Update from Dr. Enslin
EPIC is a busy place. After a six-month assignment, we just said goodbye to our KIT interns. The work they did and contributions made to EPIC were invaluable and we look forward to continuing to grow this partnership. EPIC is also launching several new endeavors. We are excited to offer the EPIC Affiliates Program, which will offer member's EPIC's core capabilities in developing focused energy solutions in technology, workforce development and preferred access to students with an energy concentration. Look for more details below. The Coal Ash and Liquid management (CALM) Office is up and running with Chris Hardin at the helm and will provide important access to resources and research related to coal ash. A new Transportation Cluster is making it's debut. As one of seven research clusters in EPIC, the Transportation Energy Cluster will engage the passenger and freight transportation industry to provide power and energy related solutions in the context of workforce development, research and testing, and infrastructure improvement. EPIC is pleased to continue to be at the forefront of issues related to energy and we encourage you to join our program and learn more about our work.
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EPIC Affiliates Program
The
EPIC Affiliates
Program
is composed of representatives from corporations
who
have purchased membership into the program. Members can take advantage of a variety of benefits, including access to lab space, student interns and proprietary technical reports, just to name a few. It also assures a long-term revenue stream for EPIC to accomplish
our mission
, which includes technology,
workforce,
and economic development.
Specific deliverables
to a member company will depend on
the level
of
membership.
Affiliates details
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NAPS 2015 was a huge success
The 47th North American Power Symposium (NAPS) was hosted by EPIC on Oct. 4-6.
This was the first time since 1990, that a university in the southeast had been asked to host.
NAPS is an international open forum for participants from academia and industry to exchange innovative ideas and solutions with each other. Attendance exceeded expectations and included attendees from across the globe. Thank you to all who helped make this event a huge success!
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Research Cluster Update
With the help of a generous grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation, EPIC is expanding into the field of transportation energy. As one of the new research clusters in EPIC, the Transportation Energy Cluster key feature will be the Innovative Rail Technology Park, an initiative to advance clean technology for rail transportation and to apply/support innovative technology for rail operations. The park will provide hands-on education on power sources for rail transportation, providing an innovative rail-focused engineering platform that supports new technology. For more information contact David Causey.
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EPIC attends ECCE
On September 20-24, 2015, IEEE held the Energy Conversion Congress & Expo (
ECCE) in Montreal, and EPIC was there!
ECCE has become the premier global conference covering topics in energy conversion from electric machines, power electronics, drives, devices and applications existing and emergent. Seven EPIC faculty and staff were there to present papers and to promote the work of EPIC during the Expo.
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New Coal Ash and Liquid Management Office busy at work
EPIC has recently launched the Coal Ash and Liquid Management Office (CALM) to
develop practical, technology-based solutions for the energy production industry to address problems and challenges with coal ash and liquids management. CALM will
leverage the expertise at UNC Charlotte by utilizing a wide variety of coal ash and coal combustion energy, and waste-water treatment experts. The objective of CALM is to work with a wide variety of Industry Partners, and the electric power utilities to provide the most recent technology for evaluating groundwater and coal ash impoundment stability.This will be accomplished by initiating a combination of applied research projects, and large demonstration projects that increase safety, improve long term performance and reduce cost.
More details
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Lab Highlight
The new EPIC Photovoltaic Technology Research Laboratory, located in the EPIC building, fosters the science and engineering of solar energy by partnering with industry leaders to produce more low-cost and efficient solar cells and panels. Dr. Aba Ebong, and EPIC Associate and professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, leads the lab and its "state-of-the-art equipment" that has been donated by the U.S. based company, TP Solar. The production laboratory equipment includes a RTP2 rapid thermal belt furnace, an in-line diffusion furnace and a screen printing system. The production lab is able to fabricate solar cells using the exact methods as industry. A computational modeling and solar cell testing laboratory is also part of the new photovoltaic facility.
More details
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EPIC Energy Seminar Series is in full swing
EPIC has already had some fantastic speakers as part of our Energy Seminar Series with lots more to come. Next up is Dr. William Ribarsky, with "Integrating Technology and Social Media Data for Outage Management," on October 20. Seminars are open to all and are free. To register and for more details on all upcoming seminars, click
here.
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EPIC hosts The Solution Summit
On 10/2, EPIC hosted The Solution Summit, which brought together learning and expertise from NC and SC, on the energy efficiency and renewable energy and air quality mix for State Implementation Plan efforts, with a specific focus on the Charlotte metropolitan area that crosses the SC and NC border. The Summit was part of Carolinas Energy Planning for the Future. The SC and NC Energy Offices are working with Advanced Energy and EPIC at UNC Charlotte, to develop a coordinated vision for energy planning that can help meet state policy goals, support electric reliability and comply with environmental standards. This will be accomplished through dialogue between state energy offices, public utility commissions, air quality regulators, the electric power sector, and other key stakeholders. All of these measures together will create a more predictable environment for the development of renewable energy and increased use of energy efficiency, enhancing cost-effectiveness, resiliency and reliability of electric and natural gas systems.
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E4Carolinas accepting applications
E4 Carolinas with its leadership development partner, LeadAdvantage, offers E4C members the opportunity to develop their emerging leaders through a unique and impactful program. Nearly 250 energy professionals have participated during the past six years. Two behavioral-based, team-focused, experiential programs are offered for 2016:
Leadership Energy Carolinas
(LEC), and
Emerging Leaders
(E4E).
All programs start in early 2016. Class size is limited, and the enrollment deadline is December 15, 2015.
More details
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In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Lee College of Engineering, a bronze (3") medal was designed by UNC Charlotte art professor and award winning coin designer, Jamie Franki. Franki is known for designing numerous medallions including the Jefferson Nickel for the U.S. Mint and the Team USA Order of Ikkos Olympic Medal. The sleeve containing the medal is signed by the artist, and the medal is in an attractive gift box.
Proceeds will benefit Engineering student scholarships. Your support is a great way to help some deserving students pursue their dreams to become an engineer. For more information, click
here.
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Get Connected
EPIC wants to help you stay plugged into the news, seminars, events and many activities taking place here and throughout the energy industry. We have revamped many of our sites and invite you to like, follow and link with EPIC today!
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Upcoming Events
October 20
The networked world has entered the Internet of Things where the number of sensing and computing devices on the Internet far outstrips the number of humans connected. As networked sensing becomes cheaper, the Internet of Things will continue to grow. This presentation will consider the impact of this new order of things on the electrical grid and in particular on the electric power distribution system.
Speaker: Bill Ribarsky, Professor, UNC Charlotte
October 27
Advances in energy and information technology suggest that, in the near future, the majority of consumers will be interacting with the electric grid in non-traditional ways. How must our electric infrastructure change to support this evolving demand, and what kind of operating framework should we adopt to support these necessary changes? Hear the leader of an EPIC working group talk about their vision.
Speaker: Ronak Bhatt, Managing Director, Rin Advisors
November 10
One hour of sunlight is quite adequate to meet the annual energy needs of the entire world. To harness this abundant and free energy from the sun to meet these needs require understanding of the converters such as the solar or photovoltaic (pv) cells.
Speaker: Aba Ebong, Professor, UNC Charlotte
November 17
The electric grid is celebrating over 100 years of operation and use. But it was built at the turn of the century (the 20th) and needs to handle far more traffic that were unheard of then. Two-way flow of electrons, customer interactions, and environment... all play a much more important role. And there is the cost. Hear the VP of Transmission provide EPRI's vision.
Speaker: Rob Manning, Vice President of Transmission, EPRI
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EPIC generates the interest of people and organizations from the US and countries from around the world. Look who stopped by last quarter! If you have a group that would like a tour, they may be scheduled on Fridays between 9:00 a.m -12:00 p.m.
| Accenture |
| Alevo |
| Areva |
| Barber Wind Turbines |
| Black & Veatch |
| Catawba Riverkeeper |
| Charlotte Area Transit System |
| Charlotte Douglas International Airport |
| CLT Joules |
| Dr. Ann-Marie Sastry |
| Energy Central/Smart Cities |
| EPRI |
| Ernst and Young |
| FCET |
| IEEE OCS Subcommittee |
| Lowe's |
| Oakhurst STEM Academy |
| Robins AFB |
| Sealed Air |
| Siemens |
| Southern California Edison |
| University City Partners |
| Utilities Inc. |
| Viance |
| Voltes Energy |
| X-Energy |
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About EPIC: The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte in the William States Lee College of Engineering, serves as a state-of- the-art research center that provides
education
and applied research opportunities to students with energy related interests. Our industry-education partnerships unite students, faculty and industrial partners to collaborate on interdisciplinary research and learning.
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