معرفی
Robert Balog is a Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University. He serves as Director of the Renewable Energy and Advanced Power Electronics Laboratory (REAPER), Co-Director of the NSF I/UCRC on Next Generation Photovoltaics (NGPV), and Assistant Director for Grid-Edge Modernization at the Smart Grid Center. He holds affiliations with the National Academy of Inventors as a Fellow (2024).
Education: Ph.D. (2006), M.S.E.E. (2002) from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; B.S.E.E. (1996) from Rutgers University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas and Illinois, and an IEEE Senior Member since 2007.
Research focuses on advanced power electronics systems, solar photovoltaics, energy storage, microgrids, and power quality. Key innovations include photovoltaic balance-of-systems optimization, non-planar PV integration, and arc fault detection technologies. Over 30 patents highlight his work in power conversion, smart grid security, and energy harvesting.
Recent articles emphasize capacitor-less D-STATCOM systems, PV arc fault mitigation, and smart farming energy solutions. His work bridges academic research with industry applications through NSF collaborations and technology commercialization efforts.
Awards include NAI Fellowship (2024), IEEE Distinguished Lecturer designation (2020-2021), and TAMEST Patent Innovation Award (2017). Active in standards development (UL 1741/1699B) and conference organization, including ECCE 2016 Technical Program Chair.
Labs/Teams: REAPER Lab pioneers PV system optimization and grid-edge technologies. NGPV I/UCRC collaborates with industry partners on next-gen photovoltaic materials and configurations.
