Energy conversion
Energy conversion underpins the electrical revolution in transport, the power grid, and smart factories. Our research in machines drives and powers electronics, and delivers cleaner, more reliable, more controllable power, on land and in vehicle power systems.
Key industry partnerships including Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre.
Providing the technology for future electrification.
Ten academics, including 4 professors and 2 IET / IEEE fellows.
High quality publications.
Creating transformative, industry‑driven solutions
With expertise in power electronics, electric machines and drives, energy storage, condition monitoring, and control, our group creates high-impact, industrially relevant, integrated solutions.
Ground-breaking research into cryogenic power-dense electrical machines is unlocking performance efficiencies for hydrogen powered aircraft, enabling next-generation, net-zero, passenger aircraft.
Manchester is leading the conversation about the future power grid, building on transformative work on power-electronics enabled power grids, in partnership with major power systems equipment providers.
From hydrogen-powered planes to offshore renewable sea trials, and from projects with international organisations to those with local small businesses, it’s an exciting time to be an energy conversion researcher with great job opportunities available.
Judith Apsley - Group Lead and Senior Lecturer
Research
Our areas of research
Transport electrification
The Power Conversion Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre reflects the growing importance of electrification in aerospace, marine and energy applications. The UTC provides world‑leading expertise in electrical systems, electromagnetics, power electronics, electrical drives and control, energy storage, electrical machines, condition monitoring, health management and cryogenic technologies.
Our group is working with GKN Aerospace and Airbus to develop a modular aerospace electrical propulsion system powered by hydrogen fuel cells. This technology enables true zero‑emission hybrid and electric aircraft configurations for sub‑regional and regional passenger aircraft.
We are creating technologies that use liquid‑hydrogen fuel to power ultra‑efficient cryogenic propulsion motors, liquid hydrogen pumps and cryogenic electrical networks. Testing is underway to de‑risk energy storage under extreme loads.
Power electronics enabled power grid
The electrification of the economy is core to the UK's ambition for a sustainable, inclusive future. The group is undertaking research into smart loads, renewable energy integration and the power systems of the future.
We have worked with manufacturers, utilities and the international community on projects as diverse as wind, wave and solar generation, wide-bandgap devices for solid state relays, electric loads to support the operation of the power network, and High-Voltage Direct Current transmission links to other countries and offshore wind farms.
We use modern power electronics, advanced electromagnetic design, control theory and power system analysis to invent solutions to the pressing problems of the coming decades. Our work is a combination of advanced simulation and practical implementation.
Condition monitoring
Our condition monitoring (CM) research advances the diagnostics and reliability of power conversion devices through fault modelling, physics-of-failure characterisation and novel sensing. We collaborate with industry and research councils across manufacturing, aerospace, power and energy.
Our fibre-optic sensing for in-situ monitoring improves understanding of fault effects, lifetime consumption and model verification. We develop high-fidelity, computationally efficient fault models for electric machines and specialise in non-invasive, fault-signature-based CM, including real-time monitoring and machine learning for fault characterisation. Recent work explores wide-bandgap inverter effects on insulation lifetime and integrating CM with control to enhance electric drive performance.
Renewable energy generation
Our research on offshore renewable energies (ORE) including marine wave, offshore wind, and hybrid wind-wave systems, focuses on developing novel technologies to improve the ORE system performance and their safe operation though modelling, control, co-design optimisation, and power electronics design techniques. We are leading experts in controller designs for ORE systems to achieve multi-objective optimal control tasks.
Our control algorithms, power electronics design and co-design techniques are validated by hardware-in-the-loop testing and tank testing experiments. We also provided technical support on power electronic designs and modelling for the sea-trial testing of the M4 large-scale wave energy converter off the coast of West Australia through international collaborations.
Our research facilities
Energy Conversion Laboratory
The Energy Conversion Lab de-risks and validates future electrification components and networks. The Rolls-Royce 120 kW aircraft electrical network (IEPNEF) integrates an electrical machines test cell with energy storage and multiple active loads. We work with industrial and academic partners on cryogenics; battery/ super capacitor dynamic load cycles; Fibre Bragg condition monitoring; wind and wave generator dynamometers; arc testing.
High Voltage Laboratory
Our High Voltage Lab is the UK’s largest academic electrical infrastructure test facility, supporting industry to innovate faster. From our £9m labs, we work with global partners to test new products, solve transmission and distribution challenges, and accelerate electrification. With 400kV‑capable equipment and cutting‑edge research expertise, we help industry develop, validate and de‑risk next‑generation power technologies.
RTDS Laboratory
The RTDS Laboratory contains the computing equipment required for real‑time digital simulation of power systems networks. Able to perform electromechanical and electromagnetic electric power system transient simulations continuously, it covers the frequency range DC to ~3kHz, and has six racks with 30 PB5 processor cards, GTNET communication cards and MMC units. It is designed for hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing of physical equipment.
Study with us
Study with leading researchers
Our academics deliver components of MSc courses in:
- Electrical Power Systems Engineering
- Renewable Energy and Clean Technology
- Sustainable Electrical Power Systems Engineering (Distance learning)
The research group has a track record of industry-sponsored PhD places for home students, in Aircraft Electrification and Monitoring and Power Electronics Enabled Future Grid Technology. Opportunities are advertised in FindAPhD.com.
The Net Zero Teaching Laboratory enables practical experimental teaching in underpinning technologies (Power Electronics, Machines, Drives and Renewable Energy Systems Technology) at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Connect with us
Our people
- Mike Barnes - Professor of Power Electronics Systems
- Andrew Forsyth - Professor of Power Electronics
- Guang Li - Professor of Engineering Net Zero
- Sandy Smith - Professor of Electrical Machines
- Sinisa Durovic - Reader
- Judith Apsley - Senior Lecturer
- Theodor Heath - Senior Lecturer (T&S)
- Matteo Iacchetti - Senior Lecturer
- Gus Cheng Zhang - Lecturer
- Paul Tuohy - Rolls-Royce Research Fellow
- Ramy Afia - Senior Technical Specialist
- Engku A. Rafiqi Engku Ariff - Technical Specialist
- Slawomir Kubecki - Senior Technician
Contact our team
For business and general inquiries, contact Dr Judith Apsley:
Research activities
Discover more about our group's latest research activities: