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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Ted Brekken, a researcher in renewable energy at Oregon State University, has been named the Outstanding Young Engineer by the IEEE Power and Energy Society, a branch of the world's largest engineering association.

The award recognizes his achievements in teaching, research and outreach to the community, and includes a $2,000 scholarship fund which he will give to OSU.

Brekken, an OSU assistant professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and co-director of the Wallace Energy Systems and Renewables Facility, does research on wind and wave technologies, energy storage and the large-scale integration of renewable energy onto the grid. He also teaches a course on renewable energy at Linn-Benton Community College that is open to the public, and lectures in a series on renewable energy at the Corvallis-Benton County Library.

"I am hoping to remove obstacles that are preventing us from using more renewable energy," Brekken said. "The wind may not be blowing when we have an immediate energy need, such as heating our home - so we have to take a variable resource and make it match our energy needs."