Phase II Grant Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) for GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES), University of Arkansas

GRid连接的先进电力电子系统（GRAPES）中心（grapes.uark.edu）专注于研究和开发21世纪世纪现代化电网的工具，技术和设计。该中心由阿肯色州大学（UA）领导，有两个国内合作机构：南卡罗来纳州大学和威斯康星州密尔沃基大学。GRAPES中心将重点关注可再生能源整合、微电网硬件和控制以及快速功率调节和保护设备等问题，这些问题构成了21世纪世纪电网的基础。这项工作将通过提高电网的可靠性和效率影响美国数百万人，从而降低温室气体排放。该中心将充分利用已建成的国家级配电级电力电子设备测试和评估设施。这将使研究结果得到验证，并加速将新的固态设备插入电网。GRAPES将培训学生开发和管理下一代电力系统，从而帮助缓解电力工程师的短缺。GRAPES将继续建立新的课程，将研究与教育相结合，培养学生不仅具有竞争力，而且拥有独特的技能和知识。电力电子能够整合可再生能源，如太阳能和风能，能源存储，新的电网架构更能抵御自然和人为攻击，提高效率，所有这些都减少了温室气体排放，同时提高了国家的能源安全。一个由行业咨询委员会指导的高素质学术研究人员团队，在电力系统和电力电子，电子封装，半导体器件建模和控制方面拥有丰富的经验，将专注于并网电力电子设备的设计，开发和评估。这些设备的例子包括先进的固态变压器，微电网控制方法，用于交流和直流配电的新型保护设备，在将可再生资源与电网连接时提高效率的新型转换器架构，以及用于高压应用的新型电子封装和用于电力电子系统高级分析的半导体器件模型等基础技术。在每一种情况下，项目都由中心的行业成员选择和指导，以确保在组件开发，设备开发或电力行业的新操作方法方面对行业产生最大的相关性和影响。

The GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES) center (https://grapes.uark.edu) is focused on research and development of the tools, technologies, and designs of the 21st century modernized electric power grid. This center is led by the University of Arkansas (UA) with two domestic partner institutions: the University of South Carolina and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. The GRAPES center will focus on issues involving renewable integration, microgrid hardware and controls, and fast-acting power conditioning and protection devices that form the basis of the 21st century electric power grid. This work will impact millions in the U.S. through enhanced grid reliability and efficiency, thus lower greenhouse gas emissions. The Center will make full use of an established national-caliber facility for test and evaluation of distribution-level power electronic equipment. This will enable validation of research findings and accelerated insertion of new solid-state equipment into the power grid. GRAPES will train students to develop and manage the next generation of power systems, thereby helping to mitigate the shortage of power engineers. GRAPES will continue to establish new courses that will integrate research with education to produce students not just competitive, but superlative in their ownership of unique skills and knowledge.Power electronics enables the integration of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, energy storage, new grid architectures more resilient to natural and man-made attack, and greater efficiency, all of which reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving energy security for the nation. A team of highly qualified academic researchers, guided by an industry advisory board, with extensive experience in power systems and power electronics, electronic packaging, semiconductor device modeling, and controls will focus on the design, development, and evaluation of grid-connected power electronic equipment. Examples of such equipment include advanced solid-state transformers, microgrid control methods, novel protection equipment for both ac and dc power distribution, new converter architectures that promote higher efficiencies when interfacing renewable resources to the grid, and fundamental technologies such as new electronic packaging for high voltage applications and semiconductor device models for advanced analysis of power electronic systems. In every case, projects are selected and guided by the industry members of the center to ensure maximum relevance and impact to the industry in either component development, equipment development, or new operational methods for the electric power industry.