Qiao gains NSF grant for symposium on wind applications

Wei Qiao, assistant professor of electrical engineering, was awarded a grant of $5,100 from the National Science Foundation in support of the first IEEE Symposium on Power Electronics and Machines in Wind Applications (PEMWA 2009): June 24-26 in Lincoln. This new symposium is led by the IEEE Power Electronics Society, IEEE Power and Energy Society, Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research (NCESR), and Nebraska Wind Applications Center (NWAC), and is under the direction of Qiao, as well as Jerry Hudgins, EE professor and chair, and Dean Patterson, visiting professor.

Symposium themes include generator design, control of wind turbine induction and permanent magnet generators, power electronics converter topologies for wind turbine systems, modeling and simulation of wind power converters, residential applications and other small wind turbine systems, low wind-speed technologies, wind forecasting for siting and dispatching of distributed generation sources, islanding and protection capabilities, grid connection issues, energy storage technologies for use with wind generating sources, and rural development associated with wind applications.

This funding is intended to partially support travel and registration expenses for a selected group of students and junior faculty to attend the symposium.