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Equity in the energy technology transition is new Institute’s goal

The Institute for Energy Solutions, which includes many ECE faculty, will continue U-M's 75-year legacy of leadership in energy research.

Streamlining home assessments for energy justice

In a partnership with Ecoworks, Pecan Street, and Jefferson East, Prof. Johanna Mathieu is helping create a better process for Detroit homes to benefit from decarbonization, electrification, and renewable energy integration.

Alireza Ramyar awarded Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship for his research on power processing architectures for improved sustainability

Ramyar’s research focuses on how power and energy can be transformed, extracted from clean power generation, and stored effectively and sustainably.

Anna Stuhlmacher awarded Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship for her research that could help integrate renewable energy sources into the power grid

Stuhlmacher is working to optimize the interaction between the power distribution network and the drinking water distribution network to improve the sustainability, flexibility, and resiliency of both systems.

Al-Thaddeus Avestruz receives CAREER Award to advance sustainable energy storage

Using retired electric vehicle batteries, the project plans to enable widespread and equitable access to sustainable power and energy through sustainable energy storage.

Optimizing the interactions between critical infrastructure systems for better flexibility, sustainability, and resiliency

PhD student Anna Stuhlmacher researches how the water distribution network can better provide services to the power network, which can allow for greater integration of renewable energy sources into the grid, reduce costs, and improve system resiliency.

New collaborative project for advancing energy justice in Detroit

In partnership with Detroit-based community organizations, Prof. Johanna Mathieu co-leads a team of researchers working to reduce disparities in household energy insecurity for low and moderate income households.

Three members of ECE will represent U-M at the 2021 Rising Stars in EECS Workshop

PhD students Sijia Geng, Bahareh Hadidian, and Nasimeh Heydaribeni will participate in the intensive workshop that brings together outstanding women and gender minorities interested in pursuing academic careers in EECS.

Sung Yul Chu wins IEEE Power Electronics Society PhD Thesis Talk Award

Chu is recognized for his research on wireless power transfer for electric vehicle charging.

Four ECE graduate students recognized by NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Four ECE doctoral students were selected for their outstanding research work in a variety of disciplines.

Sijia Geng receives Barbour Scholarship to further her research in renewable energy systems

Sijia is working to ensure the safety, stability and cost effectiveness of future power systems that are dominated by renewable resources, through fundamental studies of system operation.

U-M, community partners tackle energy insecurity in three Detroit neighborhoods

Johanna Mathieu is one of four principal investigators on a project to improve home energy efficiency and to lower monthly utility bills.

Johanna Mathieu receives 2020 Henry Russel Award

Mathieu is one of four U-M faculty members to receive this award, the university’s highest honor for early to mid-career faculty

Best paper award for optimizing wireless power transfer

Prof. Al-Thaddeus Avestruz and PhD student Xin Zan were honored at the IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition for their work improving the efficiency and reliability of wireless power transfer.

Ian Hiskens receives MA Sargent Medal for a career of excellence in electrical engineering

Ian Hiskens, Vennema Professor of Engineering, is a renowned expert in power system dynamics with a special focus on renewable energy and the grid.

‘Green methane’ from artificial photosynthesis could recycle CO2

A catalyst on a solar panel can make methane, the main component of natural gas, with carbon dioxide, water and sunlight.

Charging Ahead

Wireless charging is already taking hold. But imagine charging your home appliances or even your car without a single wire. Rackham electrical engineering student Xin Zan is working to make that—and more—a reality.

The National Academy of Engineering invites Prof. Johanna Mathieu to symposium to advance the engineering frontier

The symposium brings together 82 young engineers from different technical areas from around the country.

New DOE project aims to convert a traditional engine into a hybrid OP engine with the help of control algorithms

A new project funded by ARPA-E partners Achates Power and the University of Michigan in the development of a novel hybrid electric engine.

Xin Zan wins the Towner Prize for his work advancing wireless power transfer

PhD student Xin Zan is helping to free the world from cords, which could advance implantable medical devices, autonomous electric vehicles, and consumer electronics.

Md Salman Nazir works to improve the power grid and research papers

EECS-ECE PhD student Md Salman Nazir is recognized by the IEEE Transactions on Power Systems for his outstanding reviews of recent papers. He works at the Michigan Power and Energy Lab.

New research for the future of sustainable power and energy

Take a look at some of the exciting new projects that will help define the next evolution of sustainable power and energy.

Battery economics could power the future of energy

Prof. Johanna Mathieu of EECS and Prof. Catherine Hausman of Public Policy are heading a new project to explore the social costs and benefits of battery energy storage on the electrical grid.

How air conditioners could advance a renewable power grid

In an approach that won’t disrupt consumers, researchers will tackle two of the biggest issues in the energy industry.

Johanna Mathieu receives NSF CAREER Award to help build a smarter, more sustainable grid

Mathieu will develop optimization and control methods to leverage the flexibility available from distributed energy resources.

Johanna Mathieu receives Ernest and Bettine Kuh Distinguished Faculty Award

The award recognizes Mathieu’s outstanding teaching, research, and service in the area of power and energy.

Blue Sky and Research Accelerator Initiatives fund solar fuel and high-power research

Blue Sky: Up to $10M toward research so bold, some of it just might fail

Inspired by startup funding models, Michigan Engineering reinvents its internal R&D grant structure.

Xin Zan wins two awards for wireless power transfer research

New research into implanted medical devices and peer-to-peer charging.

Mengqi Yao receives High Quality Paper Award at PowerTech Conference

In recognition of demand response research.

Stephanie Crocker Ross receives Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship

Dissertation recognized as unusually creative, ambitious and impactful.

Sijia Geng awarded Towner Prize for Distinguished Academic Achievement

A PhD student in electrical engineering, Geng researches trajectory sensitivity and renewable energy in microgrids.

Game theory for electric vehicle charging

Seed-sized U-M computers pumped into oil wells featured at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

Millimeter-sized computers log the temperature and pressure from deep within oil wells.

Using University of Michigan buildings as batteries

How a building’s thermal energy can help the power grid accommodate more renewable energy sources.

Anna Stuhlmacher: Power to change the world

Anna Stuhlmacher, PhD in electrical engineering, is looking for ways to change the world through power and energy.

MICDE grant funds renewable power research

Prof. Mathieu is partnering with IOE faculty to improve the nation’s grid system

EE student Leonard Kapiloff earns PES scholarship to support studies in secure, sustainable grid

This $2000 scholarship recognizes outstanding students committed to exploring the power and energy field. Leonard wants to work in the energy industry towards a more sustainable and secure electric grid.

Solving the “Christmas light” problem so solar panels can handle shade

Just 10 percent shade cover can drop electricity production by 50 percent. A new U-M-led project aims to change that.

Solar power plant: $1.4M grant aims to cut costs

With the help of the grant, improved devices, in combination with a new coating from a U-M engineering lab, could make concentrated solar power cheaper and more efficient.

Stephen Forrest Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Membership in the NAS is one of the highest distinctions for a scientist or engineer in the United States.

Lights Out

The power goes out. The aurorae stretch to the tropics. Could a major solar storm mean a year without electricity?

New method for building a low-cost, high-performance electric machine and drive could result in huge energy savings

Prof. Hofmann intends to design, build and test a 30kW brushless, self-excited synchronous field winding prototype machine that overcomes the weaknesses of the current technology.

Modernizing the nation’s electric grid for alternative energy

“We are proposing an integrated solution that will combine the construction of well-positioned storage facilities that will route excess energy to where it needs to be.”

Connor Field — Growing energy on a solar farm

“Energy will be the major concern in the United States for my generation,” Connor says. “Now is the time to research and invest in the technologies that will power our future.”

Prof. Hiskens receives stim money for wind energy

The grant is to be used to develop new techniques for assessing the impact of wind generation on power system voltage control and transient stability.