One of Canada’s leading power electronics expert has been recognized by his peers for his pioneering work in the field.

On May 1, Queen’s electrical engineering professor Praveen Jain received the Phoivos Ziogas Electric Power Medal from the Canadian arm of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE Canada). The award recognizes outstanding Canadian engineers who have made important contributions to the field of electric power engineering.

“This is one of the top awards in power engineering in Canada, so it is a tremendous honour to be selected to receive the P. Ziogas Electric Power Medal,” says Dr. Jain. “I was very excited and humbled to receive the news.”

For over 30 years, Dr. Jain has been conducting leading-edge research that has opened up new possibilities in solar power generation. His research has resulted in over 550 publications, 107 patents and numerous spin-off companies which have translated his research into real-world applications. Along with his colleagues and graduate students at the Queen’s Centre for Energy and Power Electronics Research (ePOWER), Dr. Jain is working to develop new energy efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly power electronic technologies to meet society’s ever-increasing energy demands.

Dr. Jain’s research has received substantial investments from government and industry alike, including a recently announced $4 million grant from the Ontario Research Fund - Research Excellence to advance the development of more efficient, small-scale, point-of-use photovolataic (solar) power systems for residential use. He explains this funding will go towards new, more efficient power systems that can meet growing demand for renewable energy.

“This will help reduce the burden on the existing power grid in the short term and, in time, allow us to replace large-scale electrical generation infrastructure with point-of-use systems,” he adds. “Renewable energy systems can help reduce our environmental impact and meet our growing energy needs. There is a worldwide effort to meet 50 per cent of our energy needs by solar power by the end of the century, and our research will play an important role in making that happen.”

Established in 2007, the IEEE Canada P. Ziogas Electric Power Medal is awarded to outstanding Canadian engineers recognized for their important contributions to the field of electric power engineering.

For more information on IEEE Canada or the P. Ziogas Electric Power Medal, please visit the website.