GRAPES Adds International Site, RWTH Aachen University in Germany

Photo by Laura Fickett

From left, Roger Dougal, GRAPES co-director, University of South Carolina; Peter Luerkens, chief scientific officer FEN-MV, Aachen University; Alan Mantooth, GRAPES executive director, University of Arkansas; Jim Rankin, vice provost for research and economic development, University of Arkansas

The NSF Center for GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES) in the Department of Electrical Engineering has added an international site in Germany.

GRAPES works with government, industry and academia to accelerate the adoption and insertion of power electronics into the electric grid in order to improve system stability, flexibility, robustness, and economy.  It was founded in 2009 under the National Science Foundation's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center program.

GRAPES currently consists of 16 member organizations which come from commercial and government sectors of the economy. Within this center, engineering faculty from the University of Arkansas, the University of South Carolina, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and now RWTH Aachen University collaborate with members of industry to develop new technologies for advanced power electronic systems, develop new software and tools for controlling embedded- and grid-connected power electronics, and to educate engineers who understand the power electronic technologies that are important to our members.

The E.ON Energy Research Center at RWTH Aachen University is the result of a public-private partnership between industry and the scientific community. As one of the largest energy companies in Europe, E.ON SE has come together with the internationally renowned RWTH Aachen University in order to realize this unique project. Their main target is to research the potentials of energy savings, energy efficiency and sustainable energy supplies. At the same place, the Forschungscampus Flexible Electrical Networks, supported by the German government, is a university-industry consortium targeted to research in DC-based electrical grids for the full transition to renewable energy.

GRAPES is also currently working to add additional collaboration partnerships with research institutes in Mexico and South Korea.

For more information on GRAPES, contact Alan Mantooth, GRAPES executive director, mantooth@uark.edu.For more information on RWTH Aachen University, contact Rik DeDoncker, dedoncker@eonerc.rwth-aachen.de.