3 ways semiconductor innovation is powering an evolving energy landscape

Keith Ogboenyiya, senior vice president of marketing, authored this blog. It was adapted from a keynote address at Distributech 2025.

The energy landscape is undergoing rapid and historic transformation. By 2030, global renewable electricity generation is forecast to reach over 17,000 terawatt-hours, an increase of nearly 90% from 2023. It’s clear that renewable energy is no longer a distant idea of a future; it’s here, and it’s growing. Renewables are scaling, electrification is accelerating and automation is expanding, and semiconductor technology that can support this evolution is crucial.

At TI, we’re focused on making electronics more affordable and accessible through semiconductors that provide a foundation for the products that are part of everyday life. That same passion applies to driving the adoption of renewable energy sources, from the solar panels that turn on the lights in a house to the EV charger mounted on the wall that powers your car before the drive to work.

Across the energy ecosystem, we’re increasing access to and supporting the future of renewable energy with semiconductors that power reliable, secure and scalable in three key ways: energy systems across solar generation, energy storage and edge-based automation.

1.  Smarter, smaller and more accessible solar

As the adoption of solar energy grows, the challenge has shifted beyond power generation alone and now rests on improving efficiency, flexibility and affordability. Meeting these expectations requires solar inverters that are smaller, more precise and easier to install without compromising performance.

Power-management integrated circuits and DC/DC converters help regulate and optimize the energy harvested from solar panels. Analog sensors and embedded processors help integrate solar energy into smart grids, enabling real-time monitoring and demand responsiveness.

Our semiconductors, especially those made with wide band-gap materials such as gallium nitride (GaN), are making a profound impact and enabling semiconductors for solar power that is more accessible and cost-effective. By enabling faster switching and higher power density, TI’s GaN-based FETs enable engineers to design more compact and efficient solar inverters, reducing energy losses and simplifying the entire system footprint.  

From rooftop panels to inverters to storage and electric vehicle charging, these advances are helping designers integrate smarter, more scalable solutions that support a shift toward renewable energy and energy efficiency.

2. Energy storage that learns, adapts and protects

Energy storage, a critical enabler for reliable energy, is also advancing rapidly.

As renewable generation expands and electrification increases demand, energy storage becomes essential to balancing supply and demand across a decentralized grid and decreasing consumers’ energy costs. To be effective, these storage systems must monitor, manage, and respond to changing conditions in real time – capabilities directly enabled by semiconductor technology.

Analog semiconductors are instrumental to controlling and managing real world signals such as electrical currents, voltages, temperature, light and sound. They help control and transfer power, drive motors, and are critical in enabling efficient energy systems.

Battery management systems, for example, rely on these high-accuracy analog components to monitor voltage, temperature and current across every cell. These precise measurements provide the data necessary to prevent thermal runaway, extend battery life, and ensure safe operation for residential and utility-scale storage systems.

3.  Intelligence at the edge of the energy grid

Embedded processing semiconductors have been critical components in electronic systems, helping make grid systems more intelligent and more connected.

Advances at the edge of the grid – the decentralized points where energy is generated by rooftop solar panels, stored in a battery, or consumed by devices like a charging electric vehicle – are reshaping how energy is managed and protected. In today’s dynamic environment, decisions can’t wait for the cloud. Whether triggered by demand spikes, sudden voltage drops or weather-related disruptions, responses must occur locally and quickly. That’s why edge artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming foundational to the modern energy infrastructure.

By embedding AI-enabled processing into devices at the grid edge, our technologies act as the brain of embedded systems, enabling engineers to build systems that analyze data, detect anomalies, and respond in real time without relying on remote servers. This enables faster fault detection, improved load balancing and greater system autonomy in everything from transformers to smart meters. These capabilities are essential for supporting data-driven energy management at scale.

Intelligence at the edge also plays a critical role in enhancing grid resilience. In a distributed grid model, power is generated, stored and consumed across thousands of nodes. Making such a system work requires each node to be self-aware and adaptive. Our embedded processors and analog front ends support voltage detection, load balancing and automated control, bringing responsiveness directly into the hardware so energy systems can adapt as conditions change.

Embedded processors and connectivity solutions are also helping grid operators collect accurate data on energy usage from individual e-meters. This can achieve smarter energy usage and increase customer awareness to shift demand to times when there is more energy available in the grid.

Semiconductors unite the energy ecosystem. Between analog and embedded technologies, we’re providing the semiconductors that are powering applications like solar panels or energy storage systems.  At the same time, these technologies are also increasing consumers’ confidence in the safety, reliability, affordability and performance of renewable energy, empowering its adoption for today and tomorrow.