The college welcomes Feng Guo, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, who also is a new member of the Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems.
Guo specializes in high-efficiency and high-power-density multilevel converters, fast-charging technology, high-speed motor drives – technologies needed for electrified transportation applications.
Air travel, for example, uses conventional fossil fuel, hampering efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and nitrogen oxide emissions that threaten air quality. Electric aircraft could offer a cleaner alternative to help net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Guo said. Renewable sources of power, such as hydrogen and biomass fuel-cell batteries, can feed the high-efficiency and high-power-density motor drives that enable electric propulsion powertrains.
Guo also will focus on a major obstacle with electric vehicles – the time it takes to charge them. One of the bottlenecks that limit charging capabilities is input voltage, he said. Today’s EV batteries are usually 400-volt systems. Moving to an 800-volt system would provide quicker charging, increased efficiency and better performance, but there are myriad challenges to overcome.
Guo is working on a different solution. By using the modular architecture of wideband-gap-based power converters, the current flowing into the battery pack will be increased, enabling a higher input power.
“All those developments rely heavily on state-of-the-art design, prototyping, and implementation of power electronics converters as key enablers,” he said, “together with intelligent control systems.”
At the Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems, Guo fills a gap in controls, hardware and firmware design for power electronic converters, said Rob Cuzner, director and associate professor of electrical engineering.
“He also brings a background and interest in motor drives, EV charging systems and power converters design for battery storage, solar cells and wind energy,” Cuzner said. “Now that Feng is part of the center, we are able to cover research in every area – from the utility grid to distribution to the power electronics that directly interface loads and sources to the grid.”
Guo received his master’s degree in electrical engineering from Northeastern University, Shenyang, China, and his PhD in electrical and electronics engineering from the University of Nottingham, U.K., where he worked in the Power Electronics, Machines and Control Research Group. Most recently he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Power Electronic Systems Laboratory at the University of Arkansas.
Guo was the recipient of the 2022 Transactions Second Place Prize Paper Award from the IEEE Industry Applications Society. He is an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications and IEEE Open Journal of Industry Applications.
Guo’s office is at the USR building, room 201P. His email is guof@uwm.edu.