Keynote Speakers

Prof. Tek Tjing Lie
Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

Speech Title: ANN Based Mixed Time-State Dependent Distributed Event-Triggered Consensus Protocol of A DC Microgrids Cluster
Abstract: Microgrids (MGs) are increasingly popular in distribution systems due to their advantages in reducing losses, enhancing reliability and efficiency, and integrating distributed energy resources (DERs). However, MGs relying on renewable energy sources (RES) are vulnerable to severe disturbances from sudden load or generation changes, which can overstrain other units and lead to system failures. Adding storage or extra generation may not always be feasible or cost-effective, so nearby MGs can form clusters for coordinated operation to balance supply and demand. A hierarchical control strategy, using local and global layers and based on a consensus algorithm, has been commonly applied to coordinate clustered DC MGs. However, this approach may falter under large load disturbances and the intermittent nature of RES like wind and solar. To improve stability, an optimized consensus algorithm with enhanced PI-control, utilizing the grey wolf optimizer (GWO) is proposed. Additionally, an Adaptive Event Triggered Controller (AETC) is introduced. ANN is utilised to predict the control coefficients of AETC. The effectiveness of these methods will be validated through simulations of four interconnected DC MGs in MATLAB Simulink and validate them with OPAL-RT.

Bio: Professor Tek Tjing LIE received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University, USA in 1986. He also received his Master of Science and Ph. D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University, USA in 1988 and 1992 respectively.

Professor Lie is the Deputy Head of School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. His research interests include power system control and operation, AI application to power systems, deregulated power systems, smart grids and renewable energy systems. He has authored/co-authored more than 270 journal and international conference papers. Prof Lie has served as Guest Editor of Energies and Electric Power Systems Research Journals. He also serves as Associate Editor of Modern Power System and Clean Energy and Energies journals respectively. He is the Chair of the IEEE New Zealand North Section and serves as organising committee member of several international conferences.

Prof. Zhao Xu
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

Speech Title: Modern Power System Inertia Analysis and Frequency Support Strategies Under Climate Change
Abstract: With the ongoing climate change, the penetration of renewable energy in modern power systems continues to increase. The inherent characteristics of renewable energy units, such as high variability and non-synchronous nature, have heightened concerns over inertia and frequency stability in modern power systems. This presentation will analyze the evolution of power system inertia and investigate proactive strategies to enhance inertia levels. First, the conceptual changes in modern power system inertia will be studied, and its evolving trends will be investigated using advanced data analysis and mining techniques. Grounded in the laws of physics associated with system inertia, a data-driven equivalent inertia estimation method, particularly accounting for the effects of renewable energy integration, will be proposed to enable real-time system inertia estimation. Furthermore, frequency support strategies for renewable energy units, including both grid-following and grid-forming approaches, will be developed to guarantee compliance with the minimum inertia requirements for frequency stability.

Bio: Professor Zhao Xu received B.Eng, M.Eng and Ph.D from Zhejiang University (China), National University of Singapore, and The University of Queensland in 1996, 2002 and 2006 respectively. He joined as an Assistant Professor, and later became Associate Professor, at Centre for Electric Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) since 2006. In Feb 2010, He joined Department of Electrical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), where he is now a Professor and Leader of Smart Grid Research Area.

He is the Directors of Power System Laboratory and Smart Microgrid Laboratory, and Leader of B. Eng (PT Electrical Engineering 41080).

He has edited 1 book, and published over 150 technical papers in international top journals, and conferences. He has led and participated in several large scale research and consulting projects in Europe, China, and Australia, concerning wind energy, demand side, electric vehicles, electricity market, and power system planning etc., including Hong Kong Research General Council Theme Based Research Projects on Smart Solar Energy harvesting, Storage and Utilization and Sustainable Power Delivery Structures for High Renewables, Wind Energy Development in China (www.dwed.org.cn) and the EDISON project (www.edison-net.dk). He has secured more than 20 million HK$ research funding from local and overseas authorities and organizations. Since 2006, he has successfully supervised 10 PhD students, and more than 30 M.sc students as main or co-supervisor.

Professor Xu is a Co-Principle Investigator and Leader of PolyU team for the 5-year Theme Based Research Project ‘Smart Solar Energy harvesting, Storage and Utilization’ (2014-18, total budget HK$60.33 Million), sponsored by Hong Kong Research General Council. He is also a Co-Investigator for Theme Based Research Project ‘Sustainable Power Delivery Structures for High Renewables’ (2015-19, total budget HK$47.12 Million).

Professor Xu is an Editor for the following journals

- IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid
- IEEE Power Engineering Letters (for IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Transactions on Power Systems, Smart Grid, Sustainable Energy, Power Delivery, and Energy Conversion)
- Electric Power Components and Systems (Taylor&Fancis),

He also Member of Editorial Board, Springer Journal of Modern Power Systems and Clean Energy, which is the China's first power engineering journal in English. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, and Chairman of IEEE PES Joint Chapter, IEEE Hong Kong Section. Under his Leadership, the IEEE Hong Kong JC won 2017 Best Chapter Award from IEEE IES Society.

Prof. Xu receives the Top Five Best Algorithm Award in IEEE Competition on 'Application of Modern Heuristic Optimization Methods for Solving Optimal Power Flow Problems' in 2014. Under his supervision, his PhD students receive Third Prize in 2014 IEEE Hong Kong Student Paper Contest, organized by IEEE HK Section, 2nd Prize in 2015 IEEE Region 10 (Asia Pacific) Postgraduate Paper Contest, and the Best Poster Award in 2015 CUHK EneryDay Event. He is the recipient of 2005 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Overseas Student Aboard. He is a foreign Associate Staff of Centre for Electric Technology, Technical University of Denmark.

Prof. Xu is actively looking for excellent candidates as Research Postgraduates/Research Staffs in the following areas (please contact Prof. Xu directly via email)

• Solar/wind/battery storage system design, control and hardware implementation
• Electronic converter design, modeling/simulation and hardware implementation
• Microgrid control and optimization, stability analysis and hardware implementation
• Power system operation and control, and security analysis under high wind/solar penetration
• Cyber-physical power system modeling and security analysis
• Optimal and robust commitment/system dispatch considering uncertainties and risks
• Emerging/Evolutionary optimization techniques for system operation and planning
• Demand side management and control, modeling and simulation

Prof. Hongchun Wu
Xi’an Jiaotong University, China

Speech Title: Research of Physics Analysis and Development of Design Software for Nuclear Reactor
Abstract: With the progress of humanity, conventional fossil energy can no longer meet the requirements, so there is an urgent need to find new green alternative energy sources. Among them, nuclear energy has great advantages. The nuclear reactor is the heart of nuclear energy, and reactor physical analysis is the soul of reactor design and operation. The number of nuclear power units in China already ranks at the international leading position, and more than 90% of the main equipment has been localized. However, the software for physical analysis of the reactor core still relies on imports. Therefore, the technology and software for physical analysis of nuclear reactor cores have become a "bottleneck" problem in the construction of China into a nuclear energy powerhouse.
This report analyzes the technical difficulties of physical analysis of advanced nuclear reactors. Starting from basic theoretical research, it has achieved technological breakthroughs in aspects such as the creation of nuclear databases for complex nuclides with a wide energy spectrum, the neutronics analysis of reactors with complex structures, and efficient calculation techniques for large-scale problems. It has also independently developed a series of reactor physical analysis software that meets engineering requirements, which has been successfully applied to major nuclear energy engineering projects in China. It has achieved full autonomy from nuclear data to analysis methods and then to engineering applications, and realized the self-control of core technologies.

Bio: Wu Hongchun, a professor of Xi'an Jiaotong University. He is mainly engaged in the research on neutron transport theory and physical analysis of nuclear reactor cores. He has presided over and completed more than 10 major and key scientific research projects, such as the 973 Project, the 863 Project, key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation, and national nuclear energy development projects. The series of software for nuclear reactor core analysis independently developed by him has been successfully applied to major national projects, effectively ensuring the major needs of the localization of nuclear power. He has won the Second Prize of the National Technological Invention Award, the First Prize of the Technological Invention Award of the China Nuclear Energy Industry Association, the First Prize of the Science and Technology Award of Shaanxi Province, the Second Prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award, etc. He has published more than 300 SCI papers, been authorized with more than 100 national invention patents, and obtained more than 70 software copyrights.

Assoc. Prof. Haiwang Zhong
Tsinghua University, China

Title: Source-Grid-Load-Storage Interactive Operations in New Power System
Abstract: The growing penetration of renewable energy resources calls for a transition of power system operation towards a source-grid-load-storage interactive scheme. In this talk, the challenges of source-grid-load-storage interaction will be analyzed, and multiple key technologies of realizing source-grid-load-storage interaction in the new power system will be discussed, including the modeling technology based on feasible region aggregation, the combinatorial optimization algorithms based on inducing functions and other technologies, and the mechanism design based on pricing with overall costs.

Bio: Haiwang Zhong, IEEE Senior Member, is currently working as a tenured Associate Professor at Department of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, and Director of Energy Internet Trading and Operation Research Department of Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute, Tsinghua University. He was granted Excellent Young Scientists Fund by the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC). He serves as the Convenor of the CIGRE C1.54 Working Group on assessment of system reserves and flexibility needs in the power systems of the future. He was awarded the ProSPER.Net Young Scientist Award. He was awarded 5 provincial Science & Technology Awards. He won 3 Gold Medals in Geneva International Invention Exhibitions. His research interests include power system operations, electricity market, etc.