Optimizing system architecture, ensuring thermal efficiency, advancing control algorithms, and addressing extreme operating conditions are the main technical challenges Norvento identifies in the manufacturing of power electronics converters for renewable energy.

“Optimizing the system architecture is the first challenge we have on the table,” he says. Adrián Capelán, Deputy Director of Technology at Norvento Energía.

According to what he explained in a conversation with Strategic Energy Europe, the development of new conversion technologies, such as VSC (Voltage Source Converters) converters with advanced LCL or LLCL filters, makes it possible to address the integration of renewables that have low inertia and require more dynamic management.

This optimization not only improves energy efficiency, but also power quality.

A second major technical challenge focuses on heat dissipation and component efficiency, in a context of transition towards materials such as silicon carbide or gallium nitride.

These semiconductors allow for higher power densities and lower losses, but require advanced cooling systems, such as heatpipes or liquid circuits.

“These are complex systems that we have to incorporate as technical designs,” says Capelán, explaining the need to ensure operational reliability.

The third front is located in the area of advanced control and response times, vital to maintaining stability in the face of grid fluctuations. Norvento is working on optimized real-time algorithms that improve the response of conversion systems to energy demand.

The fourth challenge is linked to the operating environment, especially in maritime applications such as those of the FISTERRA project.

Capelán points out that “exposure to extreme salinity requires the use of specialized coatings and corrosion-resistant materials to extend the life of the converters.”

Digitalization as a main strategy

Norvento is strongly committed to digitalization as a response to technical challenges and as a competitive advantage.

“ Digital twins are an essential aid because they allow us to model converter performance before and during manufacturing,” the executive says.

These tools shorten development cycles, improve costs, and enable post-sale traceability, with the ability to assess aging and detect premature failures.

Augmented reality tools that increase efficiency in assembly and maintenance

“We can train the technicians who operate the converters using augmented reality when they arrive at the facility,” explains Capelán, also highlighting the potential of these technologies to reduce errors and intervention times.

In line with this strategy, blockchain-based traceability provides transparency in the origin of materials and manufacturing processes.

“It’s a reality. Blockchain has a very high value for traceability throughout the entire supply chain,” the executive adds.

Norvento also differentiates itself through its modular production, which allows manufacturing to be adapted to different markets with a common architecture, without increasing fixed costs.

“We adapt the same design to configure different products,” says the company’s representative. This strategy is complemented by process automation , which reduces costs and improves operational precision.

Insourcing policy , replacing Asian suppliers with European, national, or American partners. “We reduce dependence through local strategic agreements,” he says.

Another differentiating factor is that all Norvento factories integrate renewable energy into their processes, which allows them to reduce their carbon footprint without affecting profitability. This energy independence also protects against volatile electricity market prices.

FISTERRA: Galician technology to decarbonize ports

FISTERRA project, promoted by Norvento in partnership with the Galician Automotive Technology Center (CTAG) and the University of Vigo, aims to develop a power electronics converter to power ships during their arrival, docking, and departure, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels in ports.

The initiative, presented in 2024 and scheduled for completion in 2026, is endowed with 2,659,287.76 euros, 60% of which is financed by the Galician Innovation Agency in an action co-financed by the European Union.

During the first year, the converter’s technical requirements were defined, and progress was made in the design of the digital twin and the implementation of augmented reality for manufacturing and assembly. Norvento Tecnología analyzed various topologies to define the optimal energy solution for the vessels, while also optimizing the control and communications system with the vessels.

Capelán highlights the strategic importance of the project: “FISTERRA was created to meet an electricity demand currently met with fossil fuels.”

Furthermore, it highlights that the benefits can be extrapolated to sectors such as green hydrogen, industrial microgrids with storage, and the mining and steel industries, all with high-energy demand processes that require advanced converters for their electrification.

The project also represents a response to European port decarbonization regulations, and its environmental impact would be significant: the company estimates that 32 Spanish ports could reduce more than 583,000 kilos of sulfur dioxide emissions annually, equivalent to those of 47.8 million cars in one year.

Local technology with European ambition

FISTERRA is part of the Horizon Europe program, which seeks to boost Europe’s technological competitiveness and reduce external dependence. “This program pursues three major goals: addressing climate change, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and strengthening the European technology industry,” Capelán points out.

With a focus on sustainability, efficiency, and advanced technology, Norvento seeks to position itself as a leader in power electronics applied to renewable energy. The FISTERRA project is its calling card.