In writing this book, I have had two objectives: providing students an easy path to learn basic concepts of power electronics through many examples and illustrations, and covering applications of power electronics in both modern and traditional energy conversion systems. This book assists students in grasping complicated concepts through simulations and numerical examples.

The book is designed for senior undergraduate students in electrical engineering and graduate students who would like to know more about applications of power electronics in motor-drive, wind, and solar energy systems. This book can be adopted as a textbook for (i) energy conversion, (ii) power electronics, and (iii) advanced power electronics courses. I have assumed that students taking the first two courses will know the theory of electric circuits. Chapter 1, parts of Chap. 2, and Chaps. 3 and 4 can be used to teach the energy conversion course to undergraduate students. Chapter 1, parts of Chap. 2, and Chaps. 5, 7, and 8 can be used to teach the power electronics course to undergraduate students. Chapters 6, 9, 10, 11, and 12 can be used to teach the advanced power electronics course to graduate students.

Semiconductor materials and solid-state switches are the backbones of power electronics. In Chap. 1, students can get familiar with some semiconductor materials and solid-state switching devices. They also learn about the characteristics of solar panels and wind turbines as intermittent energy resources and the need for solid-state-based power converters. In this chapter, a brief description of motor-drive technology is presented as the basis of electromechanical devices such as robots and powertrains in full-electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. This chapter’s materials are carried on 25 figures, 25 mathematical expressions, and 7 examples, along with 16 exercise problems.