UNC Charlotte, the William States Lee College of Engineering, and EPIC are committed to the safety of our students, faculty, and staff and are following safety protocols recommended by the University of North Carolina system. This includes any work currently being conducted in our labs. Photos used in this newsletter were either taken before COVID19 or with safety measures in place.
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| | EPIC team on weekly staff Zoom |
Message from Dr. Mazzola
This issue of the EPIC newsletter continues to showcase the different ways in which EPIC is leading the development of a resilient electric grid for the benefit of citizens in North Carolina and the nation. But the real story is the personal journey of resilience by the faculty, staff, and students at EPIC, no different than those of countless others around the world. My wife and I are personally thankful for the weddings of all three of my daughters in the last year and a half despite COVID. I am professionally thankful for my dedicated EPIC team, as illustrated by our "Hollywood Squares" Monday staff meeting produced online since March 2020. I am emotionally thankful our team experienced no tragedy during this time. But, most importantly, I am thankful for the hope brought by the miraculous development of a COVID vaccine likely already making its way to a friend or family member close to you. Please accept my sincerest wish for health and prosperity in this holiday season.
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US DOE Awards EPIC $3.6 million
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| | Dr. Badrul Chowdhury |
EPIC selected to negotiate a $3.6 million (federal share) award from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) to improve the resilience and reliability of the grid. Dr. Badrul Chowdhury is the principal investigator for the project.
As part of a collaborative effort among state government, utility companies, industry, and universities, this project will develop an advanced microgrid control architecture. It will be able to seamlessly coordinate with the bulk power grid at multiple points of common coupling, automatically balance load and generation, provide critical services (hospitals, emergency shelter, etc.) at a minimum, detect faulty conditions on a continuous basis, communicate with distributed energy resources, form networked microgrids with neighboring communities when needed, and maintain safe operating conditions at all times.
EPIC was selected as a part of the SETO Fiscal Year 2020 funding program, which is an effort to advance research and development projects to lower solar electricity costs, increase the competitiveness of American solar manufacturing and businesses, improve the reliability and resilience of the grid, and expand solar to new applications.
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EPIC presents at U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission workshop
Dr. Mike Mazzola and Dr. Tim Kernicky gave presentations at the first Nuclear Regulatory Commission sponsored workshop on Digital Twin Applications for Advanced Nuclear Technologies. Also sponsored by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the purpose of the workshop was to provide a forum for the nuclear industry and digital twin stakeholders to discuss the state of knowledge, and research activities related to digital twin and their application in the nuclear industry and
to assess the current understanding of digital twins and identify their potential benefits, opportunities, and challenges for nuclear reactors. It was a national audience.
Click here to view Dr. Mazzola's presentation.
Click here to view Dr. Kernicky's presentation.
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| | PARSG process steps |
Planning an Affordable, Resilient, and Sustainable Grid in North Carolina
The second stakeholder meeting for the Planning an Affordable, Resilient, and Sustainable Grid in North Carolina (PARSG) project was held on December 3, 2020. Almost 90 stakeholders participated in the meeting that included speakers from NC DEQ, New Hanover County, and EPIC. Sushma Masemore, deputy assistant secretary for Environment and State Energy director, provided information on previous work the state of North Carolina had completed regarding grid resilience and how that work ties into the current project. Dr. Robert Cox, associate director, EPIC, and Beth Schrader, Recovery and Resilience director, Office of Recovery and Resilience, New Hanover County, presented on the resilience assessment process the team conducted for New Hanover County that was based on Sandia National Laboratory's Resilience Analysis Process (RAP).
Stakeholders in each session had the opportunity to provide input and insights on the threats faced by the electric power grid in the different regions of North Carolina, the consequences of these events, and known vulnerabilities in the different regions, as well as potential solutions and challenges in achieving these solutions.
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| | Photo courtesy of Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) |
EPIC helping remote and island communities to reduce vulnerabilities
The Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) is a proud regional partner for the U.S. Dept. of Energy's (DOE) Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Program. CSI partnered with EPIC to help provide stakeholder engagement and outreach as a means to help remote and island communities better develop their energy resilience. If you are a community official interested in this program, please visit https://bit.ly/3mYHVBQ for more info and to apply.
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| | Flexible Energy Laboratory |
Ongoing research
EPIC is focused on research deliverables on an industrial client's schedule, and with dedicated full-time staff, EPIC can successfully tackle cross-cutting, multidisciplinary, extensive research projects. Below are a few updates on some of our research activities.
QM Power
The development of multiple 3-phase Q-Sync motor drive topologies continues in collaboration with QM Power. A detailed model-based design effort is providing a basis for comparative analysis of the various topologies seeking the highest efficiency, lowest complexity, variable speed drive capability for entry into a highly competitive market. A 50 hp motor dynamometer is under construction for the evaluation of hardware prototypes in a follow-on effort. The 50 hp dyno includes a power circulating regenerative brake, which enables the evaluation of high-power motors and drives while producing very little heat and low utility power consumption.
ORNL Intelligent Power Stages
In an effort led by EPIC faculty member Dr. Babak Parkideh a collaborative team of graduate students and EPIC, research staff are designing and fabricating a high-power density three-phase DC-AC grid-tied inverter. The inverter incorporates novel sensing capabilities, which enables system prognostic analysis in real-time. Applied to a hierarchical system, this extended capability enhances the reliability and resiliency of grid-scale power electronic power conditioning.
Hyperion
EPIC continues to support the development of very high-power density multi-functional DC-AC inverters for mobile micro-grid applications.
C-ion
EPIC is designing a desktop scale technology demonstrator of Carbon-ion energy storage.
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Are you listening?
EPIC has launched the podcast, Peak Demand! Each episode treats listeners to an in-depth conversation with energy experts, students, and UNC Charlotte faculty about policies, technologies, and trends in energy. Check it out at peak-demand.com or look for us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
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EPIC Affiliates news
Energy Concentration Stipends Awarded
In December 2020, the EPIC Affiliates Program, with matching funds from the Duke Energy Distinguished Power Engineering Systems Chair fund, awarded students a $150 stipend for enrolling and participating in the College of Engineering undergraduate Energy Concentrations. A total of $10,650 were awarded to 71 students. This program aims to continue awarding the Energy Concentration stipend to all eligible students annually, just before the winter break.
EPIC Innovator Competition
The 3rd EPIC Innovator competition is open for applications! The EPIC Innovator aims to identify and recognize entrepreneurial students with a focus on energy. Individuals or teams are invited to submit ideas, projects, technology concepts, or prototypes that they believe are worthy of further exploration and funding. EPIC Affiliates can become engaged with participants either as short-term reviewers of their work, longer-term mentors, financial supporters, early-term investors, as is deemed appropriate. All submissions need to be energy-related and only UNC Charlotte students are eligible. Applications are accepted until January 3, 2021. Awards
- 1st prize: $1,000
- 2nd prize: $500
- 3rd prize: $300
The program is generously sponsored by the EPIC Affiliates.
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CAPER update
CAPER Proposal Solicitation Announcement
The next annual CAPER Proposal Solicitation will begin December 20, 2020 with the deadline for submission on February 28, 2021. This research solicitation is intended for members of CAPER to form collaborative teams and submit research proposals that are consistent with the mission for CAPER, which is to advance, develop, and promote research related to the reliable and efficient management of the power grid, including modeling and analysis techniques for generation, transmission, and distribution planning and operation with and without presence of renewable energy resources. Project proposals are expected to align with the stated five research theme areas: Power Delivery Infrastructure and Systems, Power Utilization and Energy Efficiency, Power Generation, Storage and Integration, Data Management, Analytics and Security and Energy Policy, Markets and Economics. Solicitation invitations will be distributed to members accordingly.
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| | Diane Huis |
Member added to EPIC Advisory Board
EPIC is pleased to welcome Diane Huis as a member of the EPIC External Advisory Board. She is the Senior Vice President, Innovation and Business Development for the NC Electric Cooperatives, where she has worked for almost 20 years. In this role, she is responsible for working closely with the member cooperatives as well as the statewide team to identify and incorporate beneficial electrification opportunities in the areas of electric transportation, industry, agriculture and grid flexibility. Diane's previous experience with the NC Electric Cooperatives includes wholesale power supply resource planning and portfolio management, risk management, transmission planning and regulatory affairs.
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EPIC in the News
T&D World
Dr. Mike Mazzola authored an article in T&D World on the enormous potential and the challenges to come for integrating electric vehicles onto the grid. EPIC is helping to explore some interesting possibilities.
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Upcoming Events
CAPER 2021 Spring Tutorial and General Meeting
Date: March 25th - 26th, 2021
Theme: "Data Analytics for Utility Applications"
Hosted By: NC State University
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About EPIC: The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte, 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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