Chioke Harris is a postdoctoral researcher and a former National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. His current research focuses on the integration of energy storage in the electric grid, using a future plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) fleet as a potential source of low-cost, high-availability storage. This application of PEVs, commonly called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) storage, currently faces many challenges. With increases in the size of the PEV fleet, continuing improvements in battery technology, and growing public charging infrastructure, PEVs might eventually be able to provide many of the benefits of large-scale energy storage while avoiding high capital expenses for utilities. This work follows on from his masters research, which examined the role that large-scale energy storage, such as that potentially provided by compressed air energy storage (CAES) or redox flow batteries, could play as part of a future generation mix for an electric utility.
In 2011, Chioke served as an Energy and Climate Change program intern at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and he has also worked at The Boeing Company on several programs, including commercial aircraft landing gear systems, satellite launch vehicles, and Space Shuttle propulsion and power systems.