Power converter failures are a major issue in modern Wind turbines. One of the key elements of power converters for high power application is the IGBT modules. A test bench capable of performing an accelerated wear-out test
through power cycling of IGBT modules has been made. In the test bench it is possible to stress the IGBT module in a real life working point, controlling the voltage, current and phase of the device under test. An analysis of failure mechanisms has been carried out, indicating that VCE can be used as an sign of wear out of the IGBT module. Therefore an innovative measuring system for VCE monitoring with an accuracy as low as a few mV has been implemented. The measurements on the IGBT in the test bench show that it is possible to monitor VCE and use this as an indicator of wear-out.