UB engineering professor wins Department of Energy award

UB faculty member Sayanti Mukherjee knows that converting from fossil fuels to renewable energy takes more than just technical know-how. It also takes shifting social attitudes and garnering economic support.

Mukherjee, assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and doctoral student Poulomee Roy highlighted all three of these critical requirements in their project, “Critical Need of the Hour for Renewable Energy Integration in the U.S.,” which won an American-Made Science Synthesis Prize sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity.

Their synthesis paper, “Roadmap for Renewable Integration in the U.S.: Navigating Challenges with Strategic Interventions and Risk-Informed Decision Making,” submitted as part of the project, was named one of eight winners out of 45 submissions from scientists in industry and academia across the world. It comes with a $10,000 cash prize.

“It’s an incredible honor,” Mukherjee says. “This award represents the culmination of teamwork, curiosity and the drive to find creative solutions to the renewable energy challenges of our time. I’m deeply thankful to the Department of Energy for recognizing our work.”

Launched in 2024, the Science Synthesis Prize challenges competitors to highlight pivotal opportunities, solutions and areas of investment to address the complications of integrating various energy sources with the electric grid.

“Our approach was exhaustive and holistic,” says Mukherjee, who also directs UB’s OASIS Laboratory and serves as an adjunct assistant professor of electrical engineering and an affiliate faculty member of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. “I think that’s what made our entry stand apart.”

Mukherjee and Roy conducted a systematic review of more than 300 studies conducted worldwide.

“For example, in Europe they are much more advanced in terms of renewable energies,” Mukherjee explains. “So, we reviewed a lot of case studies conducted by different universities and research institutes in Europe, and we found some success stories.”

The biggest takeaway, she says, is that most studies focus on just the technical part of converting to renewable energy, not the social or economic aspects.

“All three areas need attention,” she says. “But the majority of the attention is given to the technical side right now, especially in the U.S.”

For their paper, the two researchers examined the various facets of the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating renewable energy into the grid and then compared them with the current industry outlook.

“First, we analyzed how the various studies are contributing value to the current landscape,” she says. “Then, we’ve identified the gaps, analyzed what we can but are not doing currently, and finally, made suggestions on how we could improve the renewable energy integration process.”

She notes the technical aspects present significant challenges that will need to be rectified, such as integrating new types of renewable energy into an aging existing grid and transmitting energy from offshore wind and solar plants to the communities that need them.

The social and economic challenges, however, are just as significant.

“Let’s look at the installation of solar panels,” she says. “There’s a huge upfront cost. While there are many clean energy programs where the government subsidizes some of the initial costs, many homeowners and businesses are either unaware of such programs or don’t understand the benefits that they might earn from installing solar panels. Over the next five to 10 years, they may receive significant benefits because of lower electricity bills, but what they see now is how much the panels cost to install.”

The study also recommends various investment strategies, including pooled investments and green bonds, which could help raise funds to cover such upfront costs.

If a community wants to install microgrids, for instance, they could get subsidies to power several homes in that community, Mukherjee says.

“Starting small from the ground level is very important for any type of new technology to flourish,” she says. “But first, you have to get acceptance from the communities.”

The problem is that many discussions on renewable energy integration overlook this crucial step — engaging communities and involving them throughout the decision-making process, from inception to implementation.

“What I’ve learned from other research studies that I’ve conducted is that when you involve the communities in the decision-making process, you’re more successful,” she says. “It plays a major role in transitioning many of these different recommendations for renewable energy integration to policies that are actionable.”