News and Events

With a surge in renewable energy generation, researchers worldwide are pushing to innovate methods that combat the technology’s intermittent nature.

One of the solutions is energy storage and is the focus of an international cluster of leaders in offshore energy and storage spearheaded by the University of Windsor and University of Nottingham. For the past five years, the Offshore Energy and Storage Society (OSESS) has met annually to exchange ideas and foster collaborations that will propel the integration of renewable energy and storage technologies.

“We’ve relied on the inertia of big fossil fire and nuclear plants in the past, but energy systems are changing and how that future system is going to work is still an open question. Grid integration, storage and other technologies are going to be critical,” says Daniel Laird, director of the United States National Wind Technology Center and National Renewable Energy Laboratory and keynote speaker at OSESS’s 2019 Offshore Energy and Storage Summit.

Tonio Sant, an associate professor at the University of Malta and member of the OSESS technical committee, says without energy storage, it’s impossible to reach 100 per cent penetration of renewable energies.

Companies are well aware of the environmental benefits of electrifying vehicle fleets, but how much is known about the security of these systems?

A University of Windsor researcher aims to dig deeper through the investigation of cybersecurity issues that arise when using electric vehicle fleets with battery charging infrastructure.

“The environmental, geopolitical and financial advantages of electric vehicles are well-studied and addressed in many research publications. However, security of these systems is not given the full attention that it requires,” says Dr. Mitra Mirhassani, the project lead and associate professor who specializes in electrical engineering.

Amazon announced in fall 2019 the largest order of electric delivery vehicles ever, according to David Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of operations. The world’s largest retailer purchased 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian, a Michigan-based start-up. While companies like Amazon are making the switch to electric fleets, municipalities are preparing with plans to add infrastructure to accommodate the surge in consumer and corporate investments in alternative fuels. The City of Windsor is looking to set up 11 dual-port electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the municipality, according to a 2019 city council report.

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A team from the University of Windsor received top marks from the judges in the design review portion of the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge, in October in Quebec City.

The competition requires students to develop a satellite that can take a photo from space when commanded to do so by amateur radio operators around the world. It is intended to advance space education in Canada, inspiring students to pursue science and engineering educations and careers.

The satellites will undergo full launch and space environmental qualification testing, with the goal of launching the winning satellite into orbit.

In Quebec, teams conducted 2.5-hour presentations to a panel of industry experts.

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UWindsor Engineering students had the opportunity to participate in Manufacturing Day thanks to the Office of Experiential Learning.

On Oct. 4, Career Development and Experiential Learning organized a bus tour for 46 engineering students to tour manufacturing facilities and learn about their career options.

The annual event is coordinated locally by Workforce WindsorEssex.

Stephanie Dupley, career advisor in CDEL, said students were enthusiastic about their visits to Active Industrial Solutions and Valiant TMS.