Federal Stimulus Money Aids College Research, Teaching in Energy
Two Ohio State College of Engineering professors will advance their energy-related teaching and research with more than $6 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy.
S.T. Yang, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is working with Robert Tabita, professor of microbiology, natural resources, and plant cellular and molecular biology, and scientists at Battelle to develop butanol, an alternative fuel to gasoline; Jin Wang, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, will lead a project to train the next generation of power engineers on smart grid technologies.
The project by Tabita, Yang and Battelle received $3.9 million in federal stimulus funds through a program called Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). These funds will be used for an industrially scalable bioreactor approach to incorporate genetically engineered bacteria that metabolizes carbon dioxide, oxygen, and hydrogen to produce butanol. The team anticipates at least a twofold productivity improvement over current levels and a cost that can be competitive with gasoline.
“This novel approach can create an energy-dense liquid fuel supply without using petroleum, and thus can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, as well as reducing carbon emissions,” said Caroline Whitacre, Ohio State’s vice president for research. “This collaborative project between The Ohio State University and Battelle brings the strengths of both organizations together to address one of the globe’s most pressing issues.”
Yang also is developing methods to produce butanol from biomass rather than from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. With support from a $1 million grant from Ohio Department of Development Third Frontier Advanced Energy Program, Yang partnered with ButylFuel, a start-up company, to build a pilot plant that improves on the conventional method for brewing butanol in a bacterial fermentation tank.
ARPA-E uses $400 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund projects that will develop transformational technologies that reduce America’s dependence on foreign energy imports; reduce U.S. energy related emissions (including greenhouse gasses); improve energy efficiency across all sectors of the U.S. economy and ensure that the U.S. maintains its leadership in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. Yang’s funding was part of $106 million announced recently for 37 ambitious research projects that could fundamentally change the way the country uses and produces energy.
Wang is using his $2.5 million award from the energy department’s Strategic Training and Education in Power Systems initiative to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum, called I-SMART: Integrated Curriculum for Smart Power Engineering, to train the next generation of power engineers on smart grid technologies. The curriculum will include a hardware-in-the-loop based Virtual Smart Grid Test Platform, which will simulate the functions of a real smart grid in an integrative environment. In addition to the I-Smart Curriculum, a comprehensive distance learning system will be implemented, allowing both new engineers and current technicians to learn about smart grid technologies. The project will also include a hands-on summer workshop for high school teachers and provide classroom materials. Wang is planning to offer some of the new courses next spring; most will be offered beginning fall quarter 2011.
“The drive to implement smart grid technologies and overlay the existing electrical grid with an information and monitoring system presents a great challenge and opportunity for power engineers,” Wang said. “This grant supports our efforts to provide students with the latest skills and training necessary to be at the forefront of those efforts.”
Wang supervises Ohio State’s High Voltage and Power Electonics Laboratory, one of only a handful of high voltage laboratories operated by a university. He conducts research in the areas of power electronics circuits and control, high voltage engineering, integration of renewable energy sources, flexible ac transmission, and all types of power electronics applications in hybrid electric vehicles.
The grant supporting Wang’s work is part of the nearly $100 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds awarded nationwide in smart grid workforce training and development to help prepare the next generation of workers in the utility and electrical manufacturing industries. These projects will leverage more than $95 million in funding from community colleges, universities, utilities and manufacturers to develop and implement programs estimated to train approximately 30,000 Americans. These workers will help to modernize the nation’s electrical grid and implement smart grid technologies in communities across the country.
