Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. - Experts & Thought Leaders

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that the German branch of its wholly owned subsidiary - Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. has signed a development partnership agreement with the State of Berlin, represented by Tegel Projekt GmbH, to join its smart-city redevelopment project - Berlin TXL. Berlin TXL was launched in 2021 to create a smart city on the vast five-square-kilometer site of the former Berlin Tegel Airport, which closed in 2020. The project is tackling challenges facing 21st-century cities, such as the efficient use of energy, eco-friendly mobility, clean water, recycling, sustainable construction and application of new materials, networked control of systems and more. Mitsubishi Electric's SUSTIE® As the first initiative under this partnership, Mitsubishi Electric Europe and Tegel Projekt intend to jointly collaborate on piloting the application of technologies to improve the energy efficiency, comfort, and operational efficiency of buildings at Berlin TXL. The initiative will make extensive use of research and development carried out at Mitsubishi Electric's SUSTIE® net-zero energy building test facility in Kamakura, Japan since 2020. Tegel Projekt CEO - Frank Wolters and Berlin Governing Mayor - Kai Wegner, during their visit to Mitsubishi Electric's Information Technology R&D Center in Kamakura, Japan on May 17, also toured the SUSTIE facility to observe potential pilot applications, including building-simulation and smart-building/smart-city platform technologies.

Mitsubishi Electric has welcomed a new code of conduct on energy smart appliances which the European Union (EU) announced at the Hannover Fair in Germany. The announcement came on the second day of the five-day Exhibition, which is dedicated to the EU Energy Day under the title 'Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy'. President of Mitsubishi Electric Europe, Shunji Kurita, who attended the code’s launch and signed up to the code as a representative of the company’s Living Environment Systems (LES) Business Unit, explained that the new policy was an important move to support the wide-scale deployment of energy smart appliances across the EU. Launch of a code to certify “Societies are increasingly turning to heat pumps as the primary means of decarbonizing the heating and cooling of buildings and, as one of the continent’s largest manufacturers of heat pumps, we fully support this launch of a code to certify the energy smart behavior of products,” said Shunji Kurita. He adds, "Electrification is key to society as a clean renewable energy source and to this end, we want to support customers who are using our products as renewable energy heat sources, so it is important that efficiency is at the heart of the new code.” Net zero transition The Code of Conduct for Energy Smart Appliances is the first step in an ongoing dialog between EU regulators The Code of Conduct for Energy Smart Appliances is a first step in an ongoing dialog between EU regulators, manufacturers of smart appliances, and partners from the electricity grid, and Mitsubishi Electric welcomes the opportunity to contribute to that dialog. “The Code of Conduct is designed to foster the development of a fleet of interoperable energy smart appliances which can support demand flexibility services, across brands. It will contribute to shaping a more flexible, cost-effective, sustainable, and resilient energy system crucial for the net zero transition,” commented Mechthild Wörsdörfer, the DG ENER Deputy Director-General, on behalf of the European Commission. “I welcome Mitsubishi Electrics’ commitment as a signatory to the Code of Conduct, as it will undoubtedly help accelerating the momentum and scale of this initiative,” she added. Deployment of heat pumps Capacity is equally important in electricity grids across the European Union’s Member States, and these grids must be able to deliver the electricity for the increased demand from the deployment of heat pumps. However, building out the electricity grids across Europe will not take place overnight and this is where the heat pumps have such an important role to play. “Demand side flexibility is a functionality that is inherent to heat pumps as a technology, thanks to the inverter compressors that some would say are the very heart of a heat pump,” explained Mr. Kurita, adding “This demand side flexibility with heat pumps can provide a source of capacity and is an excellent example of how heat pumps will help to enable a green transition while providing customers with highly efficient, cost-effective comfort.”

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has announced that it played the key role in leading the project to draft the 2023 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) White Paper entitled ‘Power Semiconductors for an Energy-Wise society,’ which the IEC released on October 17, 2023. This is the first time for a White Paper, published annually since 2010, to issue recommendations for developing and expanding international standards and certification systems for power semiconductors. 2023 IEC White Paper Each year, the IEC White Paper focuses on electrical, electronic and electromechanical technologies Each year, the IEC White Paper focuses on electrical, electronic and electromechanical technologies requiring international standardization, and makes related recommendations to the IEC and other organizations. Power semiconductors, one of Mitsubishi Electric's core product lines, are expected to continue to advance technologically and be increasingly adopted as key devices that reduce power consumption and efficiently convert electrical energy, supporting the global drive toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Silicon carbide (SiC) used in advanced power semiconductors New materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) are being used in advanced power semiconductors for applications such as renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs), but the development of international standards and certification systems for such devices is lagging. A lack of such standards and certifications could lead to a proliferation of nonconforming products and impede cooperation among manufacturers, users and regulators, thereby hindering the healthy growth of the power semiconductor global market. Address issues related to power semiconductor technologies In response, Mitsubishi Electric initiated a White Paper project within the IEC Market Strategy Board (MSB) in October 2022. Together with experts from around the world, the project team addressed issues related to power semiconductor technologies, markets, and regulations. White Paper summarizes the applications, sectors and technological trends of power semiconductors The resulting White Paper summarizes the applications, sectors and technological trends of power semiconductors and highlights the need for the development, alignment, and expansion of respective international standards and certification systems. In particular, the White Paper focuses on the critical role that power semiconductor standards can play in helping to realize emission-free, carbon-neutral industries for a healthier and more prosperous world. The main points of the 2023 IEC White Paper include: Current status and future trends of society, markets, and technologies related to power semiconductors and applications that are essential for realizing an ‘Energy-Wise society’ in which energy is used wisely and efficiently. Challenges facing the power semiconductor industry and solutions for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 through an integrated approach involving relevant regulatory, industry and international standardization organizations around the globe. Recommendations for international standardization bodies, particularly the IEC, to establish a roadmap and guidelines for the development of international standards and conformity assessment systems for power semiconductors. IEC White Paper project team The White Paper project team was led by Dr. Kazuhiko Tsutsumi, Mitsubishi Electric's specially appointed Technical Advisor, who also serves as IEC Vice President and Chair of the MSB, and included experts from Mitsubishi Electric's Corporate Intellectual Property Division (Tokyo), Mitsubishi Electric's Power Device Works (Fukuoka), Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. German Branch (Ratingen, Germany), as well as a team of international experts. Going forward, Mitsubishi Electric will collaborate with power semiconductor companies, users, and regulatory authorities, to establish a roadmap for the creation of power semiconductor international standards as recommended in the 2023 IEC White Paper, with the aim of promoting the healthy growth of the power semiconductor market in the quest for carbon neutrality by 2050.