Power and energy systems
Power and energy systems research emphasizes all aspects of electrical energy, innovation in energy generation and distribution, grid intelligence, renewable resources, electric transportation, and efficient devices and buildings. Research projects address machines and systems for the conversion, delivery, and use of energy in electrical form.
The activity ranges from controls and reliability for large utility systems and microgrids to energy-harvesting devices for microsensors. Electrical energy continues to be the foundation of the modern economy. The growth of solar energy, wind energy, and other resources, combined with trends such as electric and hybrid vehicles and airplanes, will a have profound impact on global society.
Research Topics in this Area
- Dynamic reconfiguration of systems for fault tolerance and mitigation
- Dynamics and stability of power systems
- Efficient energy management and conversion for lighting, communications, information technology, transportation, and appliances
- Electric transportation
- Electrical machines and drive systems
- Energy storage conversion, management, and control
- Energy system economics and public policy
- Gallium nitride power semiconductors
- High-performance switching power converters
- Impact of intermittent renewable resources on dynamic operation and economics
- Intelligent devices and controls for electricity grids
- Interactions between computer networks and power networks, including cyber security, analysis, and design
- Operation and control of power systems
- Power electronics
- Power system computational techniques
- Scenarios for energy systems up to one hundred years into the future
- System design for reliability