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IGCT-based New Generation HVDC Technology: From Devices, Equipment, to Applications

Date: 12/03/2026
Time: 9:00 am
Presenter: Rong Zeng
Abstract: (This webinar is sponsored by PELS TC 5 and TC 8) The rapid expansion of China’s renewable energy capacity to 1800 GW by 2025 is fundamentally reshaping the architecture of modern power systems. Such a structural transformation is driving a systematic shift toward Power-electronics-dominated Grids and substantially elevating the strategic importance of DC power transmission. The webinar positions the high-voltage Integrated Gate-Commutated Thyristor (IGCT) as a pivotal enabling device for next-generation power conversion, superseding conventional IGBT- and thyristor-based solutions in high-power applications. The discussion advances to the engineering of IGCT-based core equipment, including Modular Multilevel Converters (MMC), Hybrid Commutated Converters (HCC), DC circuit breakers, and DC transformers. Furthermore, the webinar reviews China’s recent engineering progress in major national projects, such as the West-to-East Power Transmission Program, renewable energy delivery from desert, Gobi, and wasteland regions, metropolitan grid interconnections, and offshore wind farm integration, highlighting the practical adoption of IGCT-based technologies across diverse grid scenarios.

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Rong Zeng serves as the Executive Vice President and a Professor at Tsinghua University, and he also directs the IGCT Device Team at the Huairou National Laboratory. Since earning his Ph.D. from Tsinghua in 1999, he has held prominent academic leadership roles, including Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering. His research expertise lies in high-power semiconductor devices and advanced power transmission equipment. He is a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and has been honored with multiple prestigious national awards, including the National Technology Invention Award and the National Scientific and Technological Progress Award, in recognition of his contributions to China’s power and energy technologies. He is a Fellow of the IET, the CSEE, and the CES, and serves as the Founding Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the journal High Voltage.