Professor Anuradha Annaswamy, Director of the Active-Adaptive Control Laboratory at MIT, Past President, IEEE CSS, IEEE & IFAC Fellow

Topic: Distributed Optimization in a Renewable-rich Grid Edge

Abstract: With increasing penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) in grid edge including renewable generation, flexible loads, and storage, it is becoming increasingly important to carry out fast and accurate prediction as well as optimization of distributed generation and consumption. This talk will address tools for distributed optimization and accelerated solutions. A variety of algorithms, including those based on primal and dual ascent, gradient descent, and augmented Lagrangian will all be presented. Fast methods based on acceleration and momentum, proximal operators, and second-order computations will all be presented. A distributed optimization approach based on Proximal Atomic Coordination will be presented, which has been implemented in a variety of use cases for retail markets and various grid services, will be presented. Use case studies include modified IEEE-123 buses with high penetration of DER, a real utility feeder, and a polygenerative microgrid.

Biography; Dr. Anuradha Annaswamy is the Director of the Active-Adaptive Control Laboratory at MIT and a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Her research interests pertain to adaptive control theory and applications to aerospace, automotive, and propulsion systems, cyber physical systems science, and CPS applications to Smart Grids, Smart Cities, and Smart Infrastructures. Dr. Annaswamy received her PhD in Electrical Engineering from Yale in 1985. Her research is supported by NSF RIPS, NSF Eager awards, NSF CPS Synergy, NSF CPS Breakthrough, Boeing, Ford-MIT Alliance, Department of Energy, and Air-Force Research Laboratory. Dr. Annaswamy is the author of a hundred journal publications and numerous conference publications, co-author of a graduate textbook on adaptive control (2004), co-editor of several reports including “Systems & Control for the future of humanity, research agenda: Current and future roles, impact and grand challenges,” (Elsevier) “IEEE Vision for Smart Grid Control: 2030 and Beyond,” (IEEE Xplore) and Impact of Control Technology, (ieeecss.org/main/IoCT-report, ieeecss.org/general/IoCT2-report). She has received several awards including the George Axelby and Control Systems Magazine best paper awards from the IEEE Control Systems Society (CSS), the Presidential Young Investigator award from NSF, the Hans Fisher Senior Fellowship from the Institute for Advanced Study at the Technische Universität München, the Donald Groen Julius Prize from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, a Distinguished Member Award, and a Distinguished Lecturer Award from IEEE CSS. Dr. Annaswamy is a Fellow of the IEEE and IFAC. She has served as the Vice President for Conference Activities (2014-15), and is currently serving as the VP for Technical Activities (2017-18) in the Executive Committee of the IEEE CSS. She is the Deputy Editor of the Elsevier publication Annual Reviews in Control (2016-present).

Professor Pierluigi Mancarella, Chair Professor of the Electrical Power Systems - University of Melbourne, IEEE Fellow

Topic: Flexibility from the Grid Edge

Abstract; Distributed Energy Resources (DER) connected at the “grid edge”, e.g., technologies such as rooftop PV, electric heat pumps, electric vehicles, and different types of energy storage, will play a key role towards whole-energy system decarbonisation. In this context, the question arises as to how grid edge technologies could be most effectively deployed and integrated in network, system, and market
operation, especially by exploiting the (potentially huge) “bottom-up” flexibility available from DER.

In this talk we will discuss fundamental techno-economic concepts associated with DER flexibility – including different aggregation schemes, sector coupling and distributed multi-energy systems, interaction between transmission and distribution system operation, and distributed energy marketplaces – and the challenges and opportunities emerging from providing security, reliability and resilience services from the grid edge.

Biography; Pierluigi Mancarella is the Chair Professor of Electrical Power Systems at The University of Melbourne, Australia, and Professor of Smart Energy Systems at The University of Manchester, UK. He received his MSc (2002) and PhD (2006) degrees from the Politecnico di Torino, Italy, worked as a post-doc at Imperial College London, UK, and has held visiting positions in the US (NREL), France (Ecole Centrale de Lille), Chile (University of Chile), and China (Tsinghua University). Pierluigi’s research interests include techno-economic modelling of low-carbon grids, multi-energy systems, energy system planning under uncertainty, and reliability and resilience of future networks. He has been involved in/led more than 80 research projects worldwide and actively engaged with energy policy in the UK, Europe and Australia, and is author of several books and of over 400 research publications and reports. Pierluigi is a Fellow of the IEEE; an IEEE Power and Energy Society Distinguished Lecturer; an Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Power Systems and of the IEEE Transactions on Energy Markets, Policy and Regulation; the Convenor of the Cigre C6/C2.34 Working Group on “Flexibility provision from distributed energy resources”; and the inaugural Chair of the Working Group on Energy of the IEEE European Public Policy Initiative. He was awarded the 2017 veski Innovation Fellowship by the Victorian Government for his “FlexCity” project on multi-energy urban virtual power plants, and an international Newton Prize 2018 for his UK-Chile Newton-Picarte project on power system resilience. Pierluigi led the Melbourne Energy Institute’s work “Power system security assessment of the future National Electricity Market” for the Australian Chief Scientist’s “Finkel Review” (2017) and is currently working closely with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) and a number of other industry stakeholders in the development of distributed energy marketplaces and new power system security, reliability and resilience services and markets.

Dr Dejan Ostojic, Past Sector Leader for Energy in the World Bank, an independent member of the Supervisory Board of Ukrenergo

Topic: The Age of Energy Insecurity: How to Afford Reliable and Low Carbon Electricity in Developing Countries?

Abstract;  After a couple of decades of relative calm, energy prices across the world went through the roof in 2022 reminding many market participants of the “oil shocks” in 1970s. This time, however, the impact was broader, across all energy subsectors, and involved more players in developed and developing countries. While developed countries were quick to point out to the decarbonization of energy sector as a path forward to improve energy security, developing countries are facing twin challenges of meeting their fast-growing energy demand and decarbonizing energy mix at the same time and against a shrinking window of opportunity to achieve objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change. This keynote presentation will take a closer look at some of the main challenges facing developing countries in the energy sector focusing on the transformation of their power sector. The concepts and main points will be illustrated with the case study of Vietnam which is one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia which expects to double its electricity generation by 2030. Finally, the presentation will highlight a couple of opportunities to get the energy transition right and achieve affordable and reliable power supply in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Biography; Dr. Dejan Ostojic served as Sector Leader for Energy in the World Bank, independent member of the Supervisory Board of Ukrenergo, and senior adviser to several international organizations. During his 24-years tenure at the World Bank, Dr. Ostojic led the Bank policy dialog and investment operations in the energy sector in more than 20 countries in Europe and Central Asia, East and Southeast Asia. Prior to joining the World Bank, Dr. Ostojic was Partner and Area Manager in Harza Engineering Company, Chicago, USA; visiting Fulbright Scholar at Purdue University, USA; and Assistant Professor at the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade. He is Senior Member of IEEE and CIGRE and authored/ co-authored more than 30 technical papers and three books in the field of energy and power systems. Dr. Ostojic received several awards for professional excellence including the World Bank President’s Award, the IFC Corporate Award, and the Fulbright Scholarship Award. He served as invited speaker on a number of international events and conferences, including the 2015 UN General Assembly meeting on the establishment of Sustainable Development Goals, the World Energy Congress, and the 2016 Wall Street Journal ECO:nomics Conference.