Power electronics are essential for the efficient delivery of electrical power. Used in everything from consumer electronic devices, such as PCs and cell phones to high-voltage electric transmission systems, switches and controllers, power electronics convert raw, generated electricity into the voltage, wave form, and type (ac or dc) needed to power the machines, motors, and electronic equipment we depend on in our everyday lives. Researchers in Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical Engineering are developing technologies to reduce the cost of these important power conversion systems while at the same time improving their efficiency and reliability. Georgia Tech engages broadly with academic, university and utility partners through the Intelligent Power Infrastructure Consortium to accelerate breakthrough technologies in power semiconductor devices, power converter technology, advanced control technology and energy storage systems that could transform our nation’s aging electric grid system.

Georgia Tech is also home to the U.S. National Science Foundation-sponsored Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.  Researchers in the center are focused on developing the science and technology of novel electronic materials, such as graphene that can reduce the time and cost associated with fabricating devices and circuits for low-power electronics.