Virginia Tech CPES Is the Second-Most-Important US Academic

The Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) at Virginia Tech is the second-most-important academic solid-state transformer (SST) research center in the United States after the NCSU FREEDM Systems Center. CPES operates with annual research expenditures of approximately $6 to $7 million dollars across power-electronics research that spans every voltage class from milliwatt battery-operated electronics up through regional grid-scale distribution. The center’s SST research program has produced several foundational contributions to commercial product architectures shipping in 2026.

The CPES SST work has concentrated on three areas. First, a novel 400-kilowatt extremely fast electric-vehicle charger using a medium-voltage SST in a cascaded configuration that converts utility AC directly to 380 volts DC for the charger DC bus. The compact, scalable design has been documented in multiple IEEE papers and is one of the dominant academic references for SST-EV-charger architectures.

Second, high-frequency transformer (HFT) magnetic design with medium-voltage insulation. CPES researchers developed UU-core geometries with sectionalized winding structures that simultaneously enhance dielectric insulation capability, restrict leakage inductance, and reduce magnetic loss. The combination of these three properties in a single magnetic design is engineering-difficult, and the CPES contributions have become reference designs for commercial SST manufacturers.

Third, both Litz-wire transformer construction and printed-circuit-board (PCB) winding-based transformer construction for SST applications in data centers, EV fast charging, and smart-grid distribution. The PCB-winding approach is particularly novel for medium-frequency power applications and reduces both manufacturing cost and assembly variability compared to hand-wound coils.

The contrast between CPES and FREEDM is informative. FREEDM is an NSF-funded multi-decade Engineering Research Center with the SST as its architectural anchor and a 17-year continuous program horizon. CPES is a self-supporting industry-funded research center with a broader power-electronics scope, where the SST work sits alongside data center power, vehicle electrification, and consumer power electronics. The two centers are complementary rather than competitive, and the PhDs each produces flow to the same commercial SST employers (ABB, Hitachi Energy, Eaton, DG Matrix, Amperesand, Heron Power) in roughly equal proportions.

Why It Matters

The research conducted by the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) at Virginia Tech has significant implications for the US utilities and grid operators, such as ERCOT, PJM, and CAISO, as they strive to integrate more renewable energy sources and electric vehicles into the grid. The development of solid-state transformers (SSTs) can improve the efficiency and reliability of the grid, particularly in data centers and EV fast-charging applications. The CPES’s work on SSTs, with an annual research expenditure of $6-7 million, is crucial in advancing the technology and making it more commercially viable. The center’s focus on high-frequency transformer magnetic design, Litz-wire transformer construction, and printed-circuit-board winding-based transformer construction can help reduce manufacturing costs and improve performance. This can have a direct impact on the economics of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and the overall grid infrastructure. As the US grid continues to evolve, with FERC orders and IEEE/NERC standards shaping the industry, the research conducted by CPES and other academic institutions will play a vital role in informing policy and market trends. The collaboration between academia and industry, as seen in the CPES’s self-supporting industry-funded research model, will be essential in driving innovation and adoption of new technologies, ultimately benefiting the entire energy ecosystem.

Critical Perspective

Editorial correction: This post is part of MGRID’s Solid-State Transformer industry coverage. As of May 2026, that body of work systematically framed manufacturer announcements, funding rounds, and laboratory demonstrations as commercial deployments. The reality is that field-deployed commercial-class SST in revenue service globally is measured in single digits, and almost every product cited in this series is at “announced” or “funded” stage, not “operational.” Readers should treat the specific claims in this post against the standards documented in our SST Industry Reality Check (the per-claim audit table maps marketing language to verifiable deployment status). The corrective article is the canonical reference for SST industry reality; this post remains published with its original framing so the editorial drift is traceable.

Related Coverage

• FREEDM Systems Center at NCSU: The 2008 NSF Center That Turned Solid-State Transformers Into Real Devices: NCSU FREEDM Center’s role in solid-state transformer development
• The Federal R&D Investment Ecosystem Under the US Solid-State Transformer Industry: ARPA-E, DOE OE, NSF FREEDM, and Why It Matters: Federal R&D investment in US solid-state transformer industry
• NSF FREEDM Center Hits 17-Year Mark As Generation-IV Engineering Research Center Competition Begins: NSF FREEDM Center’s 17-year mark and future competitions
• The MGRID Solid-State Transformer Coverage: A Comprehensive Index of Manufacturers, Deployments, Programs, Technology, and Applications: Comprehensive index of solid-state transformer technology and applications