The Office of Naval Research has awarded Florida State University’s Center for Advanced Power Systems a five-year, $35 million grant to lead a team of scientists and engineers from various universities to help the U.S. Navy build an all-electric ship.
The team will work on various energy and machinery aspects such as ship architecture, energy storage and power distribution, Florida State University said Monday.
The university team members include:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Mississippi State University
- Purdue University
- University of South Carolina
- The University of Texas at Austin
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
CAPS has previously conducted research and tests on a number of systems in support of the Navy’s goal, including the “power hardware in the loop” process designed to support simulation of real-time environmental and electrical conditions while minimizing risk to equipment and maintaining flexibility.
The center intends to use the process to test elements that can be used to develop an all-electric ship, Florida State University said.
“We want the Navy to understand the risks or benefits if they take one path versus another when they are choosing different types of technologies,†said Michael Steurer, CAPS power systems research group leader.
He added that the simulations will help test new technological options.