CPES : 10-Year Progress Report

A major strength of CPES is its ability to use a wealth of existing resources and industrial collaboration. Virginia Tech, the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW), and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) are the nation’s leaders in power electronics and advanced power semiconductor materials and devices. These three universities have combined forces with North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) and the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM), which are institutions with solid reputations in the quality of their undergraduate engineering programs as well as their power electronics and related research. Virginia Tech brings expertise in high-frequency power conversion devices and circuit technologies, power electronics packaging, and systems integration. The University of Wisconsin has expertise in industrial and utility-grade power conversion, electric machines and motor drives, and industrial controls. RPI’s expertise involves novel discrete power semiconductor materials, process techniques, power devices, and smart power ICs. North Carolina A&T contributes knowledge of nonlinear control, neural networks, and fuzzy logic-based intelligent control, and the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez has expertise in controls and electric machines. The resources and expertise of researchers from each of these institutions have contributed to the success of the Center. CPES industry members have been the critical key in our success. From the beginning, industry members have been enthusiastic and involved, helping shape goals and contributing to the management of the ERC. Since 1998, CPES research goals have evolved and the collaborations with industry and university researchers have strengthened. CPES succeeded in changing the technology of power electronics, while increasing knowledge and participation in the field. As we graduate from the NSF ERC program, we look forward to building on our global collaboration and changing the way electricity is used.