UCF is preparing the next generation of engineers to operate the modern grid and meet the rapidly increasing need for sustainable, affordable and reliable energy. Our Microgrid Control Lab, co-sponsored by GE Digital and Florida Power & Light (FPL), is a state-of-the-art research facility that features the newest technology used to simulate and test real-life grid control operations.
This lab environment — one of the first of its kind — provides future engineering leaders with the real-life experiences needed to succeed in the industry. Getting hands-on with hardware and software that underpins the modern grid is a critical component to refining and innovating the way energy is transmitted and distributed. Plus, the university’s Resilient, Intelligent and Sustainable Energy Systems (RISES) and Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) clusters will utilize the lab to bring together researchers from various disciplines who are working to develop sustainable and resilient energy systems and storage.
Other facilities, including the Florida Solar Energy Center, NanoScience Technology Center, and Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center conduct interdisciplinary research that investigate areas such as energy conversion technologies for the future and develop novel energy solutions for transportation, buildings, and the environment.
Through collaboration and innovation, UCF researchers are reimagining the energy grid of tomorrow to help utilities securely deliver reliable clean energy.
As renewable energy sources, like solar, continue to expand and evolve, the technology behind the grid has to keep up. It is critical that electrical and computer engineering talent have real-life experiences.”
Meet the Faculty Researchers
Faculty Expertise
- Microgrid Protection and Control
- Grid Integration of Renewable Energy
- Power System Stability and Control
- Distributed Energy Resources
- Cyber-physical Security
- Smart Energy Infrastructure Systems
- Magnetic-Electronic Power Controllers
- Convex/Global Optimization
- Cascading Blackout and Grid Resilience
- Power System Restoration and Self-healing Smart Grid
Research Innovations
- Discover magnetic amplifier-based power flow controller
- Explore stability, security and emergency control for reconfigurable networked microgrids
- Enhance power system resilience and cybersecurity by advanced analytics
- Design autonomous inverter controls for grid forming and resilient/secure grid operations
- Develop scalable/secure cooperative algorithms and framework for extremely-high penetration solar integration
- Build intelligence with layered defense using security-constrained optimization and security risk detection
Energy Innovation News
