U.S. Dept. of the Army annual Small Business Innovation Research（SBIR）Achievement Award ceremony at the Pentagon Conference Center.  This year 11 teams were selected of 471 eligible projects, where the One-Cycle Control（OCC）team, from Irvine CA, was the only recipient in the area of power electronics.  The Army emphasizes that the award is “extremely competitive” and “is given to the best Army SBIR projects based on originality of research, relevance to the Army's mission, commercialization potential, and the overall performance on the project.”  The OCC team is very honored for this distinction.

Left to Right：Mr. Gary Blohm（CERDEC Tech Director）; Mr. Ed Nawrocki（Team Leader – Electromech Team, CERDEC）; Ms. Suzanne Weeks（U.S. Army SBIR Coordinator）; Mr. John Pucci（U.S. Army SBIR Prog. Mngr）; Dr. Thomas Killion（U.S. Army Deputy Assist Secretary for Research & Technology）; Dr. Gregory T. Smedley（CEO/President, OCC）; Dr. Keyue M. Smedley（Professor, UC Irvine）; Dr. Taotao Jin（Director of R & D, OCC）; Mr. Tong Chen（Power Elect Sr Engineer, OCC）

This Award recognizes the OCC-Power Electronics Control and Conditioning（OCC-PECC）developed for Load-Following Variable-Speed Gensets.  OCC-PECC enables fast, efficient, power dense, load-following power systems from a variety of sources and delivers high-quality single, two, or three-phase power at 50, 60, or 400 Hz.  At the Army’s Aberdeen proving ground, OCC demonstrated the outstanding performance that advances power electronics to an unprecedented level. Ed Nawrocki（CERDEC）stated his excitement regarding the potential of this technology：“electronic controls are the linchpin for optimal operation of all power systems. They are a key technology driver which can enable significant reductions in life cycle costs, increase system reliability, availability, engine life, and reduce emissions." OCC-PECC can enable high performance, high-density power conversion for aircraft ground power, hybrid wind-diesel, wind, micro-hydro, energy storage, self-balancing micro-grids, etc.  Ed Nawrocki is planning a "government day" to demo the capability of OCC-PECC to DOD Program Managers.

"Small businesses are the incubators where new innovative concepts and technologies, that are born from academia, are matured to products that we can transition through our development programs to the Army," said Ed Plichta（C2D Army Power Division Chief）. OCC-PECC is based on breakthrough technology invented at Caltech and the Power Electronics Lab at Univ. of CA, Irvine, and developed in the state-of-the-art power electronics facility at OCC in collaboration with Army CERDEC.  OCC, Inc. is pursuing commercialization of this technology to benefit clean energy production, clean environment, economic growth, and the DOD energy mission.