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Con Edison's Anthony Barna Lauded for Patent of the Year by L.I. Technology Hall of Fame

^{Published on 2011-03-04 10:30:28 - Market Wire}
 

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - March 4, 2011) - Con Edison Research and Development Engineer Anthony Barna received the Long Island Technology Hall of Fame's Patent of the Year Award at Garden City Hotel last night for his work on a "Hybrid Vehicle Recharging System and Method of Operation."

The system includes a controller that arranges a schedule for vehicles' recharging on local electrical distribution networks, minimizing "demand loading" on those networks. This allows power plants to operate more efficiently, lowering potential peak power demands. A system for collecting charges associated with the plug-in hybrid vehicle recharging also provides for prepaid utility accounts.

Barna, who earned an Automotive Engineering degree from New York City Technical College and degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering from SUNY Farmingdale, shares the September 7, 2010 patent with now-retired Con Edison Research and Development Director Arthur Kressner and Con Edison Senior Analyst Christopher Hoyes. Kressner and Hoyes are both permanent New Jersey residents, though Hoyes is currently on leave doing graduate work at the University of Chicago; Barna lives in North Massapequa.

"Anthony and Chris were both part of Con Edison's team that worked in anticipation of electric cars arriving in the marketplace," said Kressner. "This emerging area presents both a challenge and an opportunity, whether for the electric utility industry's future or in the quest for a more sustainable world."

The Long Island Technology Hall of Fame raises funds for scholarships, outreach, and research initiatives and helps to burnish the Island's accomplishments in the areas of technology and innovation. The Hall helped support nearly $60,000 in scholarships paid to 35 undergraduates in the engineering and technology fields at the State University at Stony Brook.

The new patent is part of a Con Edison patent portfolio that the company has sought protection for so that it can freely use the technology in its own system. Seeking patent protection also allows the company to commercialize the portfolio for the benefit of its customers and shareholders.

Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE: [ ED ]), one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $13 billion in annual revenues and $36 billion in assets. The utility provides electric, gas and steam service to more than three million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York. For additional financial, operations and customer service information, visit us on the Web at [ www.conEd.com ], at our green site, [ www.coned.com/thepowerofgreen ], or find us on Facebook at Power of Green.