Electrical engineer Ahmed Mohamed [center] and PhD student members of his CCNY research team [from left]: Tamer Ibrahim, Mahdiyeh Khodaparastan, Oindrilla Dutta, Mahmoud Saleh and Jason Baldorado [graduate student].
As he continues research that could make the rail transit system more energy efficient, City College of New York electrical engineer Ahmed Mohamed is the recipient of $320,000 in funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to advance his pioneering work. It is over two years.
The funding brings to more than half a million dollars the support Mohamed, an assistant professor in CCNY’s Grove School of Engineering, has received for the project since last year. He was awarded $210,000 by ConEd in 2017.
Mohamed’s quest is to develop technology that can capture the regenerative braking energy released by trains whenever they brake.
“When trains stop, they reproduce some of the energy they use during acceleration,” he said. “Under the current system, regenerative energy can’t be recaptured.”
The idea is to harness this energy and either store it or redirect it to the energy grid, said Mohamed.
One benefit of recapturing regenerative energy would be to allow trains to move to the nearest station in case of an outage.
Other outcomes, if the project is successful, would be:
- Financial savings on energy by the New York City Transit system; and
- A reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in line with New York State requirements.
Research participants include students from the department of electrical engineering in the Grove School, which is celebrating its centennial.
Mohamed is founding director of the Smart Grid Laboratory. He is also affiliated with other CCNY-based CUNY Research Centers.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its role at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight professional schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.