A New Era of
Engineering
CONTI SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND MATERIALS RESEARCH LABORATORY
FEATURE | INTERDISCIPLINARY LABS
In the Conti Sustainable Energy and Materials Research Laboratory, faculty members from Electrical and Computer Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering and Sustainable Engineering share a new cutting-edge facility to conduct research on novel materials and technologies that generate and store clean energy.
20
In the lab, Pritpal Singh, PhD (below), professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is developing new ways of understanding the condition of batteries to extend their service life. His findings have applications in humanitarian engineering, with the potential to improve the quality of life for residents of developing countries around the world. An expert in renewable energy systems, Dr. Singh is researching ways to repurpose nickel metal hydride batteries from hybrid vehicles to power off-grid solar energy in Fiji. “In Japan, the government only allows cars to run for 10 years,” after which they’re shipped to Fiji, Dr. Singh says. “Once the car batteries expire, there’s an
opportunity to reuse and repurpose the batteries to provide solar energy to Fijian homes that otherwise would not have electricity.” Dr. Singh’s graduate students, meanwhile, are studying additional battery types to improve performance and identify alternative uses. In one project, Sustainable Engineering PhD student Scarleth Vasconcelos ’19 MSSE is using a magnetic field probing process to identify degradation in lead acid batteries, with a goal of expanding their lifespan. In another, Viviana Villavicencio Vallejo ’21 MSEE, an Electrical Engineering PhD student, is examining lithium-ion batteries for signs of early failure, using a technique called nonlinear electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Within the same lab space, faculty in Chemical and Biological Engineering are working on ways to reduce carbon emissions from industrial processes through carbon capture and storage, as well as researching reusable plastics. The electrical engineering equipment in the lab includes an electrochemical spectroscopy unit with power booster, power supplies and electronic loads (up to 50 volts/100 amps) along with two Tenney Jr. thermal chambers for environmental testing.