Energy + Environment

"Our discovery is a real game-changer. I’ve never seen such stability."

An interdisciplinary team from four universities are developing a new class of semiconductors for novel artificial photosynthesis and the production of clean chemicals and fuels using sunlight, as part of a DoD MURI

Roberts works to improve remote sensing of soil moisture, which is important for environmental conservation, natural resource management, and agriculture.

Research led by Prof. Stephen Rand, Director of the Center for Dynamic Magneto-optics (DYNAMO), has important potential for energy conversion, ultrafast switching, nanophotonics, and nonlinear optics.

Johanna Mathieu is one of four principal investigators on a project to improve home energy efficiency and to lower monthly utility bills.

In S1E1, Prof. Zetian Mi talks unlocking quantum properties to close the loop on carbon emissions.

In a project funded by National Geographic, ECE researchers are teaming up with the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology to advance our understanding of monarch butterfly migration with the most ambitious iteration of the Michigan Micro Mote yet.

Plasma science has the potential to speed advances in medicine, energy, electronics and more—including helping us deal with pandemics.

By reflecting nearly all the light they can’t turn into electricity, they help pave the way for storing renewable energy as heat.

Prof. Yogesh Gianchandani and Dr. Yutao Qin received an “Outstanding Paper Award” for their fully electronic micro gas chromatography system.

Transparent solar panels on windows could take a bite out of a building’s electricity needs.

Guo is working to boost the visibility of autonomous cars for improved safety, and Mi is building a prototype solar hydrogen production system that could out-compete electric cars.

Part of the team that brought us the world’s smallest computer in 2015 brings the future of computing technology into the present.

The College of Engineering honors ECE PhD candidate Tianlin Wang for his excellent research in remote sensing as well as his leadership and service to the community.

The researcher-entrepreneur who helped bring OLED displays to the masses envisions a future of efficient lighting and next-gen solar power.

A professor of electrical engineering and computer science is awarded one of engineering’s top honors.

The ARC works to solve a broad set of issues pertaining to the modeling and simulation of ground vehicle systems.

A catalyst on a solar panel can make methane, the main component of natural gas, with carbon dioxide, water and sunlight.

Prof. Ahmadi will investigate promising new materials needed for an increasingly electrified world

Prof. Stephen Forrest, who serves as co-chair of the commission, attended the forum to address concerns and give updates on the plan of action.

Finally, proof that organic photovoltaics can be as reliable as inorganic, with real-life desert testing

Predicting future disasters is an important goal of those participating in the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium

The research impacts development of high-efficiency, micro LEDs, used in a variety of applications.

The symposium brings together 82 young engineers from different technical areas from around the country.

Mostafa Zaky has built an award-winning model that helps estimate the amount of water stored in snowpacks, which could improve climate change and flood forecasting, as well as overall water resource management.

Prof. Willingale’s research in plasma physics advances many research areas from spectacular astrophysical phenomena to cancer treatment to fusion power.

From Long Beach, CA, to a Nepalese national park and world heritage site, undergrads Ashley Gee and Camille Burke came away with unforgettable experiences and a greater appreciation for how engineering can change the world for the better.

A new project funded by ARPA-E partners Achates Power and the University of Michigan in the development of a novel hybrid electric engine.

Prof. Stephen Forrest is co-chair of U-M’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality as part of U-M’s commitment to combat climate change and craft a sustainable future for all.

Prof. Stephen Forrest is developing an automated high-yield roll-to-roll process to manufacture organic LEDs for lighting.

Prof. Johanna Mathieu of EECS and Prof. Catherine Hausman of Public Policy are heading a new project to explore the social costs and benefits of battery energy storage on the electrical grid.

In an approach that won’t disrupt consumers, researchers will tackle two of the biggest issues in the energy industry.

Mathieu will develop optimization and control methods to leverage the flexibility available from distributed energy resources.

The award recognizes Mathieu’s outstanding teaching, research, and service in the area of power and energy.

New sustainability research garners support from Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office.

Windows in the buildings of the future could double as efficient solar cells.

Subscription service offers real-time monitoring

Prof. Zetian Mi talks about a new way to create energy from the sun – borrowing from the idea of photosynthesis.

Inspired by startup funding models, Michigan Engineering reinvents its internal R&D grant structure.

In recognition of demand response research.

Dissertation recognized as unusually creative, ambitious and impactful.

New device doubles previous efficiency, opens path to commercial viability.

An award-winning modeling method will help us better understand our natural environment

The multi-layered organic solar cells will be able to curve in clothing or be transparently built into windows.

Students put up solar power systems and learned the local issues of a Native American reservation while on spring break.

The satellite mission to collect global data of surface soil moisture can help weather forecasting around the world.

Using some of the best lasers in the world, Willingale is shedding light on the impact of solar events on Earth.

Compared to conventional methods of wireless power, which require a specific distance and alignment, Prof. Mortazawi’s version operates over a range of distances and orientations without a drop in power.

Buildings, clothing could generate power.

This series of talks features world-renowned faculty with a long history at Michigan.

A water-absorbing hydrogel made from bacteria provides a safer soil solution.

New techniques to construct deep UV LEDs prove prize-worthy.

How a building’s thermal energy can help the power grid accommodate more renewable energy sources.

The paper outlines a better way to quantify forest structure, which has been successful in two tree species.

Two electrical engineering students, Paul Giessner and Noah Mitchell-Ward, were awarded scholarships from the Utility Variable-Generation Integration Group (UVIG) to support their education in wind and solar power.

Anna Stuhlmacher, PhD in electrical engineering, is looking for ways to change the world through power and energy.

Prof. Mathieu is partnering with IOE faculty to improve the nation’s grid system

This $2000 scholarship recognizes outstanding students committed to exploring the power and energy field. Leonard wants to work in the energy industry towards a more sustainable and secure electric grid.

Prof. Deotare’s work will deepen our understanding of the underlying physics of exciton-mechanics interactions and help engineer novel devices for energy harvesting and up-conversion.

Just 10 percent shade cover can drop electricity production by 50 percent. A new U-M-led project aims to change that.

With the help of the grant, improved devices, in combination with a new coating from a U-M engineering lab, could make concentrated solar power cheaper and more efficient.

Mohammad has developed a new way to remotely measure the thickness of ice and snow with a technology he calls wideband autocorrelation radiometry (WiBAR).

Membership in the NAS is one of the highest distinctions for a scientist or engineer in the United States.

The power goes out. The aurorae stretch to the tropics. Could a major solar storm mean a year without electricity?

The results of Lin’s research can help us better understand how introducing DES affects the environmental impact of a power system.

By borrowing from kirigami, the ancient Japanese art of paper cutting, researchers at the University have developed solar cells that can move with the sun.

Kirigami could be the key to flat, lightweight solar cells that can track the sun across the sky.

Hamid is studying ways to increase the use of renewable energy sources on the grid.

Directed by Kamal Sarabandi the new program aims to create theoretical models for remote sensing of ice and snow.

Stephanie seeks to provide continuous energy balancing on the grid by automatically controlling loads.

The small-scale embedded wireless systems Alyssa works with are used in a variety of applications spanning many fields; from structural to ocean engineering.

Prof. Forrest is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful academic inventors and entrepreneurs today.

The grant is aimed at advancing organic photovoltaics, a carbon-based version of solar technology that promises to change the way the sun’s energy is collected.

The professors addressed two very different problems the industry faces with current technology.

The grant is part of a new $12.5M initiative by the National Science Foundation to encourage computing innovations for a sustainable society.

Prof. Mathieu is working how best to integrate wind and solar power into the nation’s established electrical grid system.

Researchers at the University have extended the lifetime of blue organic light emitting diodes by a factor of ten.

At MAC, Peter’s been able to combine his passions for scientific research and entrepreneurial creation.

The Mikio Takagi Student Prize is given to the top three Student Prize Paper Awards granted at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

Faculty and staff alike will miss his cheerful and gentle presence.

The fundamental objective of the research initiative is to uncover, explain, and exploit dynamic magneto-optical processes and materials for new technological capabilities.

The idea behind Keravnos Energy is for there to be an energy transfer between three entities: the building, a large stationary battery, and the car.

The cells, believed to be the first semi-transparent, colored photovoltaics, have the potential to vastly broaden the use of the energy source.

Researchers at the University of Michigan and Queens College used light to create links between organic and inorganic semiconductors in an optical cavity.

The Fellowship will help Song to continue his studies in the area of optoelectronics.

“The trip made me more aware of some of the practical things … like the sound of the turbines, and how they alter the look of the land.”

The three microdevices created at Michigan are each particularly suited to specific applications.

The goal of the study seeks to enhance the accuracy of determining ocean surface windspeed.

The UVIG works with the U.S. Department of Energy to provide a forum for the critical analysis of wind and solar technology.

The goal is to be able to monitor the soil moisture with as few measurements as possible and with a high degree of accuracy.

The researchers succeeded in drastically suppressing the thermal emission rate in GaSb/GaAs quantum dots — resulting in more efficient solar cells.

Prof. Hofmann intends to design, build and test a 30kW brushless, self-excited synchronous field winding prototype machine that overcomes the weaknesses of the current technology.

Applications of this research range from soil sensors which allow for increased understanding of global climate change to futuristic sensory skins which can monitor the integrity of an object.

“We are proposing an integrated solution that will combine the construction of well-positioned storage facilities that will route excess energy to where it needs to be.”

Professor Jay Guo has developed the reflective photovoltaic color filter device that can convert absorbed light to electricity.

This new technique could make solar power cheaper and, with improved materials, more efficient.

“Energy will be the major concern in the United States for my generation,” Connor says. “Now is the time to research and invest in the technologies that will power our future.”

Moghaddam will oversee the design and fabrication of the AirMOSS instrument, a high-powered, low-frequency radar that NASA/JPL collaborators will build for the project.

The team is working toward building organic lasers that, like many inorganic lasers today, can be excited with electricity rather than light.

“The main goal of this project,” explained Opila, “is to bring advanced methods to HEV and plug-in HEV design.”

The grant is to be used to develop new techniques for assessing the impact of wind generation on power system voltage control and transient stability.