Austin April 2019 Luncheon

"Energy Storage - The Options Technology Is Providing", Dr. Robert Hebner, UT Austin Center for Electromechanics

The UT Center for Electromechanics focuses on the conversion and storage of power and energy.  Dr. Hebner will discuss energy storage as well as advanced concepts in demand management, and the role of nuclear and fossil fuels in reliable power systems.

Bob Hebner is the Director of the Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas at Austin. The Center develops advanced technology and teams with companies to get the technology into the market. Important current projects include improved hybrid vehicle technology, energy storage - both large scale and vehicle scale, hydrogen fueled vehicles, the development and integration of directed energy systems, and the production of algae-based biofuel.

In the biofuel area, he initiated a program to electromechanically lyse algae to permit cost-effective extraction of algal oil and co-products without contamination the residual biomass. The program grew to include life-cycle analysis, processing metrology, separation technology, harvesting, and modest scale growth as well as energy and mass balance. The project has spun out a company in algae processing. The directed energy work has involved some of the seminal work on electromagnetic launch and the integration of high power lasers and electromagnetic guns in naval warships. In the area of energy storage, significant work has been done in storage for space applications, as well as to enhance the performance of smart electrical grids.

Before joining the University of Texas, he spent many years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), culminating his time there as acting Director. He also worked in the Office of Management and Budget and at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Dr. Hebner was a vice president of the IEEE with responsibility for all of the IEEE’s technical activities. The IEEE is a technical society in the broad field of electrochnology and has more than 400,000 members worldwide.