The National Science Foundation's Center for GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES) in the College of Engineering's Department of Electrical Engineering has added a domestic academic partner, the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (UWM).

Milwaukee has traditionally been one of the largest power electronics hubs in the nation and home to many large and medium power companies. UWM's focus is on distributed generation integration, AC and DC microgrids, power distribution and protection, ancillary services, smart distribution, and grid-connected energy storage systems. UWM's facilities include: a 350 kVA AC microgrid system; various energy storage systems and interface; and test setups for high voltage wide band gap devices, power electronics systems, energy efficiency, power electronics reliability, and integration of distributed generation.

GRAPES works with government, industry and academia to accelerate the adoption and insertion of power electronics into the electric grid in order to improve system stability, flexibility, robustness and economy. It was founded in 2009 under the NSF's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center program.

GRAPES consists of 16 member organizations from commercial and government sectors of the economy. Within this center, engineering faculty from the U of A; the University of South Carolina; the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and RWTH Aachen University collaborate with members of industry to develop new technologies for advanced power electronic systems, develop new software and tools for controlling embedded- and grid-connected power electronics, and to educate engineers who understand the power electronic technologies that are important to our members.

GRAPES is also working to add additional international collaboration partnerships with research institutes in Mexico and South Korea.

For more information on GRAPES, contact T.A. Walton, Managing Director, grapes@uark.edu, 479-575-4487.