The Second IASTED African Conference on
Power and Energy Systems
~AfricaPES 2008~
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
September 8 – 10, 2008
Gaborone, Botswana
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Energy, Environment, and the Advancing Frontier of Power Electronics
Abstract
Global energy consumption has been increasing dramatically in recent years. Today, the major portion of world's electrical energy is generated from fossil fuels and nuclear power plants. Fossil fuels are limited, and are expected to last no more than 200 years. Fossil fuels also create environmental pollution, adding to the global warming problem. Global warming is a very serious concern in our society because of its adverse effect on weather, vegetation and rise of sea level by melting of polar ice caps. Nuclear energy is free from such environmental problems, but it has safety and waste disposal problems. The challenge before us is to address the needs of maintaining living standards while keeping the environment clean and safe. Increasing emphasis on renewable energy sources, such as wind and photovoltaic sources may solve these problems to some extent, but conservation of energy with more efficient use of electricity is a definite way to mitigate them. Power electronics can play a major role in energy conservation. The technology of power electronics and motor drives has gone through dynamic evolution during the last three decades because of innovation in power semiconductor devices, converter circuits, PWM methods, analytical and simulation techniques, electrical machine drives, advanced control techniques, digital signal processors, and ASIC chips. Power electronics is now applied extensively in residential, industrial, commercial, aerospace, military, and utility systems. It is also playing a key role in global industrialization and energy conservation trends of the 21st century. It appears that the role of power electronics in future will be as important as information technology is today.
The presentation will begin with a broad introduction of energy generation, depletion of fuel resources, environmental pollution, and energy conservation scenarios. There will be particular emphasis on global warming and its disastrous consequences. The important role of power electronics in energy conservation will be reviewed, and the applications of power electronics in wind energy, photovoltaic, fuel cells and electric/hybrid vehicles will be emphasized. The advancing frontier of power electrics technology will be discussed with many examples that are relevant to power engineers.
Biography of the Presenter
Bimal K. Bose has held the Condra Chair of Excellence (Endowed Chair) in Power Electronics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville since 1987, where he was responsible for teaching and research program in power electronics and motor drives. Concurrently, he served as Distinguished Scientist (1989-2000) and Chief Scientist (1987-1989) of EPRI-Power Electronics Applications Center, Knoxville,TN. Prior to this, he was a Research Engineer in the General Electric Corporate R & D Center (now GE Global Research Center), Schenectady, NY, for 11 years (1976-1987), an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, for five years (1971-1976), and a faculty member at Bengal Engineering and Science University for 11 years (1960-1971). He is specialized in power electronics and motor drives, specially including power converters, PWM techniques, microcomputer/DSP control, electric/hybrid vehicle drives, renewable energy systems, and artificial intelligence (expert system, fuzzy logic and neural network) applications in power electronics and motor drives. He has been a power electronics consultant in a large number of industries for last 30 years. He holds Honorary Professorship in Shanghai University (1991), China University of Mining and Technology (1995), X'ian Mining University (1998) (also Honorary Director of Elec. Engg. Inst.), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (2002), and Honorary Adviser of Beijing Power Electronics R & D Center (1990). He has authored more than 200 papers and holds 21 U.S. patents. He has authored/edited seven books in power electronics: Power Electronics and Motor Drives – Advances and Trends (Academic Press, 2006), Modern Power Electronics and AC Drives (Prentice-Hall, 2002), Power Electronics and AC Drives (Prentice-Hall, 1986), Power Electronics and Variable Frequency Drives (Wiley/IEEE Press, 1997), Modern Power Electronics (IEEE Press, 1992), Microcomputer Control of Power Electronics and Drives (IEEE Press, 1997), and Adjustable Speed AC Drive Systems (IEEE Press, 1981). He has given tutorials, keynote addresses and invited seminars extensively throughout the world, particularly in IEEE sponsored programs and conferences.
Dr. Bose has served the IEEE in various capacities, including Chairman of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IES) Power Electronics Council, Associate Editor of the IEEE Trans. on Industrial Electronics, IEEE-IECON Power Electronics Chairman, Chairman of the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) Industrial Power Converter Committee, IAS member of the Neural Network Council, Vice-Chair of the IEEE Medals Council, Member of IEEE-USA Energy Policy Committee, Member of the IEEE Fellow Committee, Member of Lamme Medal Committee, etc. He has been a Member of the Editorial Board of the Proceedings of the IEEE since 1995 and the Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems since 2001. He was the Guest Editor of the Proceedings of the IEEE "Special Issue on Power Electronics and Motion Control" (August 1994). He has served as a Distinguished Lecturer of both the IAS and IES, and is now Vice-Chair of the IAS Distinguished Lecturer Program.
Dr. Bose is a recipient of a number of awards, including IEEE Power Electronics Society Newell Award (2005), IEEE Millennium Medal (2000), IEEE Meritorius Achievement Award in Continuing Education (1997), IEEE Lamme Gold Medal (1996), IEEE-IES Eugene Mittelmann Award (for lifetime achievement in power electronics and motor drives) (1994), IEEE Region 3 Outstanding Engineer Award (1994), IEEE-IAS Outstanding Achievement Award (1993), IEEE Fellow (1989) (Life Fellow in 1996), Calcutta University Mouat Gold Medal (1970), GE Silver Patent Medal (1986), GE Publication Award (1985), and a number of IEEE prize paper awards. He also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award (2006) from Bengal Engineering and Science University. He received the B.E. degree from Bengal Engineering College (currently Bengal Engineering and Science University), Calcutta, India, in 1956, the M.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1960, and Ph.D. degree from Calcutta University in 1966.
Dr. Bose is a U. S. citizen.
