[an NSF Graduated Center] The modern human depends on an ever-updating array of electronic devices: smartphones, smart televisions, smart thermostats, computers, even electric cars. Yet the American electric grid that powers those devices has gone largely unchanged for decades. It still runs largely on sources that harm the environment and compromise national security. It still exposes consumers everywhere to outages anywhere and still has little capacity for tapping renewable energy sources. In 2008, the National Science Foundation chose NC State to lead an effort to create a modern power grid. At the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Engineering Research Center, universities from the United States have joined forces with industry partners to develop a more secure, sustainable environmentally friendly electric grid. At the FREEDM Center, we’re building the internet of energy: a network of distributed energy resources that intelligently manages power using secure communications and advanced power electronics. Our research priorities include power electronics packaging, controls theory, solid state transformers, fault isolation devices, and power systems simulation and demonstration.
Research Areas
At the FREEDM Systems Center, world-class scholars, industry-leading companies and high-performing students are working to modernize the electric grid and mold the generation of leaders who will make sustainable energy a fully integrated part of America’s energy mix.
Since our launch in 2008, we’ve pursued those aims by focusing first on the foundational science underpinning the FREEDM System and then by developing the technologies that will enable successful demonstration of the system. We study the nanoscale workings of power electronic devices, the macroscale dynamics of integrating fault-isolation systems, and everything in between.
In its first 10 years, the FREEDM Systems Center has developed three generations of solid-state transformers, fault-isolation devices and distributed energy storage devices to effectively manage the flow and storage of energy on the utility grid. Our faculty, working across disciplines, have published more than 200 papers and conference proceedings. Their projects have produced more than 100 invention disclosures and over 50 patents.
Startup companies have launched to commercialize some of the technology developed by FREEDM, and MIT Technology Review named our solid-state transformer one of the world’s 10 most innovative emerging technologies of 2011. More recently, we’ve developed an approach to pairing traditional silicon-based transistors with emerging wide bandgap semiconductors, tapping the best qualities of each device.
Facilities & Resources
FREEDM’s research extends from simulation to prototype development to lab testing to field deployment. Extensive power systems modeling capabilities include multiple RTDS, Opal RT, and Typhoon hardware in the loop simulators. The Center’s high bay lab offers a unique configuration for testing medium voltage equipment up to 15 kilovolts and 1 megawatt. The 40 kilowatt, rooftop PV array, outdoor equipment test pad, and vehicle charging stations are tied into the lab power system for easy addition as loads or sources. The high bay space is highly configurable and available to industry partners for confidentially evaluating their own equipment. View the video below to learn more. Simulation All research starts with simulation. Our faculty and students are adept at using multiphysics software to evaluate electrical, thermal and magnetic design impacts. In addition to traditional power system models of standard problems, we’re integrating results from multiple platforms to show the complete picture for real feeders on real grids. OpenDSS linked to CYME, RTDS linked to OPAL-RT and multiple connected FREEDM System grids? Done. Power Electronics Packaging Dr. Doug Hopkins assists a student in the PREES Lab. Dr. Doug Hopkins assists a student in the PREES Lab. Wide Band Gap semiconductors are opening new options for circuit design with higher voltages and higher switching frequencies. But these devices still require proper thermal management and electromagnetic isolation for optimal performance. We’re using 3D printing, UV curable resins, proprietary encapsulants and novel material combinations to design better packages for power electronics. All this and more happens in our Lab for Packaging Research in Electronic Energy Systems (PREES) where we use a Hesse Mechatronics High Precision Programmable Wire Bonder and a Torch Pick-and-Place Machine. Green Energy Hub Housed in the Keystone Science Center on NCSU’s Centennial Campus, this 12 kV loop rated for 1 MW has five connection nodes for demonstrating the full FREEDM system. This high bay lab space currently houses multiple projects and research areas but can also accommodate commercial products for testing and evaluation with the FREEDM plug and play design. Our hub also connects 40 kW of rooftop photovoltaics with four electric vehicle charging stations and an outdoor pad for evaluating the full range of renewable energy technologies. Real Time Digital Simulation FREEDM has two RTDS facilities, each with unique features. At Florida State University, we use a 14 rack system linked by fiber optics to multiple high power stations for conducting Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulations. Our EMS/SCADA incorporates Rockwell PLCs and SEL and Beckwith relays. This lab includes a motor drive testbed with a 5 megawatt, two stage gearbox capable of 24,000 rpm. This lab recently conducted HIL testing of the Generation 3 Solid State Transformer. NC State University is home to our other RTDS lab. In addition to various switches and relays that can be included in the system, we’ve also synchronized our RTDS units with our OPAL-RT system. Though smaller that the lab at FSU, we’re using the latest PB5 cards from RTDS and a 12 core, OP5600 rack from OPAL-RT. Using Modular Multilevel Converter topology, we’re simulating multi-terminal High Voltage DC systems. Both labs have been used to simulate implementation scenarios for the FREEDM System and provide feedback to technology designers for improving system performance. We’ve also used this equipment to help design the all-electric warship for the US Navy, solve grid stability issues for the Western Electric Coordinating Council and conduct research for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for the Department of Energy (ARPA-e).
Partner Organizations
North Carolina State University
Abbreviation |
FREEDM
|
Country |
United States
|
Region |
Americas
|
Primary Language |
English
|
Evidence of Intl Collaboration? |
|
Industry engagement required? |
Associated Funding Agencies |
Contact Name |
Iqbal Husain
|
Contact Title |
Director
|
Contact E-Mail |
iqbal_husain@ncsu.edu
|
Website |
|
General E-mail |
|
Phone |
(919) 513-3334
|
Address |
North Carolina State University
Campus Box 7571
Raleigh
NC
27695-7571
|
[an NSF Graduated Center] The modern human depends on an ever-updating array of electronic devices: smartphones, smart televisions, smart thermostats, computers, even electric cars. Yet the American electric grid that powers those devices has gone largely unchanged for decades. It still runs largely on sources that harm the environment and compromise national security. It still exposes consumers everywhere to outages anywhere and still has little capacity for tapping renewable energy sources. In 2008, the National Science Foundation chose NC State to lead an effort to create a modern power grid. At the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Engineering Research Center, universities from the United States have joined forces with industry partners to develop a more secure, sustainable environmentally friendly electric grid. At the FREEDM Center, we’re building the internet of energy: a network of distributed energy resources that intelligently manages power using secure communications and advanced power electronics. Our research priorities include power electronics packaging, controls theory, solid state transformers, fault isolation devices, and power systems simulation and demonstration.
Abbreviation |
FREEDM
|
Country |
United States
|
Region |
Americas
|
Primary Language |
English
|
Evidence of Intl Collaboration? |
|
Industry engagement required? |
Associated Funding Agencies |
Contact Name |
Iqbal Husain
|
Contact Title |
Director
|
Contact E-Mail |
iqbal_husain@ncsu.edu
|
Website |
|
General E-mail |
|
Phone |
(919) 513-3334
|
Address |
North Carolina State University
Campus Box 7571
Raleigh
NC
27695-7571
|
Research Areas
At the FREEDM Systems Center, world-class scholars, industry-leading companies and high-performing students are working to modernize the electric grid and mold the generation of leaders who will make sustainable energy a fully integrated part of America’s energy mix.
Since our launch in 2008, we’ve pursued those aims by focusing first on the foundational science underpinning the FREEDM System and then by developing the technologies that will enable successful demonstration of the system. We study the nanoscale workings of power electronic devices, the macroscale dynamics of integrating fault-isolation systems, and everything in between.
In its first 10 years, the FREEDM Systems Center has developed three generations of solid-state transformers, fault-isolation devices and distributed energy storage devices to effectively manage the flow and storage of energy on the utility grid. Our faculty, working across disciplines, have published more than 200 papers and conference proceedings. Their projects have produced more than 100 invention disclosures and over 50 patents.
Startup companies have launched to commercialize some of the technology developed by FREEDM, and MIT Technology Review named our solid-state transformer one of the world’s 10 most innovative emerging technologies of 2011. More recently, we’ve developed an approach to pairing traditional silicon-based transistors with emerging wide bandgap semiconductors, tapping the best qualities of each device.
Facilities & Resources
FREEDM’s research extends from simulation to prototype development to lab testing to field deployment. Extensive power systems modeling capabilities include multiple RTDS, Opal RT, and Typhoon hardware in the loop simulators. The Center’s high bay lab offers a unique configuration for testing medium voltage equipment up to 15 kilovolts and 1 megawatt. The 40 kilowatt, rooftop PV array, outdoor equipment test pad, and vehicle charging stations are tied into the lab power system for easy addition as loads or sources. The high bay space is highly configurable and available to industry partners for confidentially evaluating their own equipment. View the video below to learn more. Simulation All research starts with simulation. Our faculty and students are adept at using multiphysics software to evaluate electrical, thermal and magnetic design impacts. In addition to traditional power system models of standard problems, we’re integrating results from multiple platforms to show the complete picture for real feeders on real grids. OpenDSS linked to CYME, RTDS linked to OPAL-RT and multiple connected FREEDM System grids? Done. Power Electronics Packaging Dr. Doug Hopkins assists a student in the PREES Lab. Dr. Doug Hopkins assists a student in the PREES Lab. Wide Band Gap semiconductors are opening new options for circuit design with higher voltages and higher switching frequencies. But these devices still require proper thermal management and electromagnetic isolation for optimal performance. We’re using 3D printing, UV curable resins, proprietary encapsulants and novel material combinations to design better packages for power electronics. All this and more happens in our Lab for Packaging Research in Electronic Energy Systems (PREES) where we use a Hesse Mechatronics High Precision Programmable Wire Bonder and a Torch Pick-and-Place Machine. Green Energy Hub Housed in the Keystone Science Center on NCSU’s Centennial Campus, this 12 kV loop rated for 1 MW has five connection nodes for demonstrating the full FREEDM system. This high bay lab space currently houses multiple projects and research areas but can also accommodate commercial products for testing and evaluation with the FREEDM plug and play design. Our hub also connects 40 kW of rooftop photovoltaics with four electric vehicle charging stations and an outdoor pad for evaluating the full range of renewable energy technologies. Real Time Digital Simulation FREEDM has two RTDS facilities, each with unique features. At Florida State University, we use a 14 rack system linked by fiber optics to multiple high power stations for conducting Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulations. Our EMS/SCADA incorporates Rockwell PLCs and SEL and Beckwith relays. This lab includes a motor drive testbed with a 5 megawatt, two stage gearbox capable of 24,000 rpm. This lab recently conducted HIL testing of the Generation 3 Solid State Transformer. NC State University is home to our other RTDS lab. In addition to various switches and relays that can be included in the system, we’ve also synchronized our RTDS units with our OPAL-RT system. Though smaller that the lab at FSU, we’re using the latest PB5 cards from RTDS and a 12 core, OP5600 rack from OPAL-RT. Using Modular Multilevel Converter topology, we’re simulating multi-terminal High Voltage DC systems. Both labs have been used to simulate implementation scenarios for the FREEDM System and provide feedback to technology designers for improving system performance. We’ve also used this equipment to help design the all-electric warship for the US Navy, solve grid stability issues for the Western Electric Coordinating Council and conduct research for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for the Department of Energy (ARPA-e).
Partner Organizations
North Carolina State University