Important changes in the way electricity is generated and used—such as increasing reliance on energy from renewable sources, the change to efficient variable-speed drives in industrial and domestic appliances, and adoption of hybrid or battery-electric vehicles—are increasing demands for electronic inverters that can be controlled to provide ac power at a desired voltage and frequency.
Taking renewable energy as an example, utility companies’ strategies are moving toward distributed power generation, with micro generators feeding into the grid at multiple points in the network. There’s also interest in small non-grid-tied generators for deployment on consumer or farming and light commercial/industrial sites.