The SPOT project is a completely student-designed and -implemented outdoors table retrofitted with solar panels used to charge an off-grid solar energy system. The plan is to provide students a space to sit and study outside while charging their devices (cellphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) using solar energy, and allow them to interact with solar energy […]
'Uncategorized' Category Archives
Securing Flight’s Clean Future with Cryogenics and Superconductivity
Joshua Feldman, a graduate student in Professor Kiruba Haran΄s research group, is currently working to solve a rather lofty problem… literally. They are addressing the uncertain outcome of airline travel in an envirocentric future by developing a superconducting motor with the help of cryogenics. The goal is to produce a fully superconducting motor with an […]
NASA Backs Development of Cryogenic Hydrogen System to Power All-Electric Aircraft – CHEETA
University of Illinois has announced that NASA is underwriting a project to develop a cryogenic hydrogen fuel cell system for powering all-electric aircraft. Funded by a three-year, US$6 million contract, the Center for Cryogenic High-Efficiency Electrical Technologies for Aircraft (CHEETA) will investigate the technology needed to produce a practical all-electric design to replace conventional fossil […]
Arijit Banerjee Wins the Ronald W. Pratt Teaching Award
The Ronald W. Pratt Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award recognizes Banerjee’s sustained excellence in undergraduate teaching and his guidance of undergraduate students. Faculty are nominated for the award by current and former students. The department then collects letters of recommendation from other ECE professors and colleagues, as well as from former students who have since moved […]
“Megawatt-Scale Power-Electronic-Integrated Generator with Controlled DC Output,” ARPA-E $2 Million Grant Awarded to Professors Arijit Banerjee, Alejandro Domínguez-García, George Gross and Kiruba Haran
High efficiency, power density, and reliability are critical in megawatt-class wind energy conversion systems. Operating over a limited speed range, the generator ac output is usually rectified first to dc, enabling subsequent connection to an electric grid. Conventional high-power ac-to-dc conversion architectures predominantly rely on using fully controlled power-electronic switches, making the system bulky, lossy, […]
The Illini Solar Car Team Won Fourth Place at the 2019 Formula Sun Grand Prix
Over the last year, the Illini Solar Car team has worked hard designing and manufacturing a second-generation vehicle. They improved its operations and competitiveness resulting in a fourth-place finish at the 2019 Formula Sun Grand Prix. This race marked a successful finish for the team’s first car, Argo, as it placed right behind three newer […]
GLEE – Girls Learning Electrical Engineering
For the last three years, Professors Arijit Banerjee and Subhonmesh Bose (Bose) have given interactive presentations on power systems and power conversion to sophomore through senior high school girls during GLEE summer camps held at the U of I. GLEE, a week-long program which showcases ECE, was created by and is coordinated by Professor Lynford […]
Breaking News – ECE Building Awarded LEED Platinum Certification
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering building at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been awarded LEED Platinum certification. ECE achieved this certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, sustainable construction and waste management, and indoor […]
Executive Dean Philip Krein Won the 2018 Zhejiang West Lake Friendship Award
On the afternoon of October 30, the 2018 ceremony of the Zhejiang government West Lake Friendship Award was held in the Great Hall of the People in Zhejiang. Prof. Philip Krein, Executive Dean of ZJUI, attended the ceremony on behalf of the awarded experts. Yuan Jiajun, Governor of Zhejiang province, welcomed them before the ceremony […]
PM-Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Motor as a Compressor Application
MS student Byung Hoon (BH) Min with advisor K. Haran The Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Electromechanics at the University of Illinois has been collaborating with Prof. Jian-Xin Shen of Zhejiang University (ZJU) on high-speed compressor motor research. BH Min spent one summer month at ZJU to interact with the ZJU team. During this […]