FASTEK International Ltd. Delivers Configurable Automated Test System (CATS) to University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) has taken delivery of a CATS-2000 electrical test system manufactured by Fastek International Ltd. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The CATS family of test equipment is a new product line for Fastek, which produced the devices on a custom basis in response to requests for proposals in the past.

CATS, which stands for Configurable Automated Test System, will provide automated and manual data acquisition, test analysis and post-processing for high voltage electrical power grid and protection devices from companies around the world whose devices are tested at NCREPT.

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NCREPT Directors Present at Zhejiang University, China

Prof. Juan Carlos Balda and Prof. Simon Ang gave the talk entitled “Power Electronic Research at the University of Arkansas” on June 7 at the Institute of Power Electronics at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China). The Institute of Power Electronics is one of the three key laboratories on power electronics that are funded by the Chinese Government and Zhejiang University is ranked #2 in China. As a result of this visit Prof. Dehong Xu, the director of the Institute, has been invited to visit UA in September. Conversations have started to investigate research topics of common interest.

Beyond Earth-friendly: How renewables will impact the grid?

Thanks in large part to innovative technologies, environmental awareness and government incentives, renewable energy generation will contribute a significant portion of the total power consumed in the U.S. sometime in the next decade. This raises an important question: How does today's grid have to evolve to accommodate an operational scenario in which a significant percentage - from 25% to perhaps as high as 50% - of the power being pumped into it depends on how hard and where the wind is blowing and the sun is shining?

The short answer is that the grid has to become more intelligent and evolve toward a more accommodating structure. It has to be capable of managing energy flow dynamically.

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Welcome from NCREPT Managing Director

Greetings to the members and supporters of the National Center for Reliable Power Transmission. As we prepare for the new Fall 2011 semester, I would like to encourage you to read our newsletter articles where you can see that we have been very active in the recruitment of students for college careers in Electrical Engineering. Our center serves as host to many tours for students, industrial managers and VIPs from all across the United States. We have the capability to support IEEE 1547 and UL1741 Standards Testing.
We are also the headquarters for the NSF Center for Grid-connected Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES). Our center partner is the University of South Carolina. The link to our website for GRAPES can be found below:

grapes.uark.edu

Thank you.

Dr. Simon Ang Named IEEE Fellow

Congratulations to Dr. Simon Ang, who was just named an IEEE Fellow! This is a prestigious honor reserved for IEEE members with an extraordinary record of accomplishments in one of the IEEE fields of interest. The total number selected in any one year does not exceed one-tenth of one percent of the total voting Institute membership.

Mayor Jordan Visits NCREPT Center

On Tuesday, June 22nd, Mayor Lioneld Jordan and Lindsley Smith, Communication Director for the City of Fayetteville, visited the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) to learn about various ongoing educational outreach projects happening at the facility. This was the first visit from the Mayor since the groundbreaking ceremony in October 2008.

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Smart and Smarter: Synchronizing the Smart Grid with Electric Cars and Hybrids

Coupled with a growing fleet of hybrid electric, and eventually fully electric, vehicles, the smart grid could save massive amounts of power, enable alternative energy and be a potent weapon in the fight against climate change. But the question of how best to integrate alternative energy options is tricky. Wind and solar are intermittent. Electric cars rely on an expensive battery and need time to power up. Maximizing alternative energy requires a new kind of intelligence and flexibility. Fortunately, that dynamic mix should soon be available in the form of a smart grid that’s able to deliver electricity with pinpoint efficiency. Electric vehicles will take in electricity when the rates are lowest. Even better is the possibility that such vehicles will then return electricity to the grid when it’s most needed.

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