IEEE PES DAY 2025: Design Optimization and Validation of a Bi-Directional Charging Circuit for Micro E-Mobility System Supporting Health Facilities Electrification.
On April 24, 2025, the IEEE Power & Energy Society Student Branch Chapter at Universidad del Norte hosted a technical session as part of the global IEEE PES Day 2025 celebration. The event took place from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the Universidad del Norte campus in Barranquilla, Colombia, and welcomed 8 participants for an in-depth presentation on a locally developed engineering project with significant social impact. The session focused on the development of sustainable energy solutions for the Tezhumke Wiwa indigenous community in Colombia, addressing the critical challenge of improving healthcare access in remote areas through off-grid renewable energy and innovative transportation systems.
Technical Content
The session centered on the development of sustainable energy solutions for the Tezhumke Wiwa indigenous community, located in a remote area of Colombia with limited access to reliable electricity and healthcare infrastructure. The project addresses this challenge through a dual-purpose integration of e-bikes: serving both as a means of medicine delivery to isolated areas and as mobile energy storage units capable of enhancing the power reliability of local health facilities.
The technical discussion focused on the design, optimization, and validation of a bi-directional charging circuit tailored for small-scale electric vehicle applications. Participants explored the transition from large-scale EV battery systems to localized, community-scale solutions, examining the refinement of an existing prototype developed at Universidad del Norte. Key aspects included the integration of AC/DC inverters and DC/DC converters into a boost-buck topology with optimized control systems, designed to ensure efficiency and reliability in isolated microgrid environments.
Outcomes and Impact
The session offered participants a compelling example of how power electronics and renewable energy engineering can be applied to address real-world social challenges. By grounding the technical content in a concrete humanitarian context — improving healthcare access for an indigenous community — the presentation illustrated the broader potential of engineering to drive meaningful change. With 8 attendees engaged in a focused and specialized discussion, the activity reinforced the chapter's commitment to promoting research with social relevance and to celebrating IEEE PES Day as an opportunity for technical exchange and community awareness.
The IEEE PES Day 2025 session at Universidad del Norte exemplifies the chapter's dedication to connecting rigorous technical work with its human and social dimensions. By showcasing research developed within the university itself, the chapter highlighted the innovative capacity of its academic community and its alignment with the global IEEE PES mission of advancing energy technology for the benefit of society.
Date and Time
Location
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- Área metropolitana de, Kilómetro 5, Vía Puerto Colombia, Barranquilla, Atlántico
- Barranquilla, Atlantico
- Colombia
- Click here for Map
- Starts 22 April 2025 05:00 AM UTC
- Ends 24 April 2025 07:00 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Federico Sartore
Optimization of Bi-directional Power Converters for Small-Scale Electric Mobility in Remote Microgrids.
Federico Sartore, MSc.
Topic: Optimization of Small-Scale Bi-directional Power Converters for E-bike Integration in Remote Microgrids.
Federico Sartore is currently a PhD student at ETH Zürich within the Reliability and Risk Engineering group. He holds a Master’s degree in Energy Science and Technology from ETH Zürich and a BSc in Energy Engineering from the University of Padua, Italy. In collaboration with Universidad del Norte, his research focuses on the intersection of power electronics, reliability modeling, and the practical application of electric mobility to improve healthcare access in off-grid communities.
This technical session presents the design and optimization of a bi-directional charging circuit specifically engineered for e-bikes. While large-scale Electric Vehicle (EV) systems have been extensively documented, small-scale bi-directional solutions remain a challenge in power electronics. The presentation covers the integration of an AC/DC inverter and a DC/DC converter into a robust boost-buck topology. Key discussion points include control system optimization and the dual-use of e-bike batteries as mobile energy storage units to provide grid services and enhance power reliability for healthcare facilities in off-grid indigenous communities.
Biography:
Federico Sartore is a PhD student at ETH Zürich in the Reliability and Risk Engineering group. He holds a Master’s degree in Energy Science and Technology from ETH Zürich and a BSc in Energy Engineering from the University of Padua, Italy. His research focus includes energy system vulnerability and sustainable power solutions for remote communities.
Address:Zurich, Switzerland
Agenda
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14:00 – 14:10: Welcome Remarks and Introduction to IEEE PES Chapter Initiatives.
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14:10 – 14:45: Technical Presentation: Design and Optimization of Bi-directional Charging for E-bikes.
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14:45 – 15:15: Case Study Analysis: Implementation in the Tezhumke Wiwa Community.
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15:15 – 15:45: Q&A Session: Challenges in Small-scale Mobile Storage and Off-grid Stability.
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15:45 – 16:00: Closing and Networking.
Media
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