Adjustable Speed Drives in the Next Decade: Future Steps in Industry and Academia

The main trends for the next decade within the multi-disciplinarian field of adjustable speed drives are discussed, and a number of topics are especially addressed in this paper. The topics include market development over the last decade, historical development in power converter volume and weight, future drive demands, power converter architecture, interfacing to the grid, motor types, and control principles. Furthermore, some of the possibilities and trends related to decentral "intelligence" and Internet connection are discussed.