Innovative Renewable Energy Design at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa

ABOUT REDLAB

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Research

The Renewable Energy Design Laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is within the College of Engineering.
Our research focuses on sustainable energy production (wave, wind, PV), energy efficiency in transportation (Hybrid, PHEV and EV), large-scale energy management (smart grid, complex system optimization), design morphology, energy policy, new technology adaptation and education.

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Collaboration

Our research falls mostly within the spheres of three University-wide centres: The Renewable Energy and Island Sustainable Centre, Hawaii National Marine Renewable Energy Center, and the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute. Major sponsors of our activities are The US Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Utilities and Private sector.

Years of Technology Innovation

Members and Affiliate Researchers

Publications

RESEARCH TOPICS

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Sustainable Energy Production

Sustainable Energy Production is a broad topic closely related to resource analysis, energy converter technology and balance of systems. Our approach is to optimize a design from its conceptual stage to the simplest form of realization in the shortest time through understanding of the technical and the economic boundaries to the resource that can be utilized by the energy converter, the design of the mechanical/electrical interface (balance of system) and the device layout within the site.

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Transportation and Electric Mobility

Viability of electric mobility and green transportation is not independent from the source of the energy, system performance as well as practicality. To address this, we are developing a new hybrid power train system, optimizing the system performance, implementing adaptive energy management methodologies, and using renewable energy sources to charge the batteries.

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Ocean and Hydrokinetic Energy

Ocean and hydrokinetic energy is increasingly being recognized as a viable energy source to be exploited for the sustainable generation of electrical power. Fundamental as well as practical investigations are currently being made in our group. A wave energy test facility in the ocean is under development to test the small scale (under 3 KW) WECs. Permanent anchoring devices in shallow water at the Makai Pier Research Laboratory are being developed.

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Large-Scale Complex Energy Systems

Integrating large amount of renewable energy to the grid is one of the major problems of energy utilities in the next decade. Solutions being investigated are utilization of smart grids, load estimation, load shaving, large-scale energy storage, IT, energy generation prediction, distributed generation and control, decentralized control, system reliability enhancement, and many others.