Invention could help renewable-energy producers power up

Engineering professor invents device that makes it cheaper and easier for renewable-energy companies to plug into the grid. Wilsun Xu invented a fail-safe device that makes it cheaper and safer for renewable-energy companies to connect to existing power grids. An invention by electrical engineering professor Wilsun Xu has been licensed in the private sector and could prove to be a powerful enabling technology that results in more renewable-energy producers contributing to existing electrical power grids. Until now, independent energy producers operating wind or solar power generation plants had to invest at least $800,000 in technology that allowed them to connect to power grids. The device Xu invented drives that price down to between $80,000 and $5,000 and ensures a safe environment for power workers. The device has been patented and licensed through TEC Edmonton to DX3 Enterprises , based in Sherwood Park, Alta. Xu, who holds the NSERC/iCORE Alberta Power Companies Senior Industrial Research Chair in Power Quality, worked for about a decade on the "anti-islanding" technology.