They develop AC/DC power conversion solutions with significantly smaller size and higher efficiency than today's state-of-the-art offerings. Their patented technology enables ultra-thin and light power adapters for laptops, notebooks, smartphones, monitors, gaming consoles, and similar consumer electronics. Appulse Power Inc. also provides customized AC/DC power conversion and power control solutions for the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) and smart-energy markets. They support the leading-edge power delivery, charging and connectivity standards.

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Tony O'Brien
170 W. Tasman Dr.
SJC16-2
San Jose, CA 95134-1706
Telephone: 408-527-7039
E-mail: tonobrie@cisco.com
Website: www.cisco.com

Cisco was founded in 1984 by a small group of computer scientists from Stanford University. Since the company's inception, Cisco engineers have been leaders in the development of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networking technologies. Today, with more than 71,000 employees worldwide, this tradition of innovation continues with industry-leading products and solutions in the company's core development areas of routing and switching, as well as in advanced technologies such as home networking, IP telephony, optical networking, security, storage area networking, and wireless technology. In addition to its products, Cisco provides a broad range of service offerings, including technical support and advanced services.

Cisco sells its products and services, both directly through its own sales force as well as through its channel partners, to large enterprises, commercial businesses, service providers, and consumers.

Travel support of up to $1,000 offered to graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in power electronics programs to assist in attendance at APEC in March 2017; Up to $40,000 in travel support will be distributed; Deadline for applications is October 21, 2016

• The applicant must be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in a power electronics program at an accredited institution.
• Only students who have not received Travel Support in the past will be considered.
• The recipients must be an author or co-author of a paper that was accepted for presentation at APEC 2017
• The recipient must attend APEC 2017 and submit expense receipts to the Committee.
• The amount of support provided will be from $500 to $1000.
• Applications must be made and received by the Committee by October 21, 2016.
• The recipients will be notified by the Committee by November 21, 2016.

On-line database provides comprehensive review of international operational, environmental and safety standards; access offered free to PSMA members and non-members

he Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) announces the availability of a new on-line Safety & Compliance Database. The continually updated resource lists the many state, national and worldwide organizations currently active in establishing and maintaining safety, electromagnetic compatibility, material toxicity and environmental standards for power supplies used in commercial applications. Recognizing the database as an invaluable tool for power electronics industry professionals, the PSMA is offering it free of charge to both PSMA members and non-members alike.

Intended users of the Safety & Compliance Database are those who design power systems for products that will be offered in the global marketplace, and who therefore need to comply with current and evolving safety and standards for their target markets. The database can be searched by specific applications; giving the most recent status of standards, identifying key documents, meetings and milestones associated with each standard, and providing links to the appropriate websites of controlling organizations.

“As companies design their new products for global markets, they have to grapple with current, new – and sometimes conflicting – safety standards and regulations,” reported Kevin Parmenter and Jim Spangler, co-chairs of the PSMA Safety & Compliance Committee. “Our new Safety & Compliance Database provides a vital resource for engineers and product planners as they keep abreast of standards, including ongoing activities, proposed changes and updates, and information on the latest versions.”

The PSMA contracted with Anagenesis Inc. to create and provide continual updates to the database. Interested users can opt in to receive weekly email alerts about new information and changes. The database also features the ability for users to request permission to direct and track information on emerging standards, which enables the database to evolve and improve.

The Safety & Compliance Database is easily accessible from the Quick Links on the upper right of the PSMA homepage or the Safety Database tab of the Safety & Compliance Technical Forum. Anyone who already has an account on the PSMA website, just needs to log in to access the database. Those who have not yet registered must follow an easy registration process to request access.

he PSMA Magnetics Committee and IEEE PELS are organizing the second “Power Magnetics @ High Frequency – Transforming the Black Magic to Engineering” workshop to be held on Saturday, March 25, 2017 - the day before and in the same venue as APEC 2017 at the Tampa Convention Center.

The organizing committee is currently working on the specifics for the workshop structure and the presentations. The primary focus of the workshop is to address the latest improvements in magnetic materials, coil (winding) design, construction and fabrication, evaluation and characterization techniques and modelling and simulation tools so as to target the advancements that are deemed necessary to meet the evolving market needs. The technical expectations and requirements for higher application frequencies and emerging topologies are being driven by recent advances in circuits topologies and semi-conductor devices to satisfy new market applications.

The target audiences for the workshop include the designers of power magnetic components for use in electronic power converters to achieve higher power densities, specific physical aspect ratios such as low profile, higher power efficiencies, improved thermal performance etc. Other target audiences are the manufacturers of magnetic materials and magnetic structures, the fabricators of magnetic components, the providers of modelling and simulation software as well as the manufacturers of test and characterization equipment who are all critical participants in the supply chain for the power magnetics industry.

• conductor geometries and magnetic core geometries for reducing physical size while minimizing ac power losses
• magnetic materials
• design and fabrication (manufacturing) techniques
• design techniques, simulation tools and modelling
• power conversion topologies and applications driving the reduction of the physical size while improving the efficiency of power magnetics technologies

• AC power loss measurements
• Core loss modelling and/or simulation with empirical verification
• Inductor modelling supported by empirical verification
• Near magnetic field measurements
• Thermal measurements
• Impedance measurements
• Engineering methodology specific to new structures and/or magnetic materials including both modeling and verification
• Roadmaps addressing the needs of the power magnetics industry
• Standardization activity addressing any of the above topics

• engineering magnetic materials and structures for emerging applications,
• engineering, physical, electrical and thermal integration of magnetics into power supplies, and
• engineering technical and manufacturing trade-offs to include safety agency requirements during commercial product development.

1st International Symposium on 3D Power Electronics Integration and Manufacturing

he first International Symposium on 3D Power Electronics and Manufacturing was a true success! On June 13-15, 2016, over 80 participants, 11 from outside the US, attended the 1st International Symposium on 3D Power Electronics Integration and Manufacturing (3D-PEIM) in Raleigh, North Carolina. The symposium offered 39 presentations in 11 sessions, and began with three tutorials that focused on “The World of Packaging Technologies and Critical Issues” taught by Professors Douglas Hopkins, Guo-Quan Lu, and Patrick McCluskey.

A highlight was the Plenary Road Mapping session chaired by Brian Narveson, PSMA, with keynote speeches from Chuck Richardson, iNEMI on “2017 iNEMI Roadmap Process and a Preview of Selected IoT/Wearables, Packaging & Board Assembly Chapter Highlights”, Bram Ferreira, Technical University of Delft on “International Technology Roadmap for Wide Band-gap Power Semiconductors”, and Bill Chen, ASE-US and IEEE CPMT, on “Heterogeneous Integration for IoT, Cloud and Smart Things”.

The presentations from the Symposium are available to PSMA members in the Members Only section of the PSMA website.

The Symposium was organized by the Power Sources Manufacturers Association (www.psma.com), chaired by Prof. Doug Hopkins of North Carolina State University, and supported by 15 exhibitors and sponsors, including the FREEDM Systems Center at NCSU, CPES at Virginia Tech, and CALCE at University of Maryland.

Of special note: SARDA Inc. selected the 3D-PEIM Symposium to announce its collaboration with UTAC and AT&S to implement its Heterogeneous Integrated Power Stage (HIPS). All three were exhibitors and/or presenters.

Plans are now underway for 3D-PEIM 2017 and organizers and sponsors are being solicited. If you are interested, please contact info@3D-PEIM.Org, or the PSMA office at power@psma.com.

Prof. Douglas Hopkins, General Chair
Prof. Patrick McCluskey, Technical Program Co-Chair
Prof. G.Q. Lu, Technical Program Co-Chair

Provided by Prof. Douglas Hopkins, General Chair

Workshop will focus on technologies for creating power supply on chip (PwrSoC) devices to meet system performance requirements of present and emerging applications calling for ever greater current density, optimized control, form factor reduction and higher efficiency while reducing cost

he 5th International power supply on chip workshop, PwrSoC 2016, will be held at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, October 3-5, in Madrid, Spain. The Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA) and IEEE Power Electronics Society (IEEE PELS) are jointly sponsoring the workshop and the Centro de Electrónica Industrial (CEI-UPM) is hosting the event.

PwrSoC 2016 is the leading international technical workshop dedicated to advancing integrated power conversion technologies. The workshop will focus on the integration of both modular and granular electronic power converters for multiple applications by accessing a broad range of leading-edge technologies. Complete on-die integration, as well as integration within the package, are of prime interest. The workshop also focuses on system performance requirements required by current and emerging applications that demand ever-greater current density, voltage regulation and optimized control, form factor reduction, high efficiency and cost reduction.

Technical Sessions and E-poster Presentations

The technical program includes oral presentations from Monday morning through Wednesday afternoon covering the most interesting and important topics from the point of view of systems and applications, topologies, passives and semiconductor technology. The prepared talks are designed to stimulate new ideas and to provoke discussions among attendees.

The workshop’s electronic poster, or E-poster, presentations offer another medium for authors to interact with attendees and share innovative ideas and research results. E-Poster presenters are representatives of leading companies and research centers who are invited to speak based on their expertise in integrated power converter technologies. E-poster presentations will be held on Tuesday at 17:30.

Registration

Because of the intense focus on PwrSoC, specifically, attendance will be limited to individuals actively involved with this emerging technology. For more information on the conference and registration, please go to the workshop website: www.pwrsocevents.com/.

Provided by José A. Cobos, General Chair PwrSoC 2016

ustin, Texas, the site of the 38th annual Austin, Texas, USA is proud to host the 38th International Communications Energy Conference (INTELEC), October 23-27, 2016. INTELEC® is an international assembly and world-class technical forum for the exchange of ideas, information and new developments in energy and energy storage systems for communications.

This conference provides a unique opportunity for network operators and communication energy systems developers to interact directly with researchers, designers, manufacturers and distributors of communications energy systems and related components and products.

EXHIBITION
INTELEC® 2016 will feature an extensive technical exhibition. You will have the opportunity to meet with manufacturers and distributors of a variety of communications energy products, systems and components and view their displays.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM
This year's technical program includes almost one hundred peer-reviewed papers in 19 sessions on all topics of interest to the communications power professional. In addition to the traditional topics this year's papers include sessions on:

• Powering the Software Defined Network
• 400 Vdc Distribution
• Alternative Power Sources

INTELEC is also pleased to announce three outstanding plenary speakers. Henry Towster of Emerson and Mark Johnson of GE will both address the conference's theme topic of Powering the Software Defined Network. INTELEC is also very pleased to announce that Dr. John Goodenough of the University of Texas - Austin, inventor of the lithium ion battery, will be addressing the attendees in the Monday morning plenary session.

Two workshop sessions are being developed. One workshop session is planned as a follow-up and continuation of the popular workshop at INTELEC in Osaka last fall, "What do the Users Want?" Another workshop exploring the current state of battery technology is also being planned.

As a bonus, there will be a full session of presentations from exhibitors on Monday afternoon. This will give you plenty of time to follow-up those discussions of the latest available technology in the exhibit hall during the week.

TOPICS OF INTREST

• Telecomm Rectifiers
• AC-DC Converters
• Other DC-AC Converters
• Traditional DC Distribution Systems, Battery Plants, and DC-UPS
• AC Power Distribution Systems and AC UPS
• Outside Plant Power
• Batteries
• Thermal Management
• Regulatory Compliance
• Semiconductor Components
• Other Components

For more information on the 2016 INTELEC visit http://intelec2016.org/.

Provided by Steve Vechy, Publicity Chair for Intelec® 2016

November 7-9, 2016, Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.A.

he 4th IEEE Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications (WiPDA) will be held on Nov. 7–9, 2016, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. WiPDA is a fast-growing yearly event with its focus on wide bandgap devices development, application and related topics. This workshop, sponsored by IEEE and PSMA provides a forum for device scientists, circuit designers, and application engineers to share technology updates, research findings, development experience and potential applications. The number of attendees at past WIPDA grew from 130 to more than 200 within the last three years. The attendees are from multiple disciplines including materials science, device fabrication and device application.

• Heteroepitaxial & Bulk Materials Growth
• Gate Dielectrics & Surface Passivation
• Device Structures & Fabrication Techniques
• Device Characterization & Modeling
• Very-High Efficiency Or Compact Converters
• Safe Operating Areas Of Wide Bandgap Devices, Including Short Circuit, Spike, &Transient Tolerance
• Harsh Environment (High Temperature) Operation & Reliability
• Packaging Power Modules & ICs
• Hard-Switched & Soft-Switched Application Analysis
• Gate Drive & Other Auxiliary Circuits
• High-Performance Passive Components
• Applications in Renewable Energy & Energy Storage, Transportation, Industrial Drives, & Grid Power Systems
• Wide Band Gap System Design Philosophies & Strategies

Featured Keynote Lectures
 
WiPDA has gained strong support from government agencies, prestigious academic institutions, and industry leading companies, nationally and internationally. We will have keynote speakers from Texas Instruments, GaN Systems, Wolfspeed, PowerAmerica, ARL, Ford, Lockheed Martin, and the Electric Power Research Institute. They will share their views with different perspectives as the device manufacturer, the equipment designer, and the system integrator. As one of the highlights, we can expect John Roberts, CTO of GaN Systems, to share his vision on the high voltage, high current GaN device development opportunities and challenges, in his keynote speech “GaN Power Transistors - Powering Up”. More keynote summaries can be found at www.wipda2016.org.

Tutorial Sessions

There will be two tracks for tutorial sessions this year with four topics: SiC devices, GaN devices, device characterization, and applications of WBG devices. In the first track, speakers from Infineon and General Electric will share their experiences and development on both GaN and SiC device application, reliability consideration and qualification. In the second track, experts from Keysight and SiC manufacturers will cover the topics in WBG applications with the focus on techniques and tips to improve the efficiency of Wide Bandgap Power Circuits.
 
Student Travel Grants

This year WiPDA 2016 will provide student travel grants to further support student participation. All presented papers will be included in the conference proceedings and submitted to the databases of IEEExplore.

Updated important dates of this event include:

– Notification of Acceptance: September 10, 2016
– Final Paper Submission: October 1, 2016
– Technical Oral & Dialogue Sessions: November 8th-9th, 2016

The conference has closed its abstract submission site with a record number of submissions. The technical program committee is working to complete peer reviews of all submitted papers.

This will be a great event this year featuring tremendous updates from the related areas of wide bandgap devices. More details of the event can be found on the workshop website www.wipda2016.org.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Fayetteville, Arkansas in November!

Provided by Dr. Fang Luo, Publicity Chair WiPDA 2016

he purpose of this workshop is to bring together researchers in the field of power electronics components, electrical insulating materials, and packaging technologies to rapidly promote the development and commercialization of high-density and high-efficiency power converters. Papers ranging from core material technologies to power converters are sought that address important challenges and present solutions to increase reliability and manufacturability of power electronic components and systems while targeting increased performance and reduced system cost. Papers are solicited in the following topics:

• System Integration and Optimization
• Compact Converter Design Techniques
• Modeling & Simulation - Components to Reliability
• Materials & Packaging Technology
• Power Semiconductor Devices / Modules
• Gate/Base Drivers
• Thermal Management & 3D Packaging
• Electromagnetic Interference
• Sensors & Protection
• High-Frequency Magnetics
• High Temperature & High Voltage Dielectrics
• Testing of Electrical Insulating Materials (e.g Space Charge and Partial Discharges measurements)
• High-Temperature Capacitors
• Reliability Assessment & Lifetime Prediction
• Functional Safety & Product/Data Sheet Standards
• System/Component Design for Manufacturability, Compatibility with Standards, and Reliability

DEADLINES
Abstract Submission: November 18, 2016
Notice of Acceptance: December 16, 2016
Final Paper Submission: February 3, 2017

For more information, visit the IWIPP website www.iwipp.org.

IWIPP COMMITTEE
General Chair: Ty McNutt | Wolfspeed
Technical Chair: Patrick McCluskey | Univ. of Maryland
Local Chair: Bram Ferreira | TU Delft
Finance: Shashank Krishnamurthy | UTRC
Sponsors & Publications: Lauren Kegley | Wolfspeed

n Dec. 23, 2015, Ukraine's electrical grid was attacked by a malware, known as BlackEnergy, which created significant power outages plunging hundreds of thousand people without power. This deliberate cyber attack shutdown hundreds of computers owned by the energy companies that control Ukraine's electrical grid infrastructure. Though the origin of this malware is not yet known, many speculate that Russian state sponsored technologists may be behind this attack and that it was initiated to send a message to the Ukrainian government, which is fighting a pro-Russian eastern province that wants to separate from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. This event received little notice in the western press, because it took place on December 23rd, during the Christmas holidays, and in Ukraine, a country of not great significance. Nonetheless, this was an important event because it revealed the face of modern economic warfare and cyber terrorism.

Over the years, many entities, including state and non-state sponsored technologists, have become proficient in the art of cyberwar and are capable of unleashing an attack on various critical facilities around the world and threaten to create havoc in the lives of millions of people.

One such critical infrastructure facility is the US electrical grid which is smart, Internet-enabled and one of the most advanced electrical grids in the world. Is it vulnerable to cyber attacks? Is it secure? After the Ukraine attack many in the national security apparatus, including many government agencies, private companies and other stakeholders asked: Can this happen to us? And if so, how can we prevent it?

When a catastrophic event takes place anywhere in the world, initial technical analysis is based on the "scope" of the event. For example, one person or a few people killed in a remote third world country does not garner much attention, but hundreds of people killed in a terrorist attack in the US or Western Europe attracts wall-to-wall news coverage and a call to action.

The cyber attack on the Ukrainian power grid caused loss of power to approximately 225,000 customers and the power was restored after few hours. It was apparently designed to send a message to that country, but not to cause permanent damage. In essence, experts concluded that the scope of the event was "small" and hence there was no big reaction. What if there was a similar deliberate cyberattack on the US electrical grid lasting several hours or more?

The United Stateshas more than 300 million electrical customers and over 200,000 miles of electrical transmission lines. It has one of the most advanced electricity-run infrastructure that includes government, businesses and private homes dependent on available electric energy. And an increasing number of new automobiles are dependent on electricity to recharge their batteries. A shutdown of the US electrical grid for any length of time is unimaginable and would have global implications. The scope of this event would be so large, that many would say it is unthinkable that anybody could attack the US electrical grid. Such optimists should think about 9/11 event and contemplate their positive posturing.

The US government is taking the threat of "cyber attack on the electrical grid" seriously and has created task force to counter the threat. It has commissioned many studies related to this complex issue and debates and discussions are ongoing. But in the end, some entities─agencies, companies or labs─have to continuously develop anti-cyberattack hardware designs and software codes to counter this threat. But who is ultimately responsible for countering this threat?

There are at least a dozen studies written about this topic by various experts with good insights and deep knowledge. After reading any one of them, one can conclude that the problem is complex and the complexity is enhanced due to the nature of the electrical grid and the involvement of multiple agencies.

The nature of electric grid and its operators: Protecting the electrical grid is the responsibility of the grid/utility operators and many agencies. There are more than 200 electric grid operators in the United States. Some are private, some are semi-private and some, like the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), are government owned. Some operators are involved in power generation, transmission and distribution while others are just buyers and sellers of electricity. For example, in Sonoma County (where I live), PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electricity) is a large utility operator that provides the total package of power generation, transmission and distribution. Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) is a small local operator that buys electricity only from renewable sources and sells it only to customers in Sonoma County. SCP has no role in the development of electricity generation, transmission or distribution, but does have a large customer base. In case of a power outage due to cyber attack, its customers are likely to contact SCP for the solution but it most likely not be able to solve the issue and will refer its customers to PG&E. In short, there are multiple utilities within a single community and customers will be confused as to find who is responsible to address the crisis and restore power.

Impact of multiple agencies: Even though a grid operator is responsible for the protection of that grid, it has to operate within a regulatory framework imposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). There is wide variation in this framework due to perceived threats and various biases related to regulation. Many argue that continuously evolving threats of cyber crimes make it impossible to regulate a system which usually looks at past threats and anticipating future threats is very difficult.

The most important agency responsible for the protection of grid is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) whose charter is to protect the homeland, and the disruption of massive electrical grid is a threat to the homeland. But the electrical grid, by nature is the responsibility of the Department of Energy (DOE), so that agency is also involved in protecting the grid. The DHS and the DOE are working together, developing various strategies, to counter cyber threats.

Though the DHS and the DOE are lead agencies involved in the cybersecurity of the grid in general sense, there are many other agencies with specific tasks and responsibilities for the safety and protection of the electrical grid from cyber threats. The DHS runs the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) and the National Cybersecurity and Communication Integration Center (NCCIC). The DHS and the DOE are pursuing programs like TAXII (Trusted Automated eXchange of Indicator Information) and CRISP (Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program) that allow for automated, real-time information about cybersecurity threats. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is also involved in the protection of the grid from cyber threats, because it is the agency that has developed cybersecurity standards. NIST is a part of the Department of Commerce (DOC).

In addition to the above-mentioned agencies there are many other agencies involved due to their charter and responsibilities. Some of these agencies are:

• FSGTF: Federal Smart Grid Task Force whose mission is to ensure awareness, coordination and integration of the diverse activities of the Federal Government related to smart grid technologies, practices, and services
• FERC: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates, monitors and investigates various electricity generating systems
• NERC: North American Electric Reliability Corporation
• EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
• DOD: Department of Defense
• DOA: Department of Agriculture
• FCC: Federal Communications Commission
• Department of State
• NETL: National Energy Technology Laboratory
• NTA: National Trade Administration.

Then there are various intelligence agencies, including the FBI and the CIA. And, many private companies, national labs, private labs and universities who have true expertise in designing anti-malware code may be involved as well.

In conclusion, protecting the US electrical grid is a mammoth task requiring complex coordination between many diverse agencies and in the end, beyond the pie-charts and block diagrams, some entities need to develop hardware and software to fend off these cyber threats.

The current state of grid security is not known, because threats are continuously evolving, but according to “Lights Out”, a book written by Ted Koppel, he feels the US is not completely prepared. Or maybe, it is impossible to prepare completely to protect an open, Internet-enabled smart grid and society?

The importance of preventing cyber attack on our infrastructure is gaining momentum in our social discourse with a new movie "Zero Days" (story of Stuxnet) and two books written by prominent journalists, “Lights Out” by Ted Koppel and “Dark Territory” by Fred Kaplan, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, which describes issues related to cyber attack. Conclusion of these narratives suggests that the US electrical grid in its current state is vulnerable to cyber terrorism.

Cybersecurity of the US electrical grid is an important, complex and timely topic. This issue was addressed in part when EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) and PSMA organized a workshop on the Smart Grid, titled: "Are You Smart Enough for the Smart Grid?" on March 16, 2013. Jonathan Pollet of Red Tag Security gave a presentation "Hacking SCADA - Are you ready for Stuxnet 2.0?"

For us, the power industry professionals, this is an important topic and may be worth revisiting. This Smart Grid workshop was attended by a relatively small number of people, but maybe this topic needs a large prime time audience. APEC's Plenary Session may be the appropriate forum to involve more engineers to consider the threats.

Provided by Mohan Mankikar, President, Micro-Tech Consultants

he world market for merchant power supplies is rose 3.9 percent year over year to reach $19.7 billion in 2015. Growth is expected to remain flat in 2016, before stabilizing to modest growth from 2017 to 2020. IHS Markit forecasts that the market will reach $23 billion in revenue by 2020.

AC-DC Non-Commodity Market to Exceed AC-DC Commodity Market in 2016

IHS Markit splits the market into “commodity” high-volume consumer power supplies and lower-volume “non-commodity” power supplies, in order to improve the clarity of the analysis.

The AC-DC non-commodity market is projected to be the fastest-growing market on a revenue basis from 2015 to 2020, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2 percent, according to the IHS Markit Power Supplies Intelligence Service. The increase will be driven by strong growth in the lighting and military and aerospace markets, in particular. In 2016 the AC-DC non-commodity market is expected to exceed the AC-DC commodity market in revenue, becoming the largest merchant power-supply market by type.

Revenue for the AC-DC commodity market peaked in 2015, as demand declined in key commodity applications -- in particular, power supplies for computer and office and mobile devices and chargers.

Revenue for the DC-DC converter market is estimated to have grown by almost 4 percent in 2015. Much of this growth was driven by the server, networking and the military and aerospace markets. Growth is predicted to slow from 2016 to 2020, as demand for some segments of end-equipment weakens – particularly, cellular infrastructure.

LED Lighting Leads Growth in Non-Commodity Power Supplies

Lighting is projected to be the fastest-growing application from 2015 to 2020. The market for merchant power supplies in lighting applications is estimated to have been worth $1.26 billion in 2015, which accounted for 6.4 percent of total market revenues. The lighting market for power supplies is projected to increase to $5.2 billion in 2020 as LED lighting adoption penetrates the commercial markets.

Provided by Victoria Fodale, Senior Analyst, IHS Markit

incoln International’s Renewable Energy Group is pleased to present the latest Solar Energy Stock Index Report, which tracks relevant solar company metrics in this growing industry.

The Solar Energy Stock Index Report, published by our Global Renewable Energy Group each quarter, provides you with information on the following:

• Quarterly performance of the Solar Energy Stock Index versus the S&P Index
• Relative market valuations of each Solar Energy sector
• Current financial data for each company in the index

Solar_Stock_Index_Q2_2016.pdf (346k pdf)

This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office.

incoln International is pleased to present you with the latest DealReader from our global Renewable Energy Industry group. This will provide you with:

• Q2 2016 deal volume comparison by total transactions, deal type, geography, and target company sector
• Recent solar energy transaction announcements
• Margin Performance in the Solar Energy Industry

Solar_DealReader_Q2_2016.pdf (372k pdf)

This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office.

incoln International is pleased to present you with the latest EMS Stock Index from our Global Electronics Industry Group. This report will provide you with:

• Quarterly performance of the EMS Stock Index versus the S&P Index
• Relative market valuations of each EMS Tier
• Current financial data for each company in the index

EMS_Stock_Index_Q2_2016.pdf (377k pdf)

This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office.

incoln International is pleased to present you with the latest EMS DealReader from our Global Electronics Industry Group. This will provide you with:

• Q2 2016 deal volume comparison by total transactions, deal type, geography and size
• Recent EMS transaction announcements
• Margin Performance in the EMS Industry

EMS_DealReader_Q2_2016.pdf (593k pdf)

This data is included with the permission of Lincoln International. For more information, you may contact John McManus (jmcman@optonline.net) or the Association Office.

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.