European Power Electronics Association

European Power Electronics Association
Name	European Power Electronics Association
Abbreviation	EPEA
Formation	1980s
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	Brussels
Region served	Europe
Membership	Engineers, researchers, industry
Leader title	President

European Power Electronics Association The European Power Electronics Association is a professional association focused on power electronics engineering, established to connect researchers, manufacturers, and policymakers across Brussels and the European Union. It provides forums for collaboration among participants from institutions such as CERN, TU Delft, Fraunhofer Society, ETH Zurich, and Imperial College London. The association engages with industry stakeholders including Siemens, ABB, Schneider Electric, Infineon Technologies, and STMicroelectronics to advance technology transfer and standardization.

History

The association traces roots to collaborative workshops convened in the late 1980s involving European Commission initiatives, researchers from École Polytechnique, industrial partners like Alstom, and standards bodies such as CENELEC. Early meetings featured contributors from University of Cambridge, Politecnico di Milano, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and RWTH Aachen University and were influenced by projects funded under Framework Programme actions. Over decades, the association expanded connections to national research agencies including CNRS, DTU, CSIC, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and interfaced with multinational firms like General Electric and Mitsubishi Electric.

Mission and Objectives

The association's mission emphasizes support for innovation across power electronics sectors represented by European Commission policy priorities, collaboration with EUREL, and alignment with programmes such as Horizon 2020. Objectives include promoting research partnerships among Max Planck Society, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (via European collaborations), and University of Manchester; facilitating exchanges with regulatory bodies like ENTSO-E and ACER; and encouraging uptake by manufacturers such as Bosch, NXP Semiconductors, and Renesas Electronics. It aims to support workforce development with links to EIT InnoEnergy and vocational networks including Cedefop.

Organizational Structure

The association is governed by an executive board comprising representatives from universities (e.g., Politecnico di Torino, Université Grenoble Alpes), research institutes (SINTEF, TNO), and corporations (Vestas, Rolls-Royce Holdings). Technical committees reflect expertise drawn from laboratories like CEA, Ikerbasque, and Fraunhofer IISB and coordinate with standardization committees at IEC and ISO. Regional chapters operate in hubs such as Madrid, Milan, Stockholm, and Warsaw while liaison officers maintain relations with pan-European entities including European Investment Bank and European Space Agency.

Activities and Programs

Programs include collaborative research consortia partnering with academic groups at University of Stuttgart, Aalto University, and Politehnica University of Bucharest; technology demonstrators co-funded with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and skills development initiatives with institutions like Open University and University of Oxford. The association runs working groups on topics relevant to stakeholders such as Toyota Motor Corporation and Volkswagen Group and engages in project consortia under calls alongside EUREKA and SHIFT2RAIL. Outreach programs target innovation clusters including Silicon Saxony and Station F and coordinate internships with firms like STMicroelectronics and Infineon Technologies.

Conferences and Publications

Annual conferences attract delegates from IEEE, IET, ACM SIGDA, and national societies including VDE and IFE; keynote speakers have included representatives from NREL, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and ENEA. Proceedings and technical reports are produced in cooperation with publishers such as Springer, Elsevier, and Wiley and indexed alongside journals like IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, IET Power Electronics, and Journal of Power Sources. The association issues position papers for institutions including European Parliament committees and contributes to white papers with think tanks like Bruegel and CEPS.

Membership and Partnerships

Membership spans individual researchers from University of Bologna, University of Lisbon, and Charles University; corporate members including Siemens, ABB, Schneider Electric, and Hitachi Energy; and institutional partners such as Fraunhofer Society, CNRS, and CERN. Strategic partnerships include collaborations with European Commission directorates, EUREL member societies, funding agencies like Science Foundation Ireland, and consortia with companies like Rolls-Royce Holdings and Siemens Energy. The association also forms links with professional organizations such as IEEE Power Electronics Society and academic networks including European University Association.

Impact and Recognition

The association has influenced standards referenced by IEC, CENELEC, and contributed to directives discussed in the European Parliament; its members have received awards from bodies like IEEE, Royal Academy of Engineering, and Royal Society. It has supported innovations commercialized by firms including Infineon Technologies, STMicroelectronics, and Schneider Electric and fostered doctoral training networks funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Recognized by advisory panels to European Commission programmes and cited in reports by European Environment Agency, the association has been acknowledged for enabling technology transfer between research centres such as EPFL and industry partners like ABB.

Category:Professional associations based in Europe