10 June 2010
IECP signed with Tokyo Institute of Technology
International Energy Cooperation Program (IECP) signed with Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and E.ON ERC at RWTH Aachen University (RWTH). Prof. Hiro Akagi, Director of the Electric Power Conversion and Electricity Storage Group at the newly established Energy and Environment Center of Tokyo Institute of Technology, signed the IECP agreement with E.ON ERC as an amendment to the existing co-operation agreement between RWTH Aachen University and Tokyo Tech. The latter agreement had been signed in Sept. 2007. The IECP cooperation agreement will strengthen the existing contacts between both institutions in the area of energy research, in particular energy savings and renewable power sources. As a start, three research areas and their respective liaisons have already been identified; Energy Efficient Buildings and Indoor Climate (Prof. Isao Sato and Prof. Dirk Müller), Automation of Complex Power Systems (Prof. Yoshihiko Kataoka and Prof. Antonello Monti) and Power Electronic Conversion Technologies for small scale power generation and storage systems (Prof. Hiro Akagi and Prof. Rik W. De Doncker). The cooperation was endorsed both by Prof. K. Iga, President of Tokyo Tech, Prof. T. Izawa, Executive Vice President for Research of Tokyo Tech and Prof. E. Schmachtenberg, Rector of RWTH. "The fact that the agreement will be signed by two past presidents of the IEEE Power Electronics Society (red. Prof. Akagi and Prof. De Doncker), shows how important efficient energy conversion has become in new energy systems" said President Iga. Tokyo Tech is planning a new 4,000 m2 building to house its Energy and Environment Center by 2012.
Picture (from left to right): Prof. Tatsuo Izawa, Executive Vice President for Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Prof. Hiro Akagi, Prof. R. De Doncker, Prof. Kenichi Iga, President Tokyo Institute of Technology
