[Editor's Note] The beginning of 2023 is a time when the climate crisis and the global political chaos are causing a surge in energy prices, shaking up the industry and people's livelihoods. At a time when the competitiveness of the nation's survival depends on technological prowess, and this is a critical time that will be the starting point for overcoming the crisis, we met with Chairman Kim Hak-won, who was inaugurated as the new chairman of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics, the cradle of domestic power electronics technology and science, for a chat.

■ Please introduce yourself.

After graduating from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at KAIST, I worked as a researcher at LG Electronics for 17 years, conducting research on inverter circuit design and control algorithms for improving the efficiency of electrical products. I also have experience in mass producing various products, including turbo drum washing machines.

Since then, I have been working as a professor at Korea Transport University in 2008, and I have been focusing on research and education in the field of power electronics. When teaching and researching students, I have been conducting more practical education and research activities, and teaching students theories that can be practically applied in corporate settings.

The field of power electronics is an academic field in which industry, academia, and research collaborate very closely, requiring not only in-depth theoretical research but also applicable field work. I will use my experience in the industry and at school as a foundation to contribute to creating greater synergy between industry and academia.

■ I am curious about the role and activities of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics.

Since its establishment in 1996, the Korean Institute of Power Electronics has been conducting academic activities in various fields such as new and renewable energy, smart grid, various power supply devices, mobility electrification, direct current transmission and distribution, home appliances, and industrial electronics, and has contributed to the development of domestic industries through technological development and training of advanced personnel.

Currently, there are approximately 6,000 individual members and 200 corporate members, and the society publishes the Journal of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics, the KCI-listed Journal of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics, and the SCI-listed Journal of Power Electronics. The society is creating synergy in the fields of academics, editing, research, industry-academia cooperation, planning, and international affairs, and is establishing a cooperative system for the development of new products and technologies for the industry through the development of future energy and electrical and electronic engineering technologies.

■ The industry areas and agendas that the 2023 conference will focus on are:

Currently, we are faced with the task of solving energy problems from various perspectives, such as the global rise in energy prices, carbon neutrality, and automobile electrification. I believe that this is a problem that academia, research, and industry in the power electronics field must work together to solve.

Most developed countries are aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this, it is essential to operate a new power grid utilizing various distributed resources. In fact, Korea is an isolated country in terms of electricity, so it is difficult to increase the power generation of distributed resources indefinitely.

The role of power electronics specialists is important in achieving domestic carbon neutrality. It is expected that the future society will provide a convenient environment for humanity by applying AICMB (AI, IoT, Cloud, Big Data, Mobile) technology in various fields. Power electronics technology must be applied as a core technology on this foundation to complete carbon neutrality.

■ ICPE 2023 will be held in May. Please introduce what kind of event it is and what kind of useful presentations await you.

This year is an important year as the International Conference of Power Electronics (ICPE) 2023 –ECCE Asia, an international academic conference held every four years, is held.

ICPE - ECCE Asia 2023 has completed accepting papers, with over 800 papers received, and approximately 500 excellent papers will be presented as academic papers. In addition, a total of 12 special sessions (Organized Sessions) are planned, including △Wireless Power Transmission △DC Transmission and Distribution, and 9 industrial sessions, including △LG Electronics △Hyundai Electric △ON Semiconductor △Prexim, are planned.

In addition, Korea's power electronics technologies for future energy will be introduced through sponsorship and exhibitions by various companies such as Hyundai Motor Company, Hyosung, and Solum, as well as visits to the Jeju Energy Promotion Center and the Seojeju Power Conversion Station.

■ What are the key growth drivers in the power electronics sector in the coming future?

I think that the power electronics field, which we mentioned earlier, is a very important and noteworthy area for carbon neutrality of energy. The EU plans to introduce a carbon border tax starting in 2023, and the United States is also considering a carbon border adjustment tax.

Currently, the domestic fossil fuel proportion is 41.5% as of 2019, which is very high compared to 23% in the US, 31% in Japan, and 17.5% in the EU, and countermeasures are urgently needed. In addition, research on the expansion and stabilization of grid systems that apply renewable energy generation following the RE100 membership of Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, etc. is urgently needed.

In renewable energy generation, it is very important to operate energy storage systems that balance the power generated and the power used reliably, efficiently, and stably. To this end, I think that the following areas are worth paying attention to: △water electrolysis devices for green hydrogen generation, △fuel cells, and △ultra-high efficiency and △high-reliability power conversion devices for large-capacity battery charging and discharging systems.

It seems necessary to pay attention to the various power conversion devices of the grid system for RE100: △high efficiency, △high reliability, and △large capacity systems.

■ The direction and vision of this year’s academic society operation

First, we plan to strengthen the cooperative system so that the power electronics industry, research institutes, and universities can work closely together. We plan to make efforts to encourage active participation of corporate members in academic activities and to secure future talents. In particular, we will strengthen research group and branch activities and support them so that industry-academia-research cooperation can be easily achieved through these activities.

We plan to diversify the presentation formats so that various types of research presentations can be made through academic conferences. △We will plan and support research presentations in industry sessions, English sessions, young engineer sessions, and research group sessions.

In addition, we plan to discover new research members and encourage participation of researchers from the industrial sector, and expand the scope of activities in academic conferences, papers, academic journals, and research groups. We also plan to expand opportunities for student members to participate in academic conferences without burden, so that they can dream of going to graduate school and leading future power electronics technology and achieve their dreams.

Lastly, we are working to activate the papers and journals published and edited by academic societies, and are considering ways to improve paper accessibility and enable industry papers to be referenced and submitted. We want to share the latest interests of academia and industry in the Journal of Power Electronics, and make innovative research contents submitted and cited in JPE, and make webinars a place where world-renowned scholars can lecture and discuss.

■ New Year’s greetings to e4ds news readers for 2023

hello?
A hopeful new year of the rabbit has arrived. I hope that 2023 will be a meaningful year in which you will always be healthy and happy and achieve your goals.

Since its establishment in 1996, the Korean Institute of Power Electronics has contributed to the development of Korea's power electronics industry by developing technology and fostering advanced human resources through academic activities in various fields such as renewable energy, smart grids, various power supply devices, mobility electrification, direct current transmission and distribution, home appliances, and industrial electronics.

Recently, it has been recognized as a very important academic field for solving the energy problems, global warming, and carbon neutrality issues that we are currently facing, and as a key element technology field that will lead the future.

Our society holds the Power Electronics Conference in the summer and the Fall Conference every year, and this year is an especially important year as the ICPE (International Conference of Power Electronics) 2023 –ECCE Asia, an international conference held every four years, is being held.

In addition, the new year is expected to be a year in which various academic activities will be fully conducted in person, free from the influence of Corona. Through various activities such as publishing journals, member education, research groups and branches, and webinars, we will strengthen the industry-academia-research cooperation system so that the industry, research institutes, and universities in the power electronics field can cooperate more closely throughout this year.

We will also strive to ensure that activities to secure future talents in the power electronics field are carried out smoothly. Thus, we will make the Power Electronics Society a major contributor to overcoming difficult and challenging tasks such as the energy crisis and carbon neutrality that we are facing.

To all E4DS staff and readers, I sincerely hope that you will be healthy, happy and joyful in the new year. Happy New Year!

thank you