ENE 273 Renewable Energy and Smart Grids
This course explores broadly renewable energy systems and smart grids. Technical and operational principles of the modern electric grids will be introduced, followed by an overview of various energy sources from fossil-fuel generators to photovoltaic systems. The intermittency of renewable energy systems and its impact on the electric grid will be discussed together with its potential solutions: energy storage systems and demand response techniques. Emerging techniques, such as micro-grids and plug-in-electric vehicles will be reviewed. Economics and public-policy issues will be explored.
ENE 373 Electric Power: From Electronics to the Grid
This course provides a broad overview of power electronics and smart grids. We introduce the connection between Watts and Bytes in intelligently controlled power electronics and smart energy systems, develop a fundamental understanding about power electronics from devices, circuits, systems to control, and review operation principles of the modern energy systems from power generation, transmission, to utilization. Numerous examples will be presented, including power electronics for renewable energy systems, information systems, robotics, and transportation electrification. Students build a real power converter at the end of the course. Problem sets every other week.
ECE 481 Principls of Power Electronics
Power electronics circuits are critical building blocks in a wide range of applications, ranging from mW-scale portable devices, W-scale telecom servers, kW-scale motor drives, to MW-scale solar farms. This course is a design-oriented course and will present fundamental principles of power electronics. Topics include: 1) circuit elements;2) circuit topology; 3) system modeling and control; 4) design methods and practical techniques. Numerous design examples will be presented in the class, such as solar inverters, data center power supplies, radio-frequency power amplifiers, and wireless power transfer systems.
ECE 581 Advanced Power Electronics
This course presents fundamental principles and design techniques of power electronics. Topics include 1) circuit elements: semiconductor devices, magnetic components, and filters; 2) circuit topology: canonical switching cells of power converters, inverters, rectifiers, dc-dc converters and ac-dc converters; 3) system modeling and control: small signal modeling, feedback control and system stability analysis; 4) design methods: gate drive, magnetic optimization, electromagnetic interference and thermal management. Numerous practical design examples are presented in class.