Life Cycle Assessment of a 150 kW Electronic Power Inverter

Based on the consideration of various environmental problems caused by human activities, energy transition solutions are starting to emerge. Power electronics will be central to these transitions. The level of knowledge linking power electronics and sustainability remains very limited today, and the study of the environmental impacts tied to the mass-scale deployment of power electronic systems across all sectors of activity is now essential. This study presents the life cycle assessment of a power electronic inverter capable of delivering a power of 150 kW, operating with an average 450 V DC bus for 15 years with 10,000 operating hours. The main hotspots are investigated to offer recommendations to designers. The most important impact highlighted is the depletion of mineral resources. Manufacturing and use are the two subsections with the highest environmental impact. Manufacturing is dominated by the casing and power module (specifically, the electric contacts, baseplate, and die). These results make it possible to orient an eco-design action with technologies capable of creating an evolution in hotspots. However, they also serve to consider scenarios involving a circular economy by setting up maintenance, recycling, and reuse loops in the inverter, combined with modularity and self-diagnostic functions.