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Power Electronics Research Centre (PERC)

PERC is hosting 24th – 27th June 2014
5th International Symposium on Power Electronics for Distributed Generation Systems

The Power Electronics Research Centre was established in 1992 in a partnership between Government, Industry and the University Sector. The Centre is based in a 60 m² facility in the new Engineering Building of NUI Galway. The laboratory has over €500,000 worth of state of the art test and measurement equipment.

OBJECTIVES OF PERC

The aim of the Centre is to foster links with industry by transferring technology from a strong research base in the University to the wider community. The Centre is now involved in a number of new areas of research activities: automotive electronics; sensor technology; battery management, and power harvesting. Collaborations have been established with the Automotive Consortium at the Massachusetts Institutes of Technology; the Czech Technical University of Prague, Harbin University, China, Zhejiang University, China and the Tyndall Institute, Cork.

Research opportunities

Funding opportunities include the Irish Research Council schemes, which provide Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships for suitably qualified students to pursue postgraduate research. “The Council funds excellent researchers across all disciplines and encourages interdisciplinary research and engagement with enterprise. The Council aims to support an expertise-driven research system in order to enhance Ireland’s innovation capacity and skills base in a rapidly changing global environment where knowledge is key to economic, social and cultural development. The Council is further committed to facilitating the integration of Irish researchers in all disciplines within the European Research Area.” Calls for these schemes are distributed throughout the year. Details of the latest calls and more information are available at http://www.irchss.ie/.

Current areas of interest in PERC include:
    - High frequency magnetics
    - Improved light-load efficiency of power supplies for computing and other DC loads
    - Applications of wearable power generators & wireless power systems
    - Resonant converters
If you are interested in these or any of the research areas described in the PERC website, please contact Prof. Ger Hurley or Dr. Maeve Duffy.

NEWS

Middlebrook Outstanding Technical Achievement Award

This award was established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in the U.S.A. to honour innovators in the field of power electronics. Professor Hurley received the 2013 award to acknowledge his pioneering contributions to high frequency magnetic design, modelling of magnetic components and analysis of planar magnetic devices for power electronic applications, work that formed the basis for charging platforms for smart phones.
[ read more]

New Power Electronics Book

A new book on power electronics called Transformers and Inductors for Power Electronics: Theory, Design and Applications, co-authored by PERC academics Professor Ger Hurley and Dr. Werner Wölfle, was launched in April 2013 by NUI Galway president, Dr. Jim Browne. The book is a comprehensive reference for students and professional engineers working with power supplies and energy conversion systems who want to update their knowledge on a field that has progressed considerably in recent years. [ read more]

Pictured Professor Ger Hurley, President of NUI Galway, Dr. James J. Browne and Dr. Werner Wölfle

Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Visits Power Electronics Lab

Taoiseach Enda Kenny T.D. visited the Power Electronics Research Centre in July 2011. He was briefed on recent activities including battery charging and wireless charging. Photo shows Dr. Maeve Duffy explaining developments in Planar Magnetics for wireless charging to Taoiseach and Dr. James Brown, President of NUI Galway.

Minister officially launches Energy Systems Programme at NUI Galway

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan T.D. officially launched the B.E. Programme in Energy Systems Engineering.

The new course, which is based in the new Engineering Building, has been developed in partnership with key members of the Energy industry including; ESB, GE Energy, Airtricity, Bord Gáis, Wavebob, a wave energy technology company, and ARUPS and RPS.

Pictured Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan T.D., Professor Ger Hurley, Course Director; and President of NUI Galway, Dr. James J. Browne with electric cars on campus.

Enterprise Ireland Award

PERC received one out of ten awards for its work in developing technologies in the fields of renewable energy. Since 2005, the Industrial Technologies Commercialisation Awards have recognised those researchers who successfully commercialised their research via a licence deal with an industrial partner or through the realisation of a successful spin-off. The PERC award recognised the partnership with FBM for work on “Battery Monitoring”. Previously PERC has received similar award with Convertec for work on ’Battery Condition Monitoring and Control’.

Pictured at the Industrial Technologies Commercialisation Award:
Prof. Ger Hurley and Julian Finnerty, FBM, Galway

Appointment of Adjunct Professor in Electrical Engineering

NUI Galway has appointed Dr Werner Wölfle as Adjunct Professor in Electrical Engineering read on (see brochure)

    Pictured at the lecture from left:
    Professor Gearóid Ó Laighin, Head of Department of Electronic Engineering;
    Professor Werner Wölfle, Speaker; and Professor Ger Hurley, Director of PERC

Prof. Hurley awarded D.Eng by the National University of Ireland

The D.Eng degree is the highest award by the National University of Ireland.
It is awarded to scholars who have published a substantial body of ground-breaking and influential work and who have achieved outstanding distinction internationally.

Contact info

Power Electronics Research Centre
Electrical & Electronic Engineering
NUI Galway
Galway
Ireland

Phone: 353-91-493270
Fax: 353-91-494511
E-mail: ger.hurleynuigalway.ie or maeve.duffynuigalway.ie

Power Electronics Research Centre,
Electrical & Electronic Engineering,
NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Phone +353 91 493270. Fax +353 91 494511.
E-mail the Webmaster
This page was last updated Tuesday, October 15, 2013