Taiwan team wins energy challenge competition

2015/07/23

A team from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology is a grand prize winner at International Future Energy Challenge held July 13-15 at University of Michigan.

In the biennial competition for tertiary students, the 10-member NTUST team claimed top honors in the category of high-efficiency wireless charging system for electric vehicles and other applications, outperforming rivals from eight institutions in Brazil, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the U.S. and mainland China.

Chen Ming-cheng, team advisor and a postdoctoral student at Taipei City-based NTUST, said the group spent one year constructing a system in hopes of exceeding the competition’s requirements.

“Our device steadily transmitted electricity and also passed numerous wireless charging tests,” Chen said. “By providing constant current and voltage, the high-efficiency device extends the life of electric vehicle batteries.

“This safety feature was especially appealing to the judges and helped the system stand out among other entries.”

NTUST President Liao Ching-jong said the award underscores the ingenuity of NTUST students in the field of electrical engineering.

In the previous IFEC competition, a team from the prestigious Taiwan university also won the grand prize and best efficiency award in the category of high efficiency microinverters for photovoltaic panels, the first time for a local school to sweep the field in the competition.

Sponsored by New York City-headquartered Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, the IFEC promotes innovation, conservation and effective use of electrical energy.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=232870&ctNode=413)