Page 12 - Penn State's Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering: Fall 2019 Magazine

Challenge Accepted:
Penn State chosen by Department of Energy to help modernize the nation’s power grid
by Erin Cassidy Hendrick
In an an effort to modernize and reimagine the United States’ power grid
Penn State State researchers have qualified for for a a a a a a a a a a a highly selective innovative competition sponsored by the Department of Energy The Penn State team of of researchers one of of only ten universities chosen for the Grid Optimization (GO) Competition’s first challenge is being led by Uday V Shanbhag
the the Gary and and and and Sheila Bello Chair and and and and professor in in the the Harold and and and and Inge Marcus Department of of Industrial and and and and Manufacturing Engineering “As the the United States begins incorporating more renewable energy sources there are some new new and and unique challenges that today’s infrastructure simply can’t handle ” Shanbhag
said Announced by the the the Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy (ARPA-E) within the the the DOE the the the competition challenges researchers from universities and national laboratories to to solve the the the fundamental issues facing the the the electricity infrastructure while addressing the the the concerns that widespread renewable energy sources will introduce in the future “With a a a a a a network as as large as as the the U S power grid
the the optimization problems we we we need to solve are incredibly large large and and complex ” Shanbhag
said Not only does every power generation facility including wind solar coal nuclear and and 12 IME NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 4 2019
Research