What Drives UCF’s Issa Batarseh to Expand Energy Research

You can find Issa Batarseh's inventions almost anywhere - from parking lots at UCF to streets in the New York City Metro area. The Pegasus Professor of electrical and computer engineering contributed to 40 U.S. patents during his research career. He has a place in the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, alongside Thomas Edison, has been honored by the King of Jordan, commands a Wikipedia page and recently received the highest distinction possible from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the IEEE Medal of Environmental and Safety Technologies.

While Batarseh has plenty of reasons to focus on what he alone has achieved, he doesn't see success as a singular effort.

"The quality of the people who have passed through my labs at UCF is extraordinary," he says of a long list that includes 45 doctoral students. "Their work is making a lasting impact."

For Bararseh, that lasting impact among Knights began 35 years ago from a corner on campus where he began to pursue his bold (some call them "crazy") ideas.

Is it true your first lab at UCF wasn't really a lab at all?
There was no research space available when I arrived in 1991. So, I set up a bench in a corner of the senior design lab to stay out of the way of students coming and going. After a couple of years of progress, I moved into a 200-square-foot space. When the dean came to inspect it, he saw students busy with active hardware and said, "Yes, Issa deserves this lab." Over the years I moved into larger spaces and eventually built the Florida Power Electronics Center, but that first lab is a reminder of why it's essential to focus on genuine work and real results, no matter where you're working.

The dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Michael Georgiopolous, once said you've done things that people thought were impossible.
I believe he's referring to our development of the microinverter 20 years ago. My team and I proposed placing a small inverter on each solar panel rather than using large string inverters. Skeptics said our idea would be too expensive, too complex, and that the market would never support it. Today, hundreds of millions of microinverters have been sold worldwide.

If you were to show us the impact of your research, where would you take us?
I just took my kids to New York City for the new year. On the way to the airport in Newark, New Jersey, I saw some of the 200,000 panels that Petra Solar - a company our team at UCF co-founded - installed on utility poles. My kids have heard me mention the panels, which we call photovoltaic (PV) modules with microinverters, but for the first time they were able to directly connect my research and entrepreneurship activities to real-world impact.

I'm deeply passionate about renewable energy technology. My students and postdocs amplify that passion, which is why I truly owe my success to them. Our shared creativity and collective dedication turn what others call "crazy ideas" into something useful and real.

What about impact around Central Florida?
Start in our lab. You see generations of products and prototypes my students have helped design over the years. I see those prototypes as timestamps of their technical growth from academia to industry. Next, I'd show you the solar chargers at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center carports and the PV system on top of the Harris Engineering Center. Several of my doctoral and master's students have founded companies in the Central Florida area, generating millions of dollars in revenue and many jobs - a result of the work we've done at UCF and because of the constant support from the Florida High Tech Corridor. From here, our impact extends to multi-megawatt solar projects across the U.S. and abroad.

Why are you able to see solutions where others see impossibilities?
I'm deeply passionate about renewable energy technology. My students and postdocs amplify that passion, which is why I truly owe my success to them. Our shared creativity and collective dedication turn what others call "crazy ideas" into something useful and real.

Were you a budding inventor as a kid growing up in Jordan?
Believe it or not, I didn't do many hands-on projects. I didn't fix things either. But I did enjoy the problem-solving of math and science. My parents encouraged me to pursue higher education, and their support played a major role in motivating me.

Most people hadn't even heard of renewable energy when you came to UCF. Why did you come here to pursue breakthroughs?

I saw UCF as a university open to innovation, hungry for growth. Renewable energy wasn't yet a mainstream research area, so I proposed to work on it through power electronics. Student interest grew rapidly as we pioneered a new field.

I've had opportunities in the private sector, but I love teaching and working with students. Seeing their curiosity ignite and watching them succeed is something no financial reward can replace.

Among all of your patents and honors, what do you consider your hallmark?
My hallmark isn't any single patent or award. It's three areas of long-term impact. First are the people who have trained in my labs. Second are the technical solutions that have helped advance renewable energy, including resonant converters and the microinverter. And third is our entrepreneurial impact. Many of my students have launched private companies, which contributes to economic growth, globally. It's all incredibly fulfilling.

You could have done well for yourself as an inventor based in industry. Why stay in academia?
UCF has given me the freedom to pursue ideas and build meaningful research programs around them. I've had opportunities in the private sector, but I love teaching and working with students. Seeing their curiosity ignite and watching them succeed is something no financial reward can replace. The true measure of academic success lies in the lives you influence and the lasting contributions you leave behind. I wouldn't change a thing.

Find out more about Batarseh's lab at fpec.ucf.edu.

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