Science and Enterprise

Tag: smart grid

  • UCLA, Korean Institute Collaborate on Smart Grid R&D

    The engineering school at University of California at Los Angeles and the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) have begun a 10-year partnership to collaborate on smart-grid research and the development of new related technologies. The project, funded on the U.S. side by the Department of Energy and the Los Angeles Department of Water and…

  • Report: Electrical Grid Needs Technology, Regulatory Changes

    The electrical power grid in the U.S. faces significant changes in technology over the next two decades, says a new report from the MIT Energy Initiative, but the grid also needs regulatory, economic, and security upgrades to meet these changes. The authors — 13 MIT faculty members plus one author from Harvard — discussed the…

  • Report: Research Triangle Becoming Smart-Grid R&D Cluster

    A new report by Duke University’s Center for Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness (CGGC) assesses the capabilities of North Carolina, particularly the 13-county Research Triangle region, to serve as a hub for developing advanced technologies to better manage electrical power. A smart grid, as this collection of technologies is called, promises to make the outdated U.S.…

  • ARPA-E to Fund $130 Million for New Energy R&D

    The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced the availability of funding of five new research areas in its fourth round of grants for new energy technologies. The projects to be funded will involve rare earth alternatives, biofuels, thermal storage, grid controls, and solar power electronics. ARPA-E is modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency…

  • Engineers Research Grid Upgrades to Handle More DC Power

    Engineers at University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania have begun research on upgrades needed in the U.S. electrical grid to better integrate direct current (DC) power in an infrastructure designed for alternating current (AC). Funding for the project includes a recent $600,000 support grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, as well…

  • ABB, GM to Research Spent Car Batteries for Grid Storage

    ABB, a developer of power and automation technologies in Cary, North Carolina, and General Motors will collaborate in a research and development project focused on uses for electric vehicle batteries once their useful life in the vehicle is over. The project will examine the reuse of spent lithium-ion battery packs from GM’s Chevy Volt, as…

  • GE Leads $200 Million Smart Grid Challenge

    GE and four venture capital companies unveiled a $200 million innovation challenge for ideas to improve and accelerate a smarter and more efficient electrical grid. The challenge is open to ideas from individuals or teams in business or other sectors. The ideas sought from challenge participants cover three broad themes … Renewable energy Grid efficiency…

  • Semiconductor Partnership to Focus on Energy Technologies

    Semiconductor Research Corporation, a university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies has established a $5 million industry-university partnership to bring new energy systems and technologies to the marketplace. Founding industry members include ABB, Applied Materials, Bosch, First Solar, IBM, Nexans and Tokyo Electron. The new Energy Research Initiative will team companies from semiconductors and related…