Oak Ridge National Lab and Industrial Technology Research Institute Join GRAPES Center
As 2011 closes, GRAPES is proud to announce that two new industry partners have joined the center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Industrial Technology Research Institute. Oak Ridge and the Industrial Technology Research Institute join 18 other industrial partners and one government partner in supporting the research of nine faculty members at the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina in the area of grid-connected power electronics.
Academia and Industry Collaborate at the GRAPES Semi-Annual Meeting
In November 2011, the Grid-connected Advanced Power Electronics Systems Center celebrated its two-year anniversary and held a semi-annual meeting on the University of Arkansas campus.
The smart grid “Grand Challenge”
Interview with Dr. Alan Mantooth, IEEE Fellow, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas (UA), and Executive Director of three UA research centers, by Barbara Vergetis Lundin of SmartGridNews.com. Dr. Mantooth defines “what is a ‘smart grid'”: “Smart grid consists of a utility grid’s communications layer, controls, and the hardware that can be controlled to maintain and improve grid reliability.”
Senior Journalism Campaigns Class Creates Promotional Materials for NSF GRAPES Center
Building collaborative partnerships within the university, the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission employed the marketing services of 15 University of Arkansas seniors through their Journalism Campaigns course.
University and Industry Seek to Develop ‘Smart Grid’
The cost of electrical energy is a concern for the people who use it and the people who produce it. Researchers are exploring new sources of clean, renewable energy; electrical companies are searching for ways to make their grids safer and smarter; and large corporations are trying to keep costs down while meeting their growing energy needs. At the University of Arkansas, an engineering center of excellence called the Grid-Connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems, or GRAPES, is bringing together members of each of these groups so that they can share ideas, information and resources to improve the way we generate and use energy.