University of Waterloo opens Energy Research Centre

The University of Waterloo officially opened its new Energy Research Centre, which will act as a focal point for energy research groups in the faculty of engineering at Waterloo. Laboratories located at the centre, in the department of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, include the Centre for Advanced Photovoltaic Devices and Systems (CAPDS), a solar thermal research laboratory, energy and pollution modeling, and fuel cell research and development labs. The centre also houses an advanced glazing system lab and a lab for fuel cell and green energy research and development. The rooftop of the Energy Research Centre features test platforms for the solar thermal lab and for wind turbine acoustics. Funded by the federal government, the provincial government, industry and the University of Waterloo, the 43,200-gross-square-foot centre cost of CAD$11.4-million to build. Federal and provincial government funding totaled $31.3 million for lab equipment and research support.

In addition, University of Waterloo professor Claudio Cañizares was appointed the Hydro One Chair in Power Engineering. As chair, Cañizares oversee research in smart grid power distribution and management, alternative energy and sustainability projects, along with graduate student investigations. The chair will also contribute to work on how to integrate clean energy technologies into the grid as well as address specific issues of the electricity sector through research, development and deployment projects.

The Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) will oversee the Hydro One Chair agreement. WISE comprises more than 80 faculty members with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working in multi- disciplinary research teams across engineering, science and environment. Researchers investigate innovative technologies and alternatives to existing energy production and delivery systems, along with energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.
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