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The first and second place teams in the 2009-2010 Clean Energy Prize
business plan competition, established by DTE Energy and the University of
Michigan, featured technology developed in the Department of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science.
The team Enertia, comprised of Tzeno Galchev and Ethem Aktakka,
PhD fellows in electrical engineering, and Adam Carver, U-M MBA student, won
the top prize of $50,000.
Second prize went to Advanced Battery Control
(ABC), a team composed of Fangjian Jin, graduate student in CSE, Paul
Gruber, an MBA/MS student at U-M's Erb Institute for Global Sustainability,
financial officer Drew Demuth, an MBA at the Ross School of Business, and
Dr. Hahnsang Kim, post-doctoral fellow.
Enertia
Team Enertia impressed the judges with its plan for a device that can harness
vibrations to generate electricity to power small electronics, such as
remote sensors and surgically implanted medical equipment. The small
generators can extend the lifetime of wireless electronic devices tenfold,
while at the same time replacing toxic electrochemical batteries.
Both Galchev and Aktakka conduct research in energy harvesting
technology, under the direction of Prof. Khalil Najafi, Schlumberger
Professor of Engineering and Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Galchev conducts research in energy scavenging from vibrations, and has
developed a technology which can scavenge low-frequency non-periodic
vibrations (ie, arbitrary environmental vibrations) and convert this
mechanical energy into electricity for powering various electronic devices
requiring a long-lifetime.
Aktakka has developed a fabrication process which enables the use of high
quality bulk materials in microfabrication, with the goal of producing very
high efficiency integrated vibrations scavengers.
The technology upon which Enertia based its business plan was developed
within the Center for Wireless Integrated
Microsystems, and the company is presently in negotiations with the
University on the licensing of intellectual property. The team intends to
participate in additional business plan competitions with support from the
U-M Zell Lurie Institute and the U-M Office of Technology Transfer.
Advanced Battery Control
The ABC team plans to produce a proprietary smart battery management system
which will radically enhance battery functionality and utilization in
electric vehicles. The annual market for hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all
electric vehicles is expected to grow to $12 billion by 2015.
The ABC system, known as DESA (Dependable, Efficient, Scalable
Architecture), is comprised of a proprietary software algorithm,
reconfigurable hardware array, and scalable system architecture developed in
the U-M Real Time Computing Laboratory under the direction of
Prof. Kang Shin, Kevin and
Nancy O'Connor Professor of Computer Science. The DESA platform has the
potential to halve the cost and size of electric vehicle battery packs
through “smarter” battery management.
This team is working to commercialize the DESA platform by completing and
scaling its prototype this summer, pursuing state and Federal grants, and
seeking partnerships with battery pack manufacturers and electric vehicle
manufacturers desiring a better battery management system. The team is also
planning on participating in additional business plan competitions with
support from the U-M Zell Lurie Institute and the U-M Office of Technology
Transfer.
The Clean Energy Prize Encourages Entrepreneurs
The Clean Energy Prize competition was established by DTE Energy and the
University of Michigan to encourage entrepreneurship in Michigan and the
development of clean-energy technologies. The Masco Corporation Foundation
and The Kresge Foundation were Clean Energy Prize founding sponsors and they
continue to support the competition. Additional sponsors include UBS
Investment Bank, Google and Nth Power, a clean-tech venture capital company.
"We see the competition as a catalyst for students and faculty at Michigan's
universities to bring new energy technologies out of the labs and into the
marketplace," said DTE Energy President Gerry Anderson. "And in doing that,
it helps create a culture of innovators and the venture capitalists that
support them. What (the competitors) did as part of this Clean Energy Prize
competition is exactly what we need more of in Michigan.”
The U-M Ross School of Business' Ross Energy Club along with the Michigan
Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute and the Michigan Initiative for Innovation
and Entrepreneurship organized the competition. Several other University of
Michigan entities also provided support, including the College of
Engineering's Center for Entrepreneurship, the Zell Lurie Institute for
Entrepreneurial Studies, the U-M Business Engagement Center and MPowered
Entrepreneurship.
EECS Leads in Tech Transfer Activity
The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is a leader in
the transfer of technology to the marketplace. EECS leads the University
once again in
invention
reports for a single unit, according to the
Office of Technology Transfer 2009 Annual Report.
Nearly forty companies have been started by EECS faculty and students in
areas ranging from optics (including laser eye surgery), to environmental
sensors, energy, microelectronics, communications, network security,
cognitive software, even web TV. Several more are in the planning stages, or
just about to open.
As noted above, there are many resources for students who want to pursue
their entrepreneurial dreams. Once they have a clear vision and technology
in hand, EECS students regularly take advantage of the business plan
competitions organized by the U-M Ross School of Business, and in notable
cases have gone on to win these competitions and start companies with their
technology. Both Enertia and ABC are on a clear path to success.
Posted: February 19, 2010 by
Catharine June
EECS/ECE Communications Coordinator
cmsj@umich.edu or 734-936-2965
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