Power Center for Utility Explorations (PCUE) was established three years ago from minimal funds, but has grown to over $7M/year in competitive and sustainable funding. Today, PCUE has become the most exciting innovator in the power industry, breaking new grounds in research, education, and power distribution. PCUE is determined to bring a comprehensive turn-key approach, from theory to installation, into the forefront of the way energy is produced and delivered. Shattering all the limitations associated with energy production and delivery, PCUE and its team of experts, are lock and load in bringing clean, efficient, reliable, sustainable, and safe energy to consumers all over the country.

    Among its many accomplishments, PCUE has established a funded membership-based industry board of directors, consisting of utilities and manufacturers. It has also established satellite labs and offices in Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, South Florida at FPL, in East Florida at Indian River, and in West Florida at Draper Labs in St. Petersburg and two Sustainable Electric Energy Delivery Systems working solar PV power plants with advanced energy storage test beds with Progress Energy. 

    The PCUE Power and Energy Applied Research Laboratory (PEARL) has developed multiple independent facilities all over the state of Florida and Europe that include SEEDS laboratory, Premium Power Park, and APPQRL. At present, PCUE is further developing PEARL  ($2M+ invested), which has among other capabilities, the ability to monitor power systems worldwide and replicate electrical conditions in the lab to determine effects on the overall grid and on individual devices such as protective relays, transformers, end-use devices, motors, and many others. This lab is available for testing and analysis.

PCUE is also determined to stimulate the public’s awareness and interest regarding the important issues in the power industry by establishing learning centers and programs. The PCUE system wide approach promotes the creation of novel local community oriented program

s and facilities. Local facilities include the soon to be opened learning center and advanced peak load shaving technologies and solar PV generating station at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa exposing 1.5 million people annually to the power area and renewable energy with the Tampa Electric Company, and the PCUE Sustainable Electric Energy Delivery Systems laboratory at USF St. Petersburg and in the City of St. Petersburg with Progress Energy, and a demand side management facility in Spain with the Energy Institute of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

    In terms of education, PCUE offers the most comprehensive course programs that prepare engineering students to be professionals in the field of power systems. PCUE is the first and only dual Ph.D program (in power systems) at UB. Currently, six Ph.D. professionals in PCUE are specializing in many areas of power, offering distance learning via webcast and online classes. PCUE makes sure that interested students do not have an excuse not to pursue their career goals by making the education process as convenient as possible. The PCUE works in Power Systems, which is the only field that deals with energy issues comprehensively.

    The goal of PCUE is to provide consumers all over America clean, efficient, reliable, and safe power that they deserve. PCUE aims to revolutionize the power industry by making a mix of renewable, sustainable, and conventional energy the smartest and most rationale power sources for consumers. In order to provide the public quality power, PCUE will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible from power production to delivery. Continuing the current research studies and expanding the research studies are how all of these goals would be possible. In order keep moving forward, continued commitment to research and innovations is the goal of PCUE.

    Another important goal of PCUE is to continue promoting power systems education and research as an attractive field of study that offers exciting career opportunities. PCUE will promote close collaboration between academia, industry, and government by providing power engineering education and research opportunities addressing current industry issues and future grid design and management. PCUE will also continue addressing critical needs in the energy industry for engineering graduates specializing in power engineering. It will provide outreach by hosting industry conferences and collaborative events at UB and at industry locations. Attracting talented and accomplished research and teaching candidates is also a priority. PCUE will also expand the dual degree programs by establishing dual B.S./M.S. and B.S./Ph.D. degree programs and develop joint degree programs within UB and other educational institutions.

        The mission of the Power Center for Utility Explorations is to explore all power systems issues comprehensively and develop innovative solutions to the complex challenges in electricity infrastructure. Its commitment to renewable sources of energy promises to start a wave of innovations regarding widespread use of solar energy. Clean, efficient, and reliable delivery of power all over the country is the cornerstone of PCUE’s mission to serve consumers.

   Training the next generation of power systems professionals is also the mission of PCUE. A trained group of professional is needed to advance the mission of PCUE to develop and implement the most efficient and reliable energy distribution technology can offer. These PCUE professionals will be at the forefront of the success of PCUE in bringing quality power all over the country.

We are pushing the boundaries in terms of our mission to provide Americans quality energy that they deserve. In an unprecedented scope, PCUE is involved in research, education programs, community service, further development of renewable power, and international outreach programs. The PCUE team is at the cutting edge of innovation. For example, Prof. Domijan was one of the developers of Flexible, Reliable, and Intelligent Energy Delivery Systems (FRIENDS) twenty years ago which has evolved into smart grids being implemented today. Through inter-organizational and government support, PCUE is moving forward to a brighter future.