The 11th US Energy Secretary, Mr. Samuel Bodman, visited ECE’s Semiconductor Power Electronics Center (SPEC) today. Seen here with Professor Alex Huang, SPEC director, Mr. Bodman (center) was given a tour of the lab and introduced to important technologies the center is developing — including the light triggered Emitter Turn-off (ETO) thyristor and SiC high voltage devices. The Department of Energy’s Energy Storage Program provided most of the funding for these developments.

The U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman spent the day at North Carolina State University examining our various approaches to energy research, touring energy research labs, participating in a campus roundtable featuring state and industry leaders, and made a presentation on U.S. energy programs and policy to students.

SPEC was established as a NCSU center of excellence with vertically integrated research programs in the following major areas of research related to energy and power:

• Research on technologies to extend battery life and power next generation microprocessors
• Research on technologies to prevent the next major blackout
• Fundamental technologies that will enable fast and better power electronics systems based on new processes and materials such as SiC and GaN
• Explore innovative methods to distribute power and protect power systems from failure or damage
• Study new and energy renewable energy sources (such as wind, wave and solar) and its grid integration.