College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Cyclone Engineers selected to lead $12-million Dept. of Energy project to build rural Iowa’s first ‘microgrid’

The $11.9 million investment would provide Montezuma with a microgrid, a small-scale electricity network that can operate as an independent system or can be connected to the larger grid.

Electric Power Research Center: Sixty years of aiding industry, preparing students, inventing solutions

The Electric Power Research Center began in 1963 as the Power Affiliates Program. Its mission was to “advance research and graduate education in electric power systems and strengthen industry ties.”

Growing crops in a solar farm’s footprint

A new Iowa State University research project will explore how to grow crops and keep bees amid solar panels. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, most of the research will be conducted a few miles south of Ames, where Alliant Energy plans to begin construction in April on a 1.35 megawatt solar farm.

Designing tomorrow’s wind energy innovations in Collegiate Wind Competition 

Cyclone Engineering’s Wind Energy team is on their way to compete in Phase 2 of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2023 Collegiate Wind Competition. The Iowa State student group was selected as one of the 13 teams to compete in designing and building a prototype wind turbine, designing an offshore wind farm and presenting about wind energy careers and outreach.

Iowa State selected for Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS) funding program

The Foundational Agrivoltaic Research for Megawatt Scale (FARMS) funding program examines how agrivoltaics can provide new economic opportunities to farmers, rural communities, and the solar industry.

Opportunities for seed grants to support student research on the topic of agrivoltaics

The Agriculture and Solar Together: Research Opportunities (ASTRO) advisory group members come from across the United States and represent leading solar industry partners, state agencies, and other organizations focused on research, food and agricultural, and the environment. 

Zhaoyu Wang featured by ISU Foundation for advancing Iowa State as a world leader

Zhaoyu Wang, a former Harpole-Pentair Assistant Professor and currently the Northrop Grumman Associate Professor in electrical and computer engineering, knows America’s aging power grids are not prepared for the peril posed by climate change and cyberattacks. It’s one of America’s most pressing energy and infrastructure issues, for which Wang is seeking solutions through Department of Energy-funded research on microgrids.

Macrogrid study: Big value in connecting America’s eastern and western power grids

A “macrogrid” that increases the electricity moving between America’s Eastern and Western interconnections, two of the biggest power grids on the planet, would more than pay for itself, according to research papers published this summer and fall by the Interconnections Seam Study. An Iowa State research team developed computer models for the study.

Iowa State, Illinois cybersecurity experts working to protect region’s infrastructure

Cybersecurity experts from Iowa State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are working to build a coalition that will train and educate a workforce capable of defending critical infrastructure, including energy providers, from computer attacks. A two-year, $2 million grant from the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, a part of the National Security Agency, will support the project.

EPRC Student Scoop: Jinqiang Liu

During his time at Iowa State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate student Jinqiang Liu has collaborated with multiple individuals to help develop a solar crate. The Electric Power Research Center (EPRC) at Iowa State has received a grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority to develop a solar power crate to be installed at …Continue reading “EPRC Student Scoop: Jinqiang Liu”

Tapping smart meters’ potential for grid resilience: Zhaoyu Wang receives NSF CAREER award

Zhaoyu Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been selected for the 2021 National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER). CAREER awards are the NSF’s most prestigious awards given to early-career faculty. The program aims to build a firm foundation for leadership in integrating research and education. Problem: Enhanced electric grid …Continue reading “Tapping smart meters’ potential for grid resilience: Zhaoyu Wang receives NSF CAREER award”

Loading...