ECE Department
University of Colorado
Boulder
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Energy Program | |||||
ECE Department |
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Renewable Energy and Power Electronics
As the society moves away from the overwhelming dependence on fossil fuels towards more sustainable and environmentally friendlier alternatives, the need for Electrical Engineers ready to take on new challenges and bring innovations to present and future energy systems is expected to grow. The goals of the ECE Department's Energy Program are to address the growing interests and technical engineering needs in renewable energy sources and efficient energy utilization.
Curriculum
The Energy Program curriculum relies on and complements the EE core. Courses offered are:
Introduction to present and future electrical power systems, including renewable power sources, interface to the utility grid, and efficient utilization of power. The major topics covered are: the nation's electrical power system, photovoltaic power systems, wind power systems, hybrid and electric vehicles, energy efficiency in buildings, lighting, HVAC, computer systems.
Architectures, block diagrams, and operation of electromechanical systems. Energy system components, including renewable energy sources, controllers, power electronic circuits, inductors, transformers, rotating/linear machines (motors and generators), and mechanical loads.
High-frequency, high efficiency electronic power converters for control of energy. Topics include circuit operation, steady-state converter modeling and analysis, switch realization, discontinuous conduction mode, transformer-isolated converters, converter control systems including ac modeling of converters using averaged methods, small-signal transfer functions, and feedback loop design; design of inductors and transformers for switched-mode converters.
Hands-on design, construction and testing of a photovoltaic power system, including solar panels, battery storage, and power electronics: switched-mode power converters for peak power tracking and battery charge control, dc-dc voltage step-up converters, and dc-to-ac inverters.
Efficient electric drives: induction and synchronous motors and generators, power electronic rectifiers and inverters, controls of drives.
Other recommended courses
Relevant recommended supporting ECE courses include:
Graduate program
The ECE Department hosts the Colorado Power Electronics Center (CoPEC), one of the leading research programs in power electronics and mixed-signal integrated circuit design for applications involving management or intelligent control of energy. Numerious research projects are supported by CoPEC industrial sponsors and agencies such as NSF, DARPA, DOE, DOEd. Courses offered include:
High-frequency, high efficiency pulse-width modulated switched-mode dc-dc converters: circuit operation, steady-state converter modeling and analysis, switch realization, discontinuous conduction mode, transformer-isolated converters, converter control systems including ac modeling of converters using averaged methods, small-signal transfer functions, and feedback loop design; design of inductors and transformers for switched-mode converters.
Hands-on design, construction and testing of power electronics systems, including interface to a photovoltaic power system containing solar panels, battery storage, and power electronics: switched-mode power converters for peak power tracking and battery charge control, dc-dc voltage step-up converters, and dc-to-ac inverters. Includes a converter design project of greater depth than in ECEN 4517.
Advanced modeling and control topics in power electronics, and power factor corrected supplies. Averaged switch modeling of converters, ac modeling of the discontinuous conduction mode, the current programmed mode, null double injection techniques in linear circuits, input filter design, harmonics in power systems, and low-harmonic rectifiers.
Resonant and soft-switching techniques to improve efficiency of power conversion electronics. Resonant converters and inverters, and soft switching. Approximate frequency-domain methods, and "exact" time-domain (state-plane) analysis methods. Up-to-date zero-voltage switching techniques for dc-dc converters. High frequency inverters for electronic lighting systems and other applications.
Fundamentals of analog IC design and CAD layout, beginning with CMOS device modeling and continuing through multi-stage CMOS operational amplifier design, layout, and verification.
Advanced topics in analog design for custom mixed-signal ICs, including data converters, sampling effects, sampled-data analog techniques, and layout issues. Addresses system integration issues of digital (Verilog/VHDL) and analog circuitry. Includes Final Project on the development of a complete mixed-signal IC from concept to CAD layout. Opportunities for fabrication of designs in Summer and Fall for research or independant study.
Effects of changes in the structure of the electric utility system caused by distributed generation or co-generation involving deployment of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Topics covered include load forecasting, load and frequency control approaches, power flow issues, and energy storage techniques.
Faculty