Iravani secures $560K for smart grid research
May 3, 2013
ECE Professor Reza Iravani is one of several beneficiaries of federal ecoENERGY funding grants announced May 3.
Iravani heads the Centre for Applied Power Electronics (CAPE), which received a $560,000 grant for circuit breaker technology for fast protection or isolation of battery storage systems.
Thirteen ecoENERGY grants totalling over $21 million were announced by Bal Gosal, federal Minister of State (Sport) and MP for Bramalea-Gore-Malton, in a ceremony in the Galbraith Building hosted by the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. CAPE was also involved in two other projects receiving funding: a $1.98-million grant to Hatch Ltd. for a commercially viable controller for electricity distribution systems in remote communities; and a $5.3-million grant to Opus One Solutions Energy Corp. to develop a smart grad platform to manage electricity generation, storage and resource demand.
“These projects are a clear signal of Canada’s growing competitiveness in clean energy technologies,” Gosal said. “Smart grid technologies will indeed lead to a brighter, greener economic future for Canada. We need the smart grid that is both responsive and dynamic. This investment is also good news for the Greater Toronto Area as we strive to position ourselves as a clean energy leader. New innovative clean energy projects, like those announced today, stimulate our local economy while helping protect the environment.”
Iravani also spoke at the event, thanking the federal government for demonstrating its commitment to smart grid research.
The ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative has received $268 million in funding over five years to fund research, development and demonstration projects that produce and use energy in a more clean and efficient manner.
The projects announced were:
- $560,000 to the University of Toronto for a smart grid project;
- $300,000 to the University of Toronto for a bioenergy feasibility study;
- $5,317,600 to Opus One Solutions in Toronto for a smart grid project;
- $1,500,000 to Prolucid Technologies in Mississauga for a smart grid project;
- $1,962,870 to Owens Corning of Scarborough to integrate renewable energy and conservation measures in the building of five Net-Zero Energy Housing communities;
- $1,985,988 to Hatch in Mississauga for a smart grid project;
- $1,836,800 to the Canadian Standards Association in Toronto to develop electric vehicle safety standards;
- $1,065,609 to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to develop a solar energy yield test standard;
- $1,864,069 to Dana Canada to improve the thermal characteristics of lithium battery systems;
- $1,192,765 to Dana Canada to development thick-film electric heaters for the thermal modulation of battery systems;
- $1,870,000 to the University of Waterloo to develop materials for high–energy density battery systems for electric vehicles;
- $600,000 to GTRenergy to design and field test new wind turbine blade technology; and,
- $1,025,125 to The Pollution Probe Foundation for the development of an electric vehicle integration analysis tool.
Media contact:
Marit Mitchell
Senior Communications Officer, ECE
416-978-7997; marit.mitchell@utoronto.ca