ABSTRACT

The electric power industry is being transformed and reshaped with renewable, clean, and more resilient energy solutions. Robust decarbonization goals are being set along with more pressure to increase reliability and become more resilient. This is coupled with the challenges of an aging infrastructure and changing workforce. Power utilities are at the center of this challenge; tasked with integrating record levels of new, renewable, energy assets while accommodating dramatically increased multidirectional power flows, and hardening the grid to prepare for increasingly severe weather events exacerbated by climate change. This panel is made up of international industry executives who will present and discuss ideas and initiatives driving Decarbonization, Grid Modernization, Electrification, and the Utility of the Future.

Wayne Bishop Jr., IEEE PES Vice President, Meetings and Conferences, and Vice President Industry Outreach and Strategy at Quanta Technology

ABSTRACT

The shift in how we generate and consume electricity has a significant impact on the operation of energy systems, including power networks, which are becoming a backbone for the integration of renewable resources at all voltage levels. In order to harness this renewable energy generated by variable resources, it is necessary to relay on provision of flexibility by various participates in order to maintain secure network operation, while keeping reinforcement an operational cost at bay. This panel will look into a role of flexibility in enabling net-zero energy systems and will investigate different solutions applied to manage integration of new devices both from technical and economic aspects. This will include investigation of how to manage flexibility in the system, including of battery energy systems owned by prosumer, as well as organization of the local energy markets as one of the novel ways to trade flexibility. Furthermore, the panel will look into integration of different energy vectors and aggregation of smaller providers via Virtual Power Plants to help with system operation as well as ways to provide new business opportunities to various market participants. The panel will also present and discuss solutions applied in different parts of the world.

Ivana Kockar, University of Strathclyde, UK

ABSTRACT

This session will provide an overview of the future of flexibility in power grids and established power markets, as seen through the lens of the Horizon Europe projects STREAM, X-FLEX and OPENTUNITY. Speakers will share their experiences and insights from their respective projects, highlighting some of the key findings and innovations that are emerging in the field of flexibility. Below, we list the projects that will be involved and their brief description:
– Horizon Europe project STREAM (https://stream-he-project.eu/): The ambition of the STREAM project (STREAM) is the creation of an innovative and robust flexibility ecosystem (“STREAM Ecosystem”) on the low voltage (LV) grid side of existing power markets connecting data, technologies, stakeholders and markets, thus facilitating the flexibility provision.
– Horizon Europe project OPENTUNITY: OPENTUNITY aims to create a flexibility ecosystem reducing interoperability barriers and favouring the use of standards in order to decarbonize EU grids and put the end-user in the spotlight. It will support grid operators, prosumers, market actors via innovative methodologies, backed by advanced, interoperable software modules, in order to provide them with new features and related to boosting flexibility in prosumer’s environment and improving the grid operation management for grid operators. OPENTUNITY will adapt and integrate an energy specialized blockchain as a distributed, fast and reliable energy dataspace in which actors from different fields will share services and find synergies among them in order to create a reliable energy system in which different verticals (electromobility, gas, OEM etc.) will be able to seamlessly collaborate with each other.
– Horizon 2020 project X-FLEX (http://xflexproject.eu/): X-FLEX project will design, develop and demonstrate a set of tools in order to integrate the emerging decentralized ecosystem of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and flexibility systems into the existing European energy system, in an efficient and cost-effective manner, in order to create more stable, secure and sustainable smart grid, with special attention to extreme weather conditions.
An opportunity for attendees to ask questions and engage in a dialogue with the experts. Overall, this session will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of the future of flexibility in power grids and power markets, as seen through the eyes of the Horizon Europe projects. The session will be of interest to anyone working in the energy industry, including utilities, technology providers, policy makers, and academics. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry, and the latest trends and technologies that are driving innovation and growth.

Edin Lakić, IRI UL

ABSTRACT

With the trend of digitalization, machine-learning techniques will be widely applied in the planning and operation of power systems. Traditionally, machine learning and decision-making models are independent. The objective of machine learning is usually based on statistical metrics while decision-making models usually aim at lower cost and higher reliability.
An underlying assumption here is that a more statistically accurate result generated by machine learning will guarantee more effective decision-making. However, recent research shows different results. For example, the forecasting error might have an asymmetric impact on the system operational cost. The clustering error may have a distributional influence on network expansion decisions. Therefore a series of objective-based machine learning models have been proposed to address specific objectives of power system decision making such as the cost-oriented forecasting model, the closed-loop clustering model and the reliability-based expansion model.
Supported by authors of these recent emerging papers, this panel will further explore how objective-based machine learning could support more effective planning and operation of low-carbon power systems. These are essential ingredients to smart decisions which will increase the operating efficiency of the system.
The panel will discuss the following topics: 1). Theory: What is the fundamental science of objective-based machine learning models? How are they compared to other decision-making approaches such as probabilistic models and uncertainty optimisations? 2). Techniques: What algorithm and data innovations are required to implement objective-based machine learning models? Could the models truly reflect the objectives of the system? In reality, when the data is limited, what is the practical value of this approach? Is there a practical approach to manage the data in real-time or is there an alternative rule-based/AI-based solution? 3). Applications: What are the potential applications of this approach to different sectors and tasks in generators, networks, customers and markets? How flexible is the approach when the system is of high uncertainty? How transferrable is the approach to different systems and markets?

Ran Li, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

ABSTRACT

The addition of large-scale renewable energy in power systems has led to increased volatility in supply that can negatively affect the reliability of the distribution grid. The flexibility offered by demand-side resources has shown promise but requires careful coordination and communication with possibly hundreds of thousands of such resources, which is a daunting task. Traditional operating envelopes for distributed energy resources (DERs), including hosting capacity methods, tend to be piecemeal, static, and hence overly conservative, underutilizing the distribution network capacity.
This panel aims to present recent works that go beyond the traditional methods of static hosting capacity and toward the dynamic concept of operating envelopes for DERs. These operating envelopes allow DERs and aggregators to participate in wholesale markets without sacrificing network reliability and security.

Prof Gregor Verbic, Professor, The University of Sydney, Australia

ABSTRACT

EiCs will provide a presentation to introduce their journal, including:
• nature of your journal (e.g., sponsored by IEEE, number of issues published per year, impact factor…),
• topics of interest, technical areas with the highest growth in readership and manuscript submission,
• number of submitted papers per year, acceptance rates, how papers are assigned to editors/associate editors, sub-to-pub period, open access publication and related issues
• list of participating countries with the highest number of papers
• mix of editorial board members, how editors are selected, length of appointment, a few words about yourself, your EIC job, your sorrows and excitements about the job
• issues of concern for authors, editors, publishers (messages to session participants and prospective authors)
• etc.

Nikos Hatziargyriou, National Technical University of Athens

ABSTRACT

In the context of the long-lasting effects introduced by the smart grid paradigm, several new trends are emerging, changing the way distribution system operators (DSOs) conceive and operate their distribution networks. In the past, distribution system infrastructure aimed to connect the upper level (high-voltage) system to customers, while self-generation was limited to large generation units at the high-voltage system. Recently, innovations in the generation and demand-side have changed dramatically the idea of distribution systems operation, giving them a more active role in the whole operation of the electricity system. An active distribution network is composed of a large number of energy-related innovations and players that actively cooperate to ensure a cost-effective and reliable operation. Active distribution networks enable the co-existence of a large number of distributed energy resources (DERs) and flexible consumers within the same electricity network. To ensure a reliable operation, all involved players (DSOs, large and small consumers, prosumers) must coordinate their operation by properly managing the uncertainties typical of sources based on solar and wind power, as well as other energy-intensive resources such as electrical vehicles; shifting towards a more flexible operation. These new operational conditions require the introduction of new planning models and control approaches that enable the connection of new DERs without compromising the reliable operation of the network. To achieve this, information is fundamental, not only from sources already available in the past (e.g., network measurements units) but also new sources coming from the prosumers, for instance, through the installation of smart meters and use of IoT. In a later stage, all the available data can be used to understand prosumers’ behavior aiming to exploit their energy flexibility potential to support the distribution network operation. In this panel, we will discuss with experienced researchers, with different background and expertise, recent trends in active distribution networks, ranging from digitalization, to planning, control and operation.

ABSTRACT

Climate change makes extreme weather events increasingly more common and more severe. Electric utilities around the globe, together with industry, corporate R&D organizations, and academia strive to address and minimize the negative impact of severe weather events to operation of power grid and to improve its resilience. The issues arising due to power outages most times propagate to non-grid factors, including the health of the local community, access to critical facilities and other economic, social and community aspects.

This panel will include talks and range of aspects from experts utilities, industry and academia, to provide insight on current and emerging activities to increase resilience to major events, such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. The panel will convey the a wide range of aspects and approaches in addressing the relationship between decarbonization of electric power system and its societal impact of the energy not served, and how the development and integration of new technologies can improve

Dr Muhidin Lelic, Quanta Technology – Dir. Applied R&D, and Dir. Grid Advancement LUMA Energy

ABSTRACT

Energy networks have been traditionally decoupled for operation and planning, with their design and implementation being independent, due to regulatory and market arrangements. However, interactions among networks have always existed. In a Multi-Energy System (MES), different energy vectors are connected through distributed coupling technologies. Through MES analysis, a holistic approach may enable a flexible operation of the energy networks where additional renewable intermittent generation can be incorporated. Although an electric power system could be seen as the backbone of an integrated MES, coupling between energy vectors may impose challenges in the operation of traditional power systems. This special session will discuss these aspects with a special focus on modelling, energy efficiency, sustainability, coupling technologies, and dynamic operation. The special session will consists of following speakers and their topics:
1) Carlos Ugalde, Cardiff University, “Flexibility provision from thermal stores to energy systems”
2) Vladimir Terzija, University of Newcastle, “Multi Energy Systems: From Advanced Monitoring to Data Science-based Solutions”
3) Thomas Hamacher, TUM “Optimal structure of the future carbon free energy systems”
4) Milos Cvetkovic, TU Delft “Electricity grids with heat and hydrogen: how do we make it happen?
5) Zhao Haoran, Shandong University “Digital solutions of multi-energy systems”

Vedran Peric, Technical University of Munich

• Talk 1 (20 minutes, including direct Q&A): M. Panteli & S. Hashemi, University of Cyprus. Title: Integrated resilience and cascading modelling: quantification, mitigation and blackstart strategies This presentation will introduce novel cascading algorithms seamlessly integrated with spatial and temporal resilience analysis tools for quantifying the cascading impacts of large disturbances. It will then describe different mitigation strategies, such as preventive and corrective islanding while accounting for blackstart restoration, focusing on the critical decision-making on when and where to apply such strategies during the cascading propagation and restoration phase.
• Talk 2 (20 minutes, including direct Q&A): R. Preece, The University of Manchester Title: Benefits and challenges of dynamic modelling of cascading failures in power systems Time-based dynamic models of cascading failures have been recognized as one of the most comprehensive methods of representing detailed cascading information and are often used for benchmarking and validation. This talk will provide an overview of the progress in the field of dynamic analysis of cascading failures in power systems and outline the benefits and challenges of dynamic simulations in future grids. The benefits include the ability to capture temporal characteristics of system dynamics and provide timing information to facilitate control actions for blackout mitigation. The greatest barriers to dynamic modelling of cascading failures are the computational burden, and the extensive but often unavailable data requirements for dynamic representation of a power system.
• Talk 3 (20 minutes, including direct Q&A): G. jihad, Université Libre de Bruxelles. Title: Probabilistic dynamic methodologies for resilience assessment considering distributed energy resources. This talk will present probabilistic dynamic methodologies relevant to cascading failure analysis. Following this, their applicability will be demonstrated in the case of a resilience study by comparing the results obtained for a dynamic methodology to a static one.
• Talk 4 (20 minutes, including direct Q&A): P. Papadopoulos & T. Ahmad, University of Strathclyde. Title: Using machine learning to predict upcoming cascading events The evolution of cascading failures, especially at later stages before a system collapse are influenced by complex power system dynamics as well as the action of protection devices. This talk will discuss aspects related to modelling, sensitivity analysis, on the evolution of cascades as well as the use of machine learning (time-series based methods using LSTMs and Temporal Convolutional Networks) for predicting the onset and reason of upcoming cascading events and understanding the effect of topology (through Graph Convolutional Networks).
• General Q&A (10 minutes).

ABSTRACT

1) Prof. Leposava Ristic, will present the SUNRISE project, which aims to support the University of Belgrade in improving excellence in power system decarbonisation through the development of a Real-Time Simulation Laboratory, research staff training and mobility, and new exploratory research projects with partners.
2) Dr. Valentina Janev, will be presenting the SINERGY project, which aims to develop effective energy service concepts to unlock untapped demand-side resources for energy efficiency and flexibility, with the objective of strengthening the research capacity of the Institute Mihajlo Pupin in Belgrade, Serbia.
3) Dr. Brian Azzopardi, will be presenting the PROMISE project, which aims to promote research excellence and growth for photovoltaic researchers by bringing together a group of technological innovators, universities, and partners to find a place for photovoltaic research. The project will also focus on gender balance and sustainable development in the sector.
4) Dr. Derek Baker, will present the SolarTwins project, which aims to train early-stage researchers in solar energy and catalyze joint research between Turkish and European research centers. This project emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration and co-developing solutions to decarbonize industry.
5) Dr. Paulo Brito, will be presenting the Waste2H2 project, funded by the European Union, focuses on producing sustainable hydrogen from residual biomass through thermal gasification and gas purification. The project aims to strengthen the scientific and technological capacity of the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre in Portugal by enhancing their research profile, promoting a circular economy.

Overall, the presentations will provide a comprehensive understanding of twinning capacity building projects, their benefits and challenges, and best practices for successful implementation.

ABSTRACT

Energy storage is vital towards the transition to a decarbonised power system. Currently, there exist various energy storage systems with different characteristics that can fit different power system applications, from a domestic scale to bulk-connected energy storage systems. In this panel, various aspects of energy storage will be examined, with specific focus on applications of energy storage systems, electricity markets, government policy, regulation, as well as emerging energy storage technologies across various European countries and power systems. In addition, discussion will be made around the decarbonization of transport and the role that energy storage systems can play in this area. The importance of co-optimisation of various services for specific energy storage systems will be examined, as well as the co-optimisation of hybrid energy storage systems, where for example one system can provide fast response services and the other one can play the role of either acting as a buffer or performing price arbitrage across one or more markets. Especially for battery storage systems, the importance of a clever battery management system will be discussed aiming at respecting the battery’s warranty and protecting the lifetime of the battery storage system, while ensuring sufficient provision of multiple market services. Finally, geographical constraints, lead times, capital costs and other specific techno-economic energy storage characteristics will be discussed towards the deployment of specific energy storage systems, as well as the circular economy in energy storage (secondary life of battery, recycling of end-of-life batteries, remanufacturing of other energy storage materials).

Each of the panelists will give a 10-minute presentation (with or without slides) highlighting the main drivers and barriers behind energy storage deployment in the respective country/region.

Then, a 30-minute panel discussion will take place on some of the following topics:

• Applications of energy storage systems
  • Applications from domestic to grid-connected level
  • Highlight specific characteristics of energy storage systems
• Role of energy storage to transport decarbonisation
• Electricity markets for energy storage systems
  • Co-optimisation of multiple services for one energy storage system
  • Hybrid energy storage systems for one or more services
• Government policy and support mechanisms
  • Mechanisms to support energy storage deployment
• Regulation around energy storage
• Emerging energy storage technologies

Dr Jelena Ponocko, Lead Engineer, Scottish Power Energy Networks

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

The US-India team behind this proposal represents the strongest universities, national laboratories, electrical utilities, and vendors in the field of clean energy. The project is co-sponsored by US Department of Energy and the Government of India. Washington State University and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur are leading 30 collaborating entities, each of which has an established track record of contributing to the significant changes already occurring in electric distribution system. The formation of this strong team was possible because these organizations have years of collaboration nationally, as well as across geographic borders. India’s high electric load growth is projected to continue for the near future, while rapidly increasing generation capacity. In the US, the load growth is modest, and DER will mostly replace existing generation capacity. This difference is recognized here by integrating research in societal value to anticipate that the policies adopted in the two countries may be quite different.

The fundamental approach of the project is to bridge the gap between smart grid, storage, and renewable energy research and facilitate its subsequent adoption by utilities around the world in their distribution system operation and planning. There will be six different phases with multiple objectives. Some of the major outcomes from our research include:

1) Open-source test feeders for urban, semi-urban and rural, in India and US.
2) Storage models with advanced analytical techniques for optimal operation;
3) Operational and control algorithms as well as analysis tools, to integrate DER control with Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) and Microgrid Management System (MEMS);
4) Cyber-Physical Analysis tools and Cyber Security Measures for smart operations with high DER;
5) Lab scale testing and real-world field demonstration; and
6) Recommendations to address socio-political issues for adopting these technologies and the needed workforce development.
Objectives

• To evolve future distribution grid that will allow the continuing increase of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) penetration towards a carbon-free electricity system.
• To develop and demonstrate the DSO functions for optimal utilization and management of DER by interfacing with DER control and microgrid control system with high penetration of energy storage.

Scope

• R&D Activities on Microgrid and Active Distribution Network Concepts, Storage Optimization and Management, Electric Vehicle and Renewable Integration, Microgrid and Advance Distribution Management Systems, Cyber-security Measures, Market and Policy Issues.
• Lab scale pilots for proof of concepts, and 5 field pilots, each in US and India, for demonstration in rural, semi-urban and urban areas.
• Manpower training in Smart Grid area.

ABSTRACT

Despite all the efforts made so far, reaching ambitious NetZero targets in electricity grids seems far-fetched due to stability-related challenges brought about by limitations, volatility and intermittency of renewables. The behaviour of invertor-based resources (IBRs) in response to system disturbances is fundamentally different than that of synchronous generating units. Recent examples and expected trends demonstrate that the operation of system integrity protection schemes (SIPS) will be adversely affected by the increasing integration of renewables into power systems. This is why it is essential to understand the nature of IBR’s impact and its consequences.
The MIGRATE (Massive InteGRATion of power Electronic devices) project was a Horizon-2020 EU-funded research project, carried out by a consortium of 24 partners (eleven TSOs, twelve universities/ labs and one manufacturer) aimed at finding solutions to technological challenges brought about by renewables. Work package 4 of MIGRATE focused on “Protection schemes in transmission networks with high penetration of IBRs”. The main aim of the work package was to investigate the performance of existing SIPSs that are deemed more vulnerable to high penetrations of renewables. Based on responses from MIGRATE TSO partners, three SIPSs were identified as important and chosen for further scrutiny by the work package. These protection schemes were:
• Under frequency load shedding (UFLS)
• Under voltage load shedding (UVLS)
• Power swing tripping (PST)
In this special session, we will show that holding onto legacy SIPSs can greatly contribute to falling behind NetZero solutions. The panellists will present the main project results in terms of challenges, opportunities and future of SIPSs as well as a series of SIPSs solutions proposed in the Project. Conclusions drawn from our research will be presented to share our views on how best we can upgrade existing SIPSs in order to reduce the risk of catastrophic blackouts and push toward future low-carbon networks

Dr Sadegh Azizi, University of Leeds

ABSTRACT

The urgent goal of decarbonisation of the world’s economies involves a global shift of the energy sector from fossil fuel-based systems to renewable energy sources.
This energy transition requires societal awareness, but it also requires the development of new technologies that can speed up the process, as well as the necessary expertise and training to apply them. Such technologies include the development of more flexible systems, energy storage, the electrification of certain sectors or their digitalisation, for example. Furthermore, the environmental repercussions of such widespread use of new technologies must be considered. All these aspects will be addressed in this Special Session as part of the TRANSIT project’s activities.
TRANSIT (which stands for TRANSITion to sustainable future through training and education) is a project funded by the European Union and UKRI under the program Horizon Europe that aims to provide sustainable training and re-skilling programmes for current and future generations on a multidisciplinary approach in renewable energy. In achieving this, TRANSIT seeks to enable the societal changes that will encompass the high ambitions of deployment and transformation of the energy sector in the following decades through the design and delivering of an overall educational, retraining and social engagement programme covering different sectoral strategies and stakeholders.

Araceli Hernandez Bayo – Universidad Politecnica de Madrid

ABSTRACT

The agenda :

• Welcome and introduction, Prof. Nicolaos A. Cutululis, DTU, Denmark – 5 min
• Offshore Energy Islands in Fitim Kryezi, Denmark, Energinet – 15 min
• Offshore Energy Islands in Belgium, TBD, Elia, Belgium – 15 min
• HVDC technology for the Mediterranean area, Dr. Angelo L’Abbate, RSE, Italy – 15 min
• SET Plan HVDC Implementation plan, Prof. Dirk Van Hertem, KU Leuven, Belgium – 15 min
• Panel discussion – 25 min

ABSTRACT

Large centralized power plants continue to play a role in providing alternating current (AC) power to the wholesale power grid; however, there is growing momentum at the medium voltage (MV) level to diversify power offerings and pursue hybrid solutions that incorporate more direct current (DC). Given significant political and stakeholder support for inverter-based native DC power sources, such as solar PV and battery storage, utilities and solutions providers seek to reduce DC-AC-DC conversion losses.
Today, HVDC systems of different suppliers are not interoperable: a converter station of vendor A can’t be connected to a converter station of vendor B as they use different proprietary specifications and standards.
To enable large-scale exploitation of offshore wind energy, there is a need to unlock the interoperability of multi-vendor, multi-terminal and multi-purpose HVDC systems with grid forming control capability. To achieve these goals, some important issues of converter control and current protection will be addressed.
The lecture also contains a description of the main trends (new materials, approaches, concepts) in designing and operating components (voltage transformers, switches, etc.) at the transmission and distribution levels of the power grid, especially related to renewables and energy storage applications. After that the review upon the different profile needs in the industry is presented (ranging from simulation engineers to arc physicists), especially considering the systemic transformation that the power sector has been and will be experiencing in light of renewable penetration.
This lecture will also present topics of new insulating materials for power transformers, in terms of compatibility, high performance properties, resilience for operation in stressed conditions (high temperatures, electrical stresses, transient, DC applications). Recycling of conventional materials will be briefly presented, as one part of the Green deal objectives to decrease power transformers carbon footprint. New products are intensively being launched on the market and applied. More thermally upgraded papers are used, including Aramid insulation, but testing techniques are not yet developed and standardized. This is important task of R&I community.
Finally, the topic of human exposure to electromagnetic fields will also be addressed. The main provisions of the legislation related to exposure of the general public and workers to electromagnetic field will be presented. The results of electromagnetic field measurements and the field levels that usually occur in the vicinity of the most relevant sources (overhead power lines, cable lines, substations) will be given. Different methods for electric and magnetic field mitigation, that could be applied in the case when the field levels exceed the prescribed reference levels will also be explained and demonstrated on practical cases.

Maja Grbić, Electrical Engineering Institute Nikola Tesla

ABSTRACT

Widespread electrification will result in distribution networks becoming a crucial bottleneck on the path to a resilient and carbon-neutral power system. This Special Session will explore contemporary and emergent methods that will enable distribution system operators and decision makers to reach net zero goals in a reliable, cost-effective, and timely manner. State-of-the-art planning approaches will be presented from a variety of contexts around the globe. Innovative techniques discussed will span fast-growing fields such as AI-based model-free simulations, multi-vector resilience-oriented planning, and effective integration of low carbon technologies.

Dr. Daniel Donaldson, University of Birmingham (UK)

• Presentation 1 Title: Power Network Investment Planning Considering Deep Uncertainty Name 1: Eduardo Alejandro Martínez Ceseña
• Presentation 2 (3 speakers) Title: ATTEST models and coordination of TSO and DSO flexibility procurement and activation Name 1: Tomislav Capuder Name 2: Florin Capitanescu Name 3: Mohammad Iman Alizadeh
• Presentation 3 (2 speakers) Title: Smart environment for asset management in power grids Name 1: Gopal Lal Rajora Name 2: Miguel Ángel Sanz Bobi
• Presentation 4 Title: Planning and Operation of TSO-DSO Shared Technologies Name: Micael Simões
• Presentation 5 Title: Real-world implementation of an open-source platform to support DSOs/TSOs activities Name: Hrvoje Keko

ABSTRACT

The undergoing revolutionary change in power and energy sector has brought new concepts and challenges in operation, planning, and economics of future power and energy systems as we transition to clean, renewable, and low-carbon technologies. The current and upcoming Young Professionals thus need to develop a set of “general” and “technical” skills, relevant to the industry needs, to meet the challenges of emerging power and energy sector. This would also help young engineers increase their chance in securing job positions and keep the job offers rolling in. In this Panel Session, a wide range of skills and knowledge will be discussed, including technical expertise and knowledge (e.g., design/modelling/programming skills) required for most power engineering jobs related to grid connection studies, power system operation, power electronics, system planning, energy sector coupling, electricity markets, utilities, etc. Working in power and energy sector, some jobs may also require dealing with general public, local government, state agencies, and so on. Therefore, a set of general skills may be required, including communication skills, organizational and time-management skills, and so forth. Furthermore, it is important to discuss how a membership in certain international organizations, such as IEEE and CIGRE, could help the young generation of power and energy engineers with developing the required skills and the essential knowledge. This Panel Session will bring Young Professionals from all around the world together to share insights and their personal experiences to highlight the mentioned skills required for working in the sector, also discussing the challenges they faced when moving from academia to industry. This Panel Session is a unique venue since it is organized by Young Professionals for Young Professionals!

Dr Mehdi Ghazavi Dozein, University of Melbourne, Australia

ABSTRACT

Energy systems are evolving to low-inertia networks where utilities are now facing more challenges associated to the dramatic increase of inverter-connected devices. Consequently, utilities require higher degree of observability in the network and thus are becoming more dependent of advanced metering infrastructure, monitoring systems and high frequency synchronized wide-area devices in order to improve the decision making and situational awareness of the transmission system. As solution, utilities have adopted methods to handle, process and analyze the information acquired. Since the characteristics of the power systems are considerably different due to the diverse geographical locations, dimension of the systems and nature of the loads, the current handling processes are not necessarily the same nor the most advanced solution. In this context, the IEEE Working Group on Big Data & Analytics for Transmission Systems is working together with transmission system operators and academic partners from different backgrounds to bridge the gap and develop solutions suitable for cope with these emerging issues. The objective of the panel is the discuss the recent advancement on data-driven, and machine learning approaches for different applications in transmission systems and to understand how far these tools are from the reality and to define concrete goals to facilitate utilities to their transition with these advanced tools.

Rafael Segundo, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland, segu@zhaw.ch

Alfredo Vaccaro, University of Sannio, Italy, vaccaro@unisannio.it

ABSTRACT

India is undertaking ambitious policies and strategies for the energy transition, while striving to increase electricity access and reliability of supply. To facilitate this transition, international collaborative research projects are currently taking place. The EU-India RE-EMPOWERED project is developing and demonstrating novel tools for microgrids / energy islands, including planning and operation tools, digital platforms, power electronic converters etc. Similarly, the EU-India SUSTANANCE project develops smart technological concepts to allow higher share of local renewable energy and efficient integrated energy solutions for the electrical, heat, water, waste as well as transportation infrastructure. The USA-India project UI-ASSIST aims to bridge the gap between smart grid, storage, and renewable energy research and facilitate its subsequent adoption by utilities around the world in their distribution system operation and planning. UK-India projects JUICE and SOL-DEV address the integration of renewable generation, energy storage and demand side management focusing mainly on India. Finally, the Norway-India project MULTIGRID focuses on rural mini-grids and develops synchronization strategies for multiple mini-grids.
This session will present these interesting projects, including technical highlights and achievements, in order to foster the exchange of knowledge and best practices

Dr. Panos Kotsampopoulos, National Technical University of Athens
Prof. Nikos Hatziargyriou, National Technical University of Athens