Research on clean energy and green vehicular systems

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Unprecedented high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which have been attributed, to a great extent, to excessive use of fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation, are believed to be the cause of climate change, in general, and global warming, in specific. The consequences are devastating and include droughts, floods, higher than usual temperatures, which threaten food crops and species, destroy habitats, and increase the incidence of diseases. The heavy environmental penalty of strong dependence on fossil fuels for energy, dwindling fossil fuel reserves and energy security concerns are the motivation behind seeking alternative approaches for powering vehicular systems and generating electricity. In an attempt to secure energy to fuel growth and prosperity in harmony with nature, the applicant proposes a research program which addresses both issues of transportation and electricity generation. The objectives of the proposed research program are to pursue new and improved system configurations, converter topologies, energy storage systems, control techniques and power management strategies for: (i) distributed electricity generation based on wind and solar energy, as well as microturbines and fuel cells, and (ii) vehicular systems (including battery-electric, hybrid electric and hybrid fuel cell vehicles). The goal is to improve efficiency of conversion and storage, as well as overall efficiency, to increase power transfer capability, reduce the initial cost, optimize performance, and boost reliability of these systems.