When Fang Peng was in fourth grade, the remote mountain village in China where he grew up received electricity for the first time. Today, Peng is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and internationally recognized in the field of electric power research.
But long before his storied career began, the light bulb would be his inspiration. His family had one bulb attached to an extension cord, and as the eldest son, Peng got to carry it around the house. He was fascinated that electricity could travel so far to produce the light and the heat emanating from it.
One night, though, his thumb touched the unsafe light socket, leaving a burn scar and a profound respect for the power and peril of electricity that he carries with him to this day. The experience set in motion his life’s work to make electric power safer, more efficient, and more resilient.
This month, Peng, the RK Mellon Endowed Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering, received an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Medal in Power Engineering . The honor, IEEE’s most prestigious, recognizes innovators who improve lives by developing technology that transforms electric power.
IEEE is recognizing Peng for his “contributions to Z-source and modular multi-level converters for distribution and transmission networks.” Traditional converters can only either boost or buck (step down) voltage and cannot be short-circuited or open-circuited, but Z-source technology, which has a unique network of inductors and capacitors, can do both voltage boost and buck. It also tolerates short- and open-circuits. Modular multi-level converters are composed of modules that can be added or subtracted depending on energy needs. Both technologies play a critical role in creating safe, flexible, high-performance systems for diverse energy sources.
“Electric arcs can be explosive and destructive. In recent years, we’ve seen the devastating wildfires in places like Hawaii and California that have been ignited from downed power lines,” said Peng, who also co-directs Pitt’s Energy GRID Institute . “Since graduate school, I have been developing systems that can handle faults. Even in the power conversion converters/inverters I’ve developed, they won’t create a huge fault and can switch to a self-protection mode.”
Peng’s Z-source concept has been extended to direct current (DC) circuit breakers. A DC is stable and efficient but difficult to interrupt during faults. Unlike alternating current (AC), which reverses direction at fixed intervals, DC flows continuously in one direction and can produce an electric arc when the connection is broken.
“The Z-source circuits and controls have been used and adopted in many applications such as DC circuit breakers, power conversion, fault protection, and power grid resiliency enhancement,” Peng said.
IEEE’s Medal of Power Engineering is one of many prestigious honors Peng has received. He is an IEEE and a National Academy of Inventors Fellow, a member of the National Academy of Engineering , and an IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award winner.
“Fang’s tireless work to transform electric power conversion extends far beyond the lab and the classroom. It is making a difference in people’s lives every day,” said Alan George , Department Chair, R&H Mickle Endowed Chair, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and SHREC founder. “He is an exceptional recipient of this award and an invaluable member of our community.”
“I am honored to receive this recognition from IEEE,” said Peng. “I came to Pitt because of its rich history in electric power and for the opportunity to work with amazing colleagues like Dr. Brandon Grainger and Dr. Paul Ohodnicki. In Pittsburgh right now, there is an electric power and electrical energy renaissance, and I am proud to be a part of that.”