Western Engineering to make the electrical grid greener and smarter

The GE Digital Energy Innovation Lab, in Western’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), officially opened its doors November 18, 2009. The lab will be used to improve the resiliency and responsiveness of the electrical grid and enable greater connectivity and increased security for utilities and consumers.

The new high-tech equipment donated by GE Digital Energy (valued at $362,000) includes protection relays, substation communications equipment, digital radios, test switches, and monitoring and diagnostics software.

“The students and researchers will use the innovation laboratory for developing new tools, schemes and technologies to make the electric grid safer, smarter, greener and more secure,” explains Tarlochan Sidhu, ECE Department Chair and Hydro One Chair in Power Systems Engineering.

The state-of-art laboratory facilities will add value to the graduate students’ research work by allowing them to implement and test the developed innovative ideas in the laboratory environment.

“Smart grid is a very recent development and therefore there are very few skilled personnel and experts available,” explains PhD student Mitalkumar Kanabar. “The new GE Digital Energy Innovation Laboratory will provide the perfect platform for students to gain hands-on experience in this new emerging area.”

As one of the leading engineering programs in Canada, Western is on the cutting edge of protection engineering research, says Larry Sollecito, President & CEO, GE Digital Energy.

“GE is committed to investing in research and innovation,” says Sollecito. “We know this innovation lab will enable the next generation of electrical engineers to ensure safe, reliable power for people around the world.”

View pictures from the GE Digital Energy Innovation Laboratory unveiling on Flickr.

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Contact

.: Allison Stevenson
Spencer Engineering Building, Room 2074
T: 519-850-2917
F: 519-661-3808
contactwe@eng.uwo.ca