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EPIC's contribution to the Charlotte-area economy continues to gain recognition. While some other sectors still struggle, Director Johan Enslin explains the essential ways EPIC helps keep the local energy sector strong as part of this May 10 overview in the Charlotte Business Journal.
As t
he Spring 2013 teams finished their senior design projects and departed with their engineering degrees, proof that this highly-anticipated competition gets real-world results is now at hand for an exceptional group from 2010.
That team produced the initial feasibility study for a 500 KW solar power project that would rest atop the shade canopies of a bus maintenance facility operated by the Charlotte Area Regional Transit Authority (CATS). So thorough was their work that CATS used the study to successfully compete for a federal grant to build the project. CATS won over $1.0...
At some point during the next five to 10 years, old ways of setting the price of electricity could be in for big change – and better air quality might be the result. As explained by Dr. Peter Schwarz, professor of economics with the Belk College of Business, traditional rate-setting is based on average costs. At his April 30 EPIC Seminar presentation Dr. Schwarz shared research exploring a better choice: future rate structures organized around actual costs.
The key is time-differentiated options like “time-of-use” and “real-time” rates, which...
It's official: EPIC is now an international collaborator in building a trans-Atlantic energy bridge thanks to a new "Memorandum of Understanding" signed with the renowned Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) of Germany. In partnership with the Charlotte Research Institute (CRI) of UNC Charlotte, EPIC will play a lead role in the MOU, linking academic and research initiatives of the two institutions around key energy issues.
The MOU signing concluded a successful visit from a KIT delegation on Tuesday May 7. Assisting EPIC Director Dr. Johan Enslin in exploring that potential was Dr. Bob Johnson, dean of...
Once international energy powerhouse SIEMENS rolled into Charlotte in 1999, the company made a long-term commitment to get engaged with local workforce development for the energy sector. At its annual awards ceremony on May 16, the Charlotte Regional Partnership honored SIEMENS with the prestigious 2013 Jerry Award for private sector leadership in economic development, recognizing the company's crucial role in the growing success Charlotte now enjoys as a vital hub of the global energy industry. A significant and early backer of EPIC, SIEMENS provided generous financial support to building state-of-the-art research labs and providing on-going investment in student scholarships. To learn more about the involvement of SIEMENS in advancing the EPIC mission, watch a video which...
A test case for an innovative new way to flag electrical problems in power plant generators is underway now thanks to the work of EPIC Associate Dr. Zia Salami. Collaborating closely with long-time EPIC partner Duke Energy, Dr. Salami has led the effort to install a real-time data communications system at Marshall Steam Station. Called a "digital fault recorder," this information system supplies an instant flow of data to labs back at EPIC, where researchers are on the watch for any indication of disturbance with the plant's electrical system. The data helps Duke Energy automate the process of validating generator and (in the near future) load models, promising better, faster results than traditional "staged" testing.
Dr. Salami is a member of the EPIC Power Systems...
Eligible students interested in attending the 2013 U.S. Women in Nuclear "Creating Value Through Change" conference may apply until June 14 for sponsored funding assistance to cover conference registration costs and hotel accommodations for three nights. The conference will be held July 21-24 in Chicago, IL. Review application materials for more conference and US WIN information.
Five graduate students have been named as 2013/14 EPIC Research Assistantship winners. They successfully competed for $15,000 to fund their research proposals, in addition to another $5,000 each to support the EPIC Associates who will provide crucial guidance and oversight for the projects as research mentor. Congratulations to each of the following research teams:
Masoud Ghiafeh Davoudi, mentored by Dr. Valentina Cecchi
Michael Tedeschi, mentored by Dr. Matthew Whelan
Matthew Conway, mentored by Dr. Ed Stokes
Rabindra Maharjan, mentored by Dr. Sukumar Kamalasadan
...The IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative provides multi-year scholarships and career experience opportunities to qualifying undergraduates in the U.S. and Canada seeking electrical engineering degrees. As long as the scholars meet renewal standards, they can receive up to $7,000 over three years and up to two years of invaluable hands-on career experience. IEEE expects to make at least 400 Scholarship Plus awards. Apply for the scholarship until June 30, or review more information about the program for additional details.
The world’s energy addiction has opened the door to debate and dialogue about climate change. Some say that options to fossil fuels may help reverse warming trends, but the problem is that alternative forms of energy production aren't ready yet on the needed scale. And recently scientists at UNC Charlotte came to an even more alarming conclusion: that the problem is unsolvable. Hear EPIC Associate Dr. Deborah Strumsky discuss their work with Mike Collins, host of Charlotte Talks, in this radio interview.
In the traditional way electricity travels, it is a simple trip down the power line. According to EPIC Seminar Speaker Dr. Emiliano Dall’Anese, however, today’s energy providers must anticipate a future of power flows from any direction, at any time. In his April 16 presentation, Dr. Dall’Anese laid out the math behind new ways of thinking about optimal power flow when lots of distributed sources, like solar and wind, feed a distribution system. Plain vanilla mechanisms for predicting line loss, voltage profiles and other aspects of grid operation, he...
It's official: EPIC is now an international collaborator in building a trans-Atlantic energy bridge thanks to a new "Memorandum of Understanding" signed with the renowned Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) of Germany. In partnership with the Charlotte Research Institute (CRI) of UNC Charlotte, EPIC will play a lead role in the MOU, linking academic and research initiatives of the two institutions around key energy issues.
The MOU signing concluded a successful visit from a KIT delegation on Tuesday May 7. Assisting EPIC Director Dr. Johan Enslin in exploring that potential was Dr. Bob...
Recipients of a number of EPIC scholarships gathered at a reception held in their honor on Friday April 5 at EPIC. Representatives from local energy companies such as Duke Energy and Siemens joined the celebration, hearing first-hand about the academic accomplishments of bright young students whose education they helped along with the scholarship funds.
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It was a full house on Tuesday April 9 as the IDEAS Center drew over 200 attendees to the third annual Bioenergy Symposium to UNC Charlotte. The topic was anaerobic technologies and their fit into sustainable energy strategies. EPIC was among the many sponsors that contributed to the success of the Symposium.
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Sustain Charlotte honored EPIC Associate Regina Guyer as its 2013 Outstanding Educator at the organization's gala gathering April 6. Guyer was among a select group of regional leaders recognized by the organization for their efforts to implement "CHARLOTTE 2030, A Sustainable Vision for Our Region." Offering welcoming comments for the event was Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. Michael Smith, chief executive officer for Charlotte Center City Partners, served as keynote speaker. Guyer is a member of the EPIC Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Research Cluster. For more details, see news coverage of the awards...
In the dynamic world of energy markets, 15 minutes can mean a lot – especially to investors wanting reliable returns from new power system projects. This brief increment of time describes “granularity”, often a key factor in assessing whether power generation technologies will be judged as viable investments. As EPIC Seminar Speaker John Richter explained in his April 2 presentation, granularity is just one of many variables considered in a robust modeling process. The Vice President of Development for AMI Analytics and Director of Financial Mechanics, Richter is an expert in using power market modeling to transform assumptions into actionable options for his clients both at home and abroad.
No matter where they are, Richter noted, electricity markets are uniquely...
It was 2006 when social media burst onto the cultural scene. Ever since, headlong change caused by the avalanche of tablets, smart phones and other mobile devices is rushing new risks and rewards to the electric power industry. According to Dr. Arshad Mansoor, senior vice president of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and EPIC Distinguished Seminar Speaker, direct customer engagement with system load is an unavoidable outcome of the advance of social media. In his March 26 presentation at EPIC, Dr. Mansoor explained that EPRI sees the direction of future research hinging on innovations that produce a more resilient, flexible and connected power industry – leveraging the advancements in the areas of sensors, communication and computation.
In another...
The traditional built environment is full of wasted energy, but EPIC Associate Dr. Na Lu sees a different future for the structures relied on so heavily by so many. As she explained in her March 19 EPIC Seminar, Dr. Lu believes the next generation of buildings will be far more efficient thanks to two highly promising areas of research. The first deals with the integration of natural fibers like hemp into construction materials, an option boosted to an even better level of sustainability by combining those fibers with recycled materials. In a second arena of study, Dr. Lu has explored the possibility of "energy-positive" buildings, taking the solar and thermal energy trapped in what is known as the building "envelope" and harvesting it with a new technology: hybrid...
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