COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 21, 2009) —Tennessee Tech University is launching a new alternative/renewable energy curriculum and creating a new teaching laboratory to supply an exploding demand for energy engineers.

On the heels of receiving large Department of Energy research grants for wind generation and the Smart Grid, a new grid to deliver and distribute electricity, Tennessee Tech is offering new elective courses in wind, solar, nuclear, and ocean current distributed generation of electric power, as well as technologies for hybrid electric vehicles.

“Our university has long been recognized as a national center for power and energy systems research,” said Stephen Parke, TTU’s electrical and computer engineering department chairperson. “This new curriculum and lab keeps Tech on the cutting edge of alternative/renewable energy education and research in the United States.”

The new $500,000 teaching lab, to be located in Prescott Hall, has been named the EDGE Lab: Electronics, Drives, and Generators of Energy Lab. This new lab will support both traditional training in motors, generators, and power electronics as well as exploration of new alternative energy sources, including solar energy, wind energy and fuel cell systems.

The lab will allow TTU to offer a state-of-the-art approach to teaching distributed energy generation and the technologies for hybrid electric vehicles. It is a partnership between the university and several energy-related companies.

“We are anticipating exciting changes in the power industry and power engineering education,” said Parke. “Now this lab will allow us to build on the enthusiasm for green power generation and plug-in electric vehicles as we teach and conduct research.

“The EDGE Lab, to be housed near our Center for Energy Systems Research, allows us to bring research and teaching together for an integrated student experience,” added Parke.

The EDGE Lab will allow roof access for equipment associated with wind, solar and fuel cell research. It will house eight Lab-Volt energy training stations, valued at about $50,000 each. Lab-Volt is partnering with TTU by donating some of this equipment.

Ron Bird of DENSO Corp. in Athens, Tenn., recently presented TTU’s ECE Department with a $50,000 initial year donation for the lab as part of a four- year commitment by DENSO to help promote hybrid vehicle education at TTU to support the automotive industry in Tennessee.

TTU professors Mohamed Abdelrahman, Ali Alouani, Glenn Cunningham, David Gao, Satish Mahajan, Joseph Ojo, Ghadir Radman, and Arun Sekar are the primary developers of the new EDGE Lab and the new Alternative Energy curriculum. Partnerships with Tim Dean at Nashville State Community College as well with Sally Pardue, director of TTU’s new Oakley Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at TTU, have also been formed. Alterative energy systems generally require study across several engineering disciplines.

Each year, TTU offers senior engineering students an industry-mentored Capstone Design Team Project. Alouani led three teams of seniors to complete micro-solar, micro-hydro, and micro-wind generator design projects in May 2009 and delivered them to the sponsoring companies. This will continue from year to year, giving seniors experience in solving the practical problems of renewable energy generation and distribution. Private entrepreneurs and industries are welcomed to sponsor these projects.

“This new focus on alternative energy will allow us to prepare students for a rapidly growing job market in the green technologies of the 21st century,” said Parke. “The EDGE Lab will give us the facilities and equipment we need to stay on the leading edge.”

--Karen Lykins
This information posted 21 August 2009