KS1
Dr. Jessica Bian
President, IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES)
Topic : Transition towards Carbon Neutrality, Sustainability and Flexibility for Future Energy
Abstract
As the effects of climate change become increasingly evident and the global community prioritizes the transition to a sustainable, zero-carbon energy system, the need for innovative solutions has never been more urgent. The future of the electric grid will not only integrate high penetration of renewables, but also accommodate millions of diverse intelligent devices connected at the grid edge, ranging from distributed energy resources to networks of EV chargers to the smartphone technologies. This presentation will provide an overview of current state vs. long-term strategy for advancing clean energy technologies while preserving the grid’s reliability and making it resilient and flexible. It will also discuss how new business models could accelerate the transition and shape the utility of the future.
Short Biography
Dr. Jessica Bian is the President of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES). She is a visionary leader and architect, has spearheaded electric industry’s reliability metrics and grid risk assessment. Currently she is the Vice President of Grid Services at Grid-X Partners. Before that, she was with the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Washington, DC. Previously, she was the Director of Performance Analysis at North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in Atlanta, Georgia. Under her leadership, a total of 18 industry-wide reliability indicators were established to determine grid reliability, adequacy, and associated risks. She is widely recognized as a pioneer and trusted world leader in the field.
KS2
Dr. Worawut Waruttamapornsu
Country Managing Director, Thailand, Hitachi Energy (Thailand) Limited
Title : Pathway Towards Carbon-Neutral Power System
Abstract
Electricity will be the backbone of the entire energy system – the carbon-neutral future is electric. Connecting renewable energy to the grids, electrifying transportation, building and industrial sectors as well as sustainable energy carriers complementary to direct electrification are driving the energy transition. Meanwhile, climate change and the energy crisis as ones of ongoing global issues are reminders of the vulnerability and unsustainability of the current energy system. Accelerating the transition to a carbon-neutral energy system is essential to limit further the global warming from the severe impacts of the climate change. Ramping up electrification and renewable energy sources while gradually minimizing the fossil-fuel energy consumption is essentially required. The global power system is expected to have incredibly increasing installed power generation capacity and transmission of energy in which the future power system will turn to be undoubtedly much more complex to accommodate this huge growth in supply and demand. The presentation will provide overview of energy transition towards carbon-neutral energy system, challenges of transforming our existing power system into one integrated with variable renewables and other related elements to enable carbon-neutrality as well as key points for way forward to achieve tomorrow’s power system to guarantee sustainable energy future for all.
Short Biography
Dr. Worawut is the Country Managing Director of Hitachi Energy (Thailand) Limited. He joined Hitachi Energy’s predecessor in 2006 and had worked in sales, marketing and product management for Power Products & Power Systems at the country, regional and global levels. Directly prior to becoming Country Managing Director, he was Head of the Company’s Grid Integration Business Unit.Dr. Worawut holds B. Eng. in Electrical Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, M. Eng. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tokyo, Japan.
KS3
Professor Campbell Booth
Vice Dean for Research in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde
Title : Future challenges and potential solutions for protection and monitoring of future power systems
Abstract
Resilience and reliability in an uncertain future are crucial, and even more so in these challenging times. Power and energy systems underpin all aspect of modern society and this talk will cover a range of issues associated with future power systems. Particular focus on the power system of Great Britain will be placed, and it will be shown how the changing nature of generation and demand, coupled with changes to the structure and operation of the power system, is introducing a number of challenges to system operators. These challenges are primarily associated with a “weakening” of the power system due to the replacement of a relatively small number of large generators, typically connected directly at the transmission level, with a relatively very high number of smaller scale generators, many of which are connected at the distribution level, and interfaced to the power system via power electronics converters, and, at the micro scale, relatively “uncontrolled” and perhaps “invisible” from the system operators perspective. This is already leading to reducing fault levels, increases in frequency dynamics following major disturbances due to falling levels of inertia, and a number of other issues. This presentation will show that there is a need in the future for enhanced and novel approaches to the monitoring, protection and control of power system, all of which will be underpinned by communications and a need for distributed and widespread sensing of power system parameters. A number of projects that are being undertaken to combat these challenges will be introduced, along with an overview of laboratory and demonstration facilities at the University of Strathclyde, including the Power Networks Demonstration Centre, that are being used to facilitate the investigations and demonstrate the outcomes of the projects.
Short Biography
Professor Campbell Booth is the Vice Dean for Research in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, responsible for research leadership and enhancement for almost 300 academic staff, 280 research and knowledge exchange staff, and more than 800 PhD researchers across 8 departments. Prior to this, he was Head of the Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) Department, the largest department in Strathclyde and one of the largest EEE departments in Europe. His research is in power system protection, control and monitoring, and he has attracted a portfolio of research with a total value in excess of £15m to Strathclyde, occupying Principal Investigator (PI) and leading roles in several projects, including a recently-awarded Prosperity Partnership concerned with the “digital twinning” of future multi-vector energy distribution systems, which will be starting soon. He has previously led major projects with National Grid, ScottishPower, and remains active on an EPSRC grant. He has more than 250 publications, holds patents in power system protection, and is co-founder of Synaptec, a Strathclyde spinout. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (received several teaching awards from students), an IET member, and active in CIGRE. He is a member of the management and organising committee for several conferences, and in 2018 was the overall chair for the IET International Conference on Developments in Power Systems Protection. He has extensive industry engagement and consulting experience, having worked on projects with more than 30 industrial clients, including teaching, training and consultancy engagements in Europe, the United States, Australia, South Africa and the Middle and Far East. More detailed information is available here.
KS4
Ray Byrne
manager of the Energy Storage Technology & Systems department at Sandia National Laboratories
Short Biography
Ray Byrne is manager of the Energy Storage Technology & Systems department at Sandia National Laboratories where he has been employed since 1989. Prior serving as manager, he was a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff. He completed a B.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Virginia, an M.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Colorado, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of New Mexico. He also completed an M.S. in financial mathematics (financial engineering) at the University of Chicago. Awards include the IEEE Third Millennium Medal, Time Magazine invention of the year in robotics in 2001, as well as the Prize paper award at the 2016 IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting for a paper on maximizing revenue from energy storage in grid applications. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Sigma Xi. He was elevated to IEEE Fellow in 2017 for contributions to miniature robotics and grid integration of energy storage. He serves as an ABET program evaluator for IEEE and is a member of the IEEE Committee on Engineering Accreditation Activities (CEAA). He is a board member of Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society.