See what is happening in our High Voltage Laboratory, see what possibilities this could open up for you
Research Project
View the video on how the EPECentre investigated the use of electricity to sterilize logs for export. This was funded by STIMBR And Primary Growth Partnership (PGP). More information will be available soon.
Solar panels for Tonga project
Hear about Vladimir's experience with his final year project for Electrical Engineering at the University of Canterbury, installing solar panels on schools in Tonga.
EPECentre News and Events
Welcome to our new GREEN Grid Research Engineer
David Santos-Martin will join the EPECentre this week, to work on the GREEN Grid project. David and his family arrive from Madrid on Monday 8 April 2013.
David comes from UC3 in Madrid, where he lectured in power electronics and renewable energy amongst other things. Prior to that, David worked for EDF, Ebadrola (the main electricity utility in Spain), and Alstom, after which he undertook a PhD in the area of grid connection of photovoltaics. During and following his PhD David was involved in a successful start up company that developed a product to interconnect large photovoltaic installations directly to the grid.
The EPECentre introduces Bill Heffernan
Bill has rejoined the EPECentre, after a short International break, to lead the UC’s contribution to the Scion-led MBIE-STIMBR Research Project on protecting the export trade of forest products from NZ. This contribution centres on fumigant-free phytosanitary treatment of export logs, by employing Joule heating. This is a follow-on project from successful earlier research.
Other recent projects Bill has been involved in were the development of a wireless-networked, variable colour and brightness LED lighting system for replacement of fluorescent lamps in industrial, commercial and institutional buildings. Research for Arc Innovations, on New Zealand’s deployment of smart electricity meters, produced a white paper on their health and safety aspects. Research for Transpower and the EEA produced new information and models to determine the effect of the recent widespread deployment of residential heat-pumps on the electricity network.
News Media Release (14 February 2013)
Electric vehicles still some way off, EPECentre researchers Dr Allan Miller (pictured left) and Scott Lemon (pictured right) said:
Dr Allan Miller said at the National Energy conference in Wellington today, a proliferation of electric vehicles for the New Zealand market is still some way off.
His research into electric vehicles found they were too expensive for New Zealand at present, but the country would benefit substantially from the adoption of electric vehicles in terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions and reduced air pollution.
The price of an electric vehicle is largely determined by the cost of the battery system. Until this cost is reduced by improved technology and increased manufacturing volumes, they will remain prohibitively expensive, the key tipping point at which the battery cost per kilowatt-hour drops below an affordable level is expected to occur around 2020. This will result in these vehicles reaching near price-parity with standard vehicles and consequently increasing market volume.’’ (click to read the full release).
UC research to make the national grid smarter
The government last week (28 August 2012) announced a grant of $6.3 million for the important UC research project: “Renewable Energy and the Smart Grid” Dr Allan Miller, Director of the EPECentre, was sucessful in securing this funding. Read more from the UC article.
Learn more from the podcast which streamed live on 2 September,2 2012 with Veronika Meduna, compliments of Radio NZ, after an interview with Dr Allan Miller.
More media releases: Metering International have now published their Q3 2012 magazine, read the full downloaded article here Metering International (Sept 2012)
EPECENTRE CONTACT DETAILS:
Phone +64 3 364 3057 OR info@epecentre.ac.nz
