UMaine Emera Maine Power Systems Laboratory to be Dedicated Feb. 10

The University of Maine Emera Maine Power Systems Laboratory to benefit undergraduate electrical engineering and electrical engineering technology education will be dedicated Feb. 10.

The lab, made possible by a $100,000 donation to the University of Maine Foundation from Emera Maine, is equipped to demonstrate concepts in electromechanical energy conversion and power systems. The facility will allow students to stay current with smart-grid technology.

UMaine President Paul Ferguson will be joined at the 1 p.m. ceremony in 27 Barrows Hall by alumnus Gerard Chasse, president and COO of Emera Maine, and Dana Humphrey, dean of the College of Engineering.

Also expected to be on hand to offer perspectives on the new lab will be UMaine alumnus Paul Villeneuve, associate professor of electrical engineering technology, and senior Jonathan Breard from Biddeford, Maine. Breard gained experience in the laboratory and in a summer 2013 internship with Bangor Hydro. He has accepted a position at ISO-NE in Holyoke, Mass., following his graduation this May.

Bangor-based Emera Maine is the state’s second-largest electric utility. The company delivers electricity to 154,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 9,350 square miles in five counties in eastern and northern Maine. Emera Maine is the result of the merger of Bangor Hydro Electric Company and Maine Public Service. Bangor Hydro became part of Emera Inc., in 2001 and Maine Public Service was acquired in 2010. The two companies formally merged as one utility Jan. 1, 2014.