As the new-energy industry shifts from “scale expansion” to “efficiency-driven intensification,” the inherent loss bottlenecks of conventional silicon steel and ferrite magnetic cores are becoming increasingly pronounced: losses remain stubbornly high under light-load conditions, overheating is severe at high frequencies, and power density is difficult to increase—all of which directly undermine generation efficiency, shorten equipment lifespan, and drive up operating costs.

Thanks to the material revolution that has endowed amorphous magnetic cores with “ultra-low losses, high permeability, and broad-frequency compatibility,” they are emerging as an essential, must-have material in the new energy sector. Drawing on industry data, real-world pain points, and future trends, this article provides an in-depth analysis of why amorphous magnetic cores can serve as the core enabler of the next-generation power system.

Amorphous magnetic cores are produced via an ultra-rapid quenching process, resulting in a disordered, amorphous atomic arrangement that completely eliminates the hysteresis-loss barrier inherent in crystalline materials. Consequently, under high-frequency, wide-load, and extreme operating conditions typical of new-energy applications, their performance far outperforms that of conventional soft-magnetic materials.

Industry Conclusion In high-frequency, wide-load, and long-duration operation scenarios for new energy applications, amorphous magnetic cores offer unparalleled overall energy-efficiency advantages: the cost savings from reduced power consumption can recoup the premium on material costs within 1 to 3 years, with long-term benefits far exceeding those of conventional materials.

The core requirements for new-energy equipment are: improving efficiency, reducing losses, shrinking size, and withstanding extreme operating conditions. Thanks to its customization advantages, amorphous magnetic cores have deeply penetrated the four core sectors of photovoltaics, wind power, energy storage, and new-energy vehicles, becoming a critical component in the industry’s upgrade.

Photovoltaic power plants commonly face three major challenges: diurnal intermittency, light-load operation during morning and evening hours, and extreme high-temperature conditions. In conventional magnetic-core designs, light-load losses account for more than 70% of total losses, resulting in substantial wasted photovoltaic energy.

Core value: No-load losses of amorphous magnetic cores are reduced by 75%, string inverter efficiency is improved by 1.5% to 2.5%, and a 100 MW photovoltaic power plant sees an annual increase in electricity generation of more than 1.5 million kWh.

Field data: At a large-scale photovoltaic power base in Xinjiang, the use of amorphous step-up transformers has reduced land footprint by 60% and lowered O&M costs by 25%, while effectively adapting to the harsh operating conditions of desert environments characterized by high temperatures and sandstorm erosion.

Industry trend: Distributed PV and residential inverters are increasingly adopting amorphous magnetic cores, with demand for such cores expected to grow by 180% year-on-year in 2024.

Wind power converters and traction transformers must withstand wind speed fluctuations, salt spray corrosion, and high-frequency alternating currents; conventional magnetic cores, however, are prone to aging and exhibit significant core loss variations.

Core Value: Amorphous magnetic cores are salt-spray resistant and corrosion-proof, with insulation life extended by a factor of three and performance across a wide frequency range. Low loss and stable performance, compatible with the variable-speed power generation characteristics of wind turbines;

Field data: The amorphous transformer for deep-sea wind power reduces annual electricity consumption by 120,000 kWh compared with conventional solutions, lowers the failure rate by 60%, and supports the DC transmission of power from deep-sea wind farms.

Policy Support: New offshore wind power tender projects now include amorphous silicon efficiency metrics as a mandatory requirement.

The core pain points of energy storage systems are high cycle loss, low charge–discharge efficiency, and rapid temperature rise, all of which directly affect storage duration and battery life.

Core value: Amorphous magnetic cores exhibit high-frequency losses only one-third those of ferrites, boosting charge–discharge conversion efficiency by 3% to 5% and alleviating the pain point of “generating a lot but storing little” in energy storage.

Scenario Advantages: Suitable for commercial and industrial energy storage, residential energy storage, virtual power plants, and other applications. Under long-term cyclic operation, temperature rise is reduced by more than 15°C, thereby extending equipment lifespan.

New-energy-vehicle on-board chargers (OBCs), motor controllers, and charging-pile modules have stringent requirements for size, weight, and efficiency.

Core value: Amorphous magnetic cores achieve a 50% increase in power density, reducing the volume of on-board chargers by 40% and indirectly boosting driving range by 2% to 3%.

Field data: In 2024, production of amorphous-drive motors for new-energy vehicles increased by 150% year on year, motor efficiency improved by 2% to 4%, and noise at high-speed operating conditions was reduced by 12 decibels.

Industry Boom: Amorphous magnetic cores are being widely adopted in 800V high-voltage fast-charging platforms, making them standard equipment for high-end electric vehicles.

The Transformer Energy Efficiency Improvement Plan explicitly stipulates that, starting in 2025, at least 80% of transformers supporting new energy projects must achieve Level 1 energy efficiency, with amorphous magnetic cores serving as the core pathway to achieving energy efficiency exceeding Level 1.

Data show that in 2023, the penetration rate of amorphous transformers in the new-energy sector reached 30%, and is projected to exceed 48% by 2027. From 2024 to 2027, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of amorphous strip demand is expected to reach 20%, with total demand potentially surpassing 148,600 tonnes by 2027.

Following the large-scale integration of new energy sources into the grid, the power system has become characterized by high frequency, intermittency, and distributed generation, rendering conventional magnetic cores unsuitable.

Over 60% of operating time is under light-load conditions, and the amorphous core’s ultra-low no-load losses directly address the key pain point.

The widespread adoption of high-frequency power electronic equipment has created a technological gap that the broadband stability of amorphous magnetic cores now fills.

The large-scale deployment of solid-state transformers (SSTs) is underway, with amorphous and nanocrystalline magnetic cores reducing costs by 30% and carbon emissions by 50%, making them the core material.

Take a 1000 kVA amorphous transformer for new energy as an example:

Annual electricity savings of approximately 16,000 kWh, resulting in annual electricity cost savings exceeding RMB 12,000;

Over a 30-year lifecycle, it saves 480,000 kWh of electricity and reduces carbon emissions by 393 tonnes—equivalent to planting 2,160 trees.

Equipment lifespan is extended by 10 to 15 years, and O&M costs are reduced by more than 50%.

Amorphous magnetic cores are not the end point but rather the starting point for materials innovation, with three major upgrade directions set to fundamentally reshape the landscape of new-energy equipment:

Ultra-thin nanocrystalline materials with a thickness of less than 12 microns have entered mass production, exhibiting high-frequency losses that are another 50% lower than those of conventional amorphous materials. These materials are well-suited for emerging applications such as hydrogen electrolysis, magnetic levitation, and the low-altitude economy, thereby supporting high-frequency equipment operating at frequencies above 10 kHz.

The next-generation amorphous magnetic cores will integrate temperature and loss-monitoring modules to enable online diagnostics and predictive maintenance, and, when combined with digital twin technology, will serve as the “intelligent sensing unit” for new-energy equipment.

By 2030, the global market for high-frequency energy-saving equipment based on amorphous magnetic cores is projected to exceed RMB 120 billion, with amorphous technology accounting for half of the new-energy soft-magnetic materials market. In the solid-state transformer segment alone, these technologies are expected to save more than 50 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity worldwide by 2030.

At its core, competition in the new-energy sector is a race for energy efficiency; and the key to breakthroughs in energy efficiency lies in materials innovation.

Although amorphous magnetic cores may appear small, they are critical to the efficiency of photovoltaic, wind power, energy storage, and new-energy vehicle systems. Driven by the dual goals of carbon neutrality and industry upgrading, amorphous magnetic cores have long ceased to be a mere “value-added feature”; instead, they have become an essential requirement for new-energy equipment to meet regulatory standards, reduce costs, improve efficiency, and gain market share.

From material breakthroughs to industrial transformation, amorphous magnetic cores are acting as the “invisible heart” that is driving the new-energy industry from “usable” to “user-friendly” and from “scale-up” to “high quality.”

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