Mitsubishi + Taiwan’s ITRI: Megawatt Power Chips for the Green Grid

15-Oct pact pairs Mitsubishi’s rugged SiC power modules with ITRI’s high-voltage system smarts to build a demo-scale, megawatt-class PV-to-grid converter—and quietly plants Taiwan deeper in the global renewables supply chain.

Why power conversion is the bottleneck

Utility-scale solar arrays now hit 1,500 V DC; wind turbines push 3–6 kV. Turning that raw power into grid-synchronous AC—and doing it efficiently enough to protect already-thin renewable margins—requires switching devices that can block high voltage, switch at nanosecond speeds and survive desert heat or offshore salt spray. Enter Mitsubishi’s latest-gen SiC MOSFET modules (rated to 200 °C junction) and ITRI’s multi-level converter topology that squeezes 99 % conversion efficiency out of the stack.

Who does what

Mitsubishi Electric: supplies 3.3 kV SiC power blocks, gate drivers and reference designs; shares loss-modelling data so Taiwanese OEMs can copy the playbook.
ITRI: integrates the stack, builds a 1 MW outdoor demo cubicle at its Hsinchu campus, then publishes test logs (thermal cycling, grid-fault ride-through, EMI) for domestic manufacturers.

Commercial halo

No dollar figure or production target was announced, but the MoU follows a proven pattern: ITRI turns lab IP into island-wide industrial policy. Previous ITRI-led consortia helped Taiwan capture >60 % of the global micro-inverter market. If the new converter platform hits similar cost points, expect Made-in-Taiwan 2.5 MW skid solutions to pop up across APAC solar farms—powered by Mitsubishi chips.

Grid stability angle

Taiwan’s 2025 target is 20 % renewables; by 2030 it must hit 27 %. That ramp will stress a network historically anchored by coal and nuclear. A converter that can provide synthetic inertia, volt-VAR support and fault-current injection gives planners confidence to add more PV without spinning reserves.

Bottom line

Semiconductors have always been the invisible valve inside every electron tap. By co-engineering a reference design now, Mitsubishi secures a pipeline for its SiC fabs in Kumamoto, while Taiwan incubates another export-grade cleantech cluster. The winners: anyone who wants cheaper, greener electrons on a grid that stays stable when the sun dips.