Companies in this industry include external and embedded power supply modules including ac-dc power supplies, dc-dc converters, dc-ac inverters, ac-ac converters, lighting ballasts and LED power supplies/driver modules, and solar power inverters. For manufacturers of motor drives see Industrial.
Articles discussing opportunities, technical requirements, and design challenges for power electronics engineers in the Power Supply industry:
Trends And Challenges In High-Voltage Power Supply Design
By David G. Morrison, How2Power Today, Power Supply Jobs & Technology section, November 2013
High voltage (HV) power supplies represent a distinct segment within the merchant power supply market with a relatively small number of companies serving this niche. But despite this niche label, HV power supplies serve a rather diverse set of applications across a wide range of voltage and power levels. X-ray, ion beam implantation, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, medical laser, electron beam welding, and thermal printing are just a few of the many areas requiring these specialized supplies. The HV power supplies also encompass a wide range of voltage and power levels, employ different communications protocols, have electronics floating on HV outputs, and incorporate special protection features. Naturally, the design of these HV power products requires very specialized knowledge. Earlier this year I spoke with Dave Hopkins, director of engineering at HiTek Power about the various technical trends and challenges encountered in the development of HV supplies. He provided his insights on the technical, application, and engineering factors that influence HV power supply development today including the impact of new technologies such as digital control methods and silicon carbide semiconductors. Read the full article»
PV Systems And Inverter Engineering Teams Are Scaling Up
By David G. Morrison, Editor, How2Power.com, December 2011
For engineers interested in the potential impact that a growing photovoltaic (PV) industry
could have on their career opportunities, the pool of current job openings in this field
provides another barometer of how much PV equipment manufacturers expect the industry to grow.
In this column, we once again focus on the opportunities for power electronics (PE) engineers
within solar inverter companies. In a previous column, we discussed the technical requirements
and experience sought by manufacturers for these types of positions. Here, we’ll discuss some
of the market trends that will influence the types of solar inverter design challenges PE
engineers will be called on to address in the years ahead. (See pages 44-46 of the source PDF.) Read the full article»
Solar Inverter Industry Offers Talented Engineers the Chance to Shine
By David G. Morrison, Editor, How2Power.com, December 2010
As manufacturers of solar power inverter gear up to meet the growing demands for their
products, many are expanding their engineering teams through hiring of additional power
electronics (PE) engineers and other electrical engineers (EEs). Manufacturers are looking for
both new grads and experienced engineers with strong theoretical and practical knowledge, and
in some cases, experience with high-reliability design. Competition for good candidates is said
to be very strong due to competition within the solar inverter industry and from other
industries. In this article, I share my discussion with executives at Enphase Energy and Eltek
Valere who described the requirements and opportunities for power electronics engineers and
other EEs in the solar inverter industry. (See pages 47-50 of source PDF.) Read the full article»
Medical Power Supply Vendors Rely on General Practitioners to Craft Their Products
By David G. Morrison, Editor, How2Power.com, October 2010
As medical applications for electronics expand, the requirements for medical - grade power
supplies also grow. According to market analysts, ac-dc power supplies for medical applications
account for approximately S455 million to $640 million in worldwide revenue with somewhere
around 4% growth in this revenue expected over the next few years. Although this growth rate is
not spectacular, it is considered steady and said to be higher than other segments of the
industrial power supply market. However, power supply manufacturers must confront the
challenges of shrinking profit margins for medical power supplies. This article discusses the
impact of industry trends on opportunities and requirements for designers of medical-grade
power supplies. (See pages 64-66 of source PDF.) Read the full article»
Power Supply Vendors Seek Fundamental Knowledge, But Truly Value the Specialists
By David G. Morrison, Editor, How2Power.com, November 2009
Many of the power supply products formerly designed in the U.S. are now designed abroad. To get a sense of the opportunities that exist for electronics engineers within the power supply industry.,I spoke with executives at a number of power supply companies as well as some industry veterans who are currently unaffiliated. These executives discussed what engineering positions they found hardest to fill and what skills or knowledge they sought in new hires. Much of this discussion relates to engineering work in the U.S. However, because of the global nature of the business, the discussion also touches on engineering opportunities for power electronics specialists in other countries. Part 1 of 2. Read the full article»
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