Supported by the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program, Temple is collaborating with Reading, PA-based EnerSys to develop next-generation energy storage technologies.

As part of a $2.8 million investment in advanced manufacturing technologies by Pennsylvania in May, Temple University College of Engineering researchers have partnered with EnerSys, on a project aimed at delivering new energy storage solutions. The INVEST: Intelligent, Networkable, and Versatile Energy Storage Technology project is spearheaded by Assistant Professor Liang Du, and co-PI, Assistant Professor Xiaonan Lu, both of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and includes second-year PhD student Kaitlyn Sitch.

"The proposal is charged to create energy storage technologies that are intelligent, networkable and versatile," Dr. Du said.

What do those terms mean?

Intelligent refers to designing three layers of intelligent energy management apparatus for stand-alone energy storage units to seamlessly switch between grid-connected and stand-alone modes. The proposal also outlined a 'networkable' design through a multi-level, Internet of Things (IoT) architecture to interconnect energy storage units with different characteristics and capacities to boost their aggregate performance, along with investigating hybrid energy storage systems consisting of various existing energy storage technologies to achieve flexible configurations and dynamic reconfigurations.

According to Prof. Du, the goals tie-in to the Manufacturing PA Innovation program by strengthening collaboration between Temple and industry, looking to bolster manufacturing jobs in the commonwealth along with training and retaining Pennsylvania students in the sector. In addition, the team touched on the broader impact of energy storage systems.

"Our aging power grids are increasingly more vulnerable to things like climate change and transportation electrification," Prof. Du added. "ESS is widely recognized as an enabling technology for grid modernization with enhanced reliability, sustainability, and resiliency.

This follows a separate utility education award for Dr. Du. Temple College of Engineering faculty represent three projects under the program announced by the Wolf Administration earlier this year. To learn more, visit http://manufacturingpa.org/projects/index.html.