Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced at least four new courses will be added to expand the scope of the Electrical Power Engineering(EPE) Master’s program in the coming academic year.

The EPE program is function-oriented and innovative on relevant industrial development.The applications focus on new research topics for renewable energy, electric vehicles, modern power systems, smart grid with emphasis on power electronic applications for grid interface, distribution and transmission level integration, and interconnections. The program dedicates its research towards developing Abu Dhabi’s future power systems.

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said: “Our academic programs contribute to enhancing specific skills sets ofstudents in clean energy and sustainable technologies. We aim to create the leaders of tomorrow with capabilities to manage smart power grids and intelligent transportsystems, as directed by the country’s leadership. Expansion of existing programs will further strengthen our interdisciplinary course offerings, while providing wider options for students to select their area of academic pursuit.”

Over the last year, the EPE faculty and students have presented a record 18 papers at major international conferences and reviewed more than 100 journal submissions, while the expertise of the Masdar EPE has been recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) societies, including industrial electronics, power electronics and power & energy systems.

Dr. Hatem Zeineldin, Head ofElectrical Power Engineering, said: “The accomplishments of the EPE program can be measured by the publications and international conference appearance. Since September 2011, among four EPE faculty members, 15 peer-reviewed journal papers have been published and accepted by the renowned international journals, including 13 IEEE transactions. These were in addition to a US patent that aims to bridge the R&D technology development on smart grid and renewable energy systemsthat remain relevant to Abu Dhabi’sfuture energy plan.”

“Illustrating the extent of the program’s success were the IEEE transactions that are considered the top journals in the area of electrical and electronic engineering. Considering the publication ratio per capita per year and the size of EPE including four faculties, the EPE program at Masdar Institute is among the top ones available in the world today.”

The EPE program gains relevance following ananalysis from Frost & Sullivan’s Global Smart Grid Market Research report which has found that the market earned revenues of US$23.97 billion in 2010 that are estimated to reach US$125.15 billion by 2017. At the same time, the cumulative smart grid technology markets of China, Japan, and South Korea are currently valued at nearly US$8.5 billion, with another firm GTM Research forecasting that the value is expected to grow to US$19 billion by 2016.

Smart grids reflect only one aspect of the ambit of the EPE program, which additionally include technologies in other areas such as electric vehicles (EVs), advanced wind energy systems, and power system control, as well as large-scale demonstration of innovative transmission system integration and operation solutions for integrating large scale renewable energy systems.

The invitations extended by international bodies to serveon organization committees and technical session chairs further suggest the renowned status of the EPE faculty. Dr. Vinod Khadkikar was the technical chair,while Dr. Hatem Zeineldin chairedthe session‘Power Electronics-II’ at the second International Conference on Electric Power and Energy Conversion Systems (EPECS2011), at Sharjah, UAE.

Dr. Weidong Xiao was one of the committee members organizing the 21st IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE2012), in Hangzhou, China. He served both as the tutorial chair and technical session chair in May 2012. Prof. Mohamed El Moursiwas assigned for the GCC CIGRE Technical Study committee on “System Performance Development and Renewable Energy”.

Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

 

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