Addressing modularity in ecodesigned power electronics

Implementing Circular Economy (CE) is increasingly challenging the Power Electronics (PE) sector. Indeed, the PE economy model is today mostly an unsustainable linear model. This article investigates the industrial levers supporting CE in PE, focusing on the new concepts for this conservative domain, of modularity and standardization. The literature review conducted in this paper builds a foundation for future work on modular PE systems. Comprehensive recommendations for PE engineers are provided to support maintaining the functional value of a PE product while maximizing the circularity potential of the product over the years. Guidelines are proposed to highlight the barriers and new requirements for PE product modular design strategies. Solutions in terms of research areas are addressed. This article demonstrates the need to build an ecosystem to collect and value electronic-based products at every stage of their lifecycle. Two case studies from a European project (EECONE) will be used to environmentally and technically assess and compare modular and non-modular converters ranging from 500W to 10kW implemented in data centers and electric vehicles, in the near future.