The goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 requires a massive increase of the use of renewable energy sources, i.e., PV and wind, and a comprehensive electrification of transportation and industry processes, which is accompanied by an unprecedented proliferation of power electronics energy conversion. This motivates an in-depth investigation of the greenhouse gas emissions (and the overall environmental impact) of power electronic converter systems, which is addressed by means of Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) typically performed for existing products. The actual aim, however, is to already include such considerations in the design phase of converter systems. Today’s multi-objective Pareto optimizations enable a systematic converter design with, e.g., minimal converter losses, high power density and low cost, but do not consider environmental aspects. This paper aims at introducing environmental metrics as additional performance indicators.
