Srdjan Lukic

Abstract Title

Advancing Power Distribution in Data Centers Through Solid-State Transformer (SST) Technology
Data centers are increasingly investigating DC-based power distribution to reduce conversion losses, simplify power paths, and enable more efficient integration of on-site energy resources. Solid-State Transformers (SSTs) are central to this shift, providing a power-electronic interface capable of delivering a regulated DC bus directly from the medium-voltage (MV) distribution system, enabling bidirectional power flow, and improving power quality and controllability.

This talk will outline the main design and protection challenges associated with medium- and high-power SSTs, drawing on experience from the recent development and deployment of a 1 MW prototype. The discussion will emphasize insulation requirements, fault management, and the constraints imposed by operating high-voltage converter stages with fast-switching devices. These considerations define the broader requirements for deploying SSTs as the medium-voltage front end of a DC data-center backbone.

A second focus of the talk is how SSTs integrate into DC data-center architectures. Several backbone topologies will be compared in terms of redundancy, protection complexity, and controllability. The discussion will highlight how SST capabilities affect these architectural decisions.

The presentation will also address energy-storage placement within DC backbones, including centralized and distributed approaches, and how SSTs can function as multi-port interfaces that coordinate storage assets and IT loads. Through this systems perspective, the talk will outline how SST-based approaches can support the development of efficient, scalable, and resilient DC data-center power infrastructures.

 

Biography

Srdjan Lukic received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA, in 2008. He is currently the Lampe Distinguished Professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA. He serves as the Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Engineering Research Center, headquartered at North Carolina State University. His current research interests include design and control of power electronic converters and electromagnetic energy conversion with application to microgrids, wireless power transfer, energy storage systems, and electric automotive systems.