In many energy systems, modular configurations are possible in which power electronics can provide comprehensive control even if converters manage only a limited fraction of the total energy flow. An early example was in battery management, with small converters that manage local charge and discharge action acting alongside a bulk charger in a series string. This presentation explores the differential power processing (DPP) concept. Converter ratings, dynamic requirements, and other aspects of design are considered. The system requirements that couple into DPP designs are examined. It is shown how system efficiency improves and other benefits accrue in a suitable DPP applications.

Philip Krein is the Grainger Endowed Chair Professor Emeritus in Electric Machinery and Electromechanics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was the founding Executive Dean of the Zhejiang University/ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute in China. His startup company, SolarBridge Technologies, Inc., developed long-life integrated inverters for solar energy. He holds 42 U.S. patents and is a past President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society and a past Chair of the IEEE Transportation Electrification Community. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors, and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He received IEEE William E. Newell Award in 2003 and the IEEE Transportation Technologies Award in 2021.