Keynote Speakers

---

Keynote Speaker I

Prof. Grahame Holmes (IEEE Fellow)
RMIT University, Australia

Professor Holmes graduated from the University of Melbourne with a B. Eng. in 1974. He has a Master’s degree from the same university in power systems engineering, and a PhD from Monash University in power converter modulation theory. He was a faculty member at Monash University for 26 years, where he established the Power Electronics Research Group in 1996 to support graduate students and research engineers working together on both pure and applied R&D projects. The interests of the group include fundamental modulation theory, VSI current regulators, active filter systems, resonant converters, current source inverters, and multilevel converters. In 2002 he formed a commercial R&D company from this group, specialising in the development of tailored power electronic conversion systems for unusual applications. In 2010, Professor Holmes was appointed as Innovation Professor – Smart Energy Systems at RMIT University, where he is currently extending his research interests to work with industry and government in the area of Smart Grids and Smart Energy technologies.Professor Holmes has been a major contributor to the field of power electronics research for nearly 30 years. His primary research focus has been to investigate fundamental questions concerning the principles of modulation and closed loop control of switching power converters. He has published a major theoretical reference book on this subject, together with over 250 refereed journal and conference articles (11000+ citations). He is a Fellow of the IEEE, reviews papers for all major IEEE transactions in his area, and has been an active member of the Industrial Applications, Power Electronics Societies of the IEEE for over 25 years.

Speech Title: Power Electronics and the Emerging Smart Grid

Abstract: For most of the 20th century, electrical energy has been generated by high power rotating generators that supply customers through a network of high voltage transmission lines and lower voltage distribution feeders. However, as the world moves inexorably towards Distributed Generation of renewable electrical energy, present day power system technologies are finding it harder and harder to meet the requirements of this new paradigm. Their fundamental limitations are clear – conventional generation assumes the availability of large scale stored energy for a small number of large generators, and energy is always assumed to flow unidirectionally from generators to consumers. Neither construct matches well with Smart Grid concepts, and alternative operating approaches are clearly required!

One foundational technology of Distributed Generation is the Power Electronic Converter, which can rapidly and flexibly control electrical energy almost instantaneously on a moment by moment basis. Since the 1950’s, PE converters have become mainstream technology for industry, accurately controlling rotating machines, precisely processing energy with minimum energy wastage, and supporting a myriad of other applications. More recently, as their power handling capacity continues to increase, they are becoming very attractive for distributed generation systems where they can manipulate electrical energy in ways that simply cannot be done using rotating machines. The challenge at present is to decide exactly what we want to do with this capability.

This presentation will explore why power electronic converters are so flexible and attractive for Distributed Generation systems. It will firstly reflect on how the fundamental properties of these systems make them so versatile, and then will proceed to show how these properties particularly suit Distributed Generation needs and requirements. Finally, the current challenges of large scale usage of power electronic converters in electrical grid systems will be considered, looking at both technical challenges that are still to be overcome, and the operational control challenges that are still in the early stages of development.

Keynote Speaker II

Prof. Innocent Kamwa (IEEE Fellow)
Hydro-Quebec Research Institute (IREQ), Canada

Innocent Kamwa obtained his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Laval University, Québec City in 1985 and 1989 respectively.  He has been a research scientist and registered professional engineer at Hydro-Quebec Research Institute since 1988, specializing in system dynamics, power grid control and electric machines. After leading System Automation and Control R&D program for years he became Chief scientist for smart grid, Head of Power System and Mathematics, and Acting Scientific Director of IREQ in 2016. He currently heads the Power Systems Simulation and Evolution Division, overseeing the Hydro-Quebec Network Simulation Centre known worldwide. An Adjunct professor at Laval University and McGill University, Dr. Kamwa’s Honors include four IEEE Power Engineering best paper prize awards, three IEEE Power Engineering outstanding working group awards, a 2013 IEEE Power Engineering Society Distinguished Service Award, Fellow of IEEE in 2005 for “innovations in power grid control” and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.  He is also the 2019 Recipient of the IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award.

Speech Title: Advanced Synchrophasors Data Analytics for Control and Dynamic Stability Monitoring in Smart Grids

Abstract: The speaker discusses a comprehensive framework for phasor analytics deemed necessary to enable advanced wide-area control and monitoring applications in smart grids. The key component in this building is the smart PMU for control (PMU/C) which from the substation can feed accurate fundamental and low order harmonics phasors to the phasor data concentrator at a higher than the standard rate of one point per cycle. The second piece of the building is the dynamic generator state estimation, which is mandatory to enhance the observability of dynamic phenomena and thus, improves control performance and protection dependability. Following dynamic state estimation, a combined time and frequency domain processing of voltage, angle and frequency measurements based on S-transform is proposed as a good mean for extracting critical features which enable crisper information that are more easily interpretable than the raw phasor time-series. Gluing all the proposed pieces at both substation and supervisory levels, it is possible to build a smart Wide-Area Situational Awareness (WASA) System, able to close the loop through educated and well informed operators for handling GMD impacts on the grid and/or through fast control and automation devices for dealing with stability issues. The speaker illustrates some salient features of the proposed WASA framework drawing from smart grid applications recently developed in the real-time simulation laboratory of Hydro-Quebec Research Institute.

Keynote Speaker III

Mr.Jean Bélanger
President  of OPAL-RT TECHNOLOGIES, Montreal, Canada

Jean Bélanger is the co-founder, CEO and CTO of OPAL-RT TECHNOLOGIES. Founded in 1997, OPAL-RT develops and commercializes one of fastest and most advanced digital real-time simulators for system design and electronic controller testing. Jean Bélanger received his Electrical Engineering degree in 1971 at Laval University, in Quebec City, and his Master’s degree from the École Polytechnique in Montreal. Under his direction and technological leadership, OPAL-RT has become a well-known developer of state-of-the-art real-time simulators capable of simulating all types of mechanical and electrical systems, including the fastest power electronic converters used in a wide range of industries - from hybrid vehicles to entirely electrical-driven aircraft, and from micro-grids to very large AC/DC power systems. Jean Bélanger began his career at Hydro-Quebec’s System Planning Division for the design of several aspects of the James Bay 735-kV transmission systems. He also worked at the IREQ where he contributed to the design and construction of Hydro-Quebec real-time simulators.Today, Jean Bélanger foresees that high-end real-time simulators will soon be available to all engineers, scientists and students by taking full advantage of off-the-shelf PCs. This is the driving challenge that Jean Bélanger and the OPAL-RT team have taken as their primary goal.

Speech Title: Power Systems Evolutions and Challenges for Specialists, Utilities and Simulation Tool Suppliers

Abstract: In the last half-century, we have witnessed wholesale and essential changes in the ways we structure and conceive of generation, transmission and distribution systems.

• Generation systems have evolved from high-inertia, schedulable, large rotating machines to low-inertia, power-electronics-based, small and distributed non schedulable renewable energy systems;
• Transmission systems have evolved from traditional AC transmission circuits and local protection systems to AC-DC transmission networks equipped with fast power electronics controllers (FACTS). Sophisticated wide-area protection and control schemes and communication systems are both used to maximize security, and power transfer capability to reduce rights-of-way;
• Distribution systems can no longer be represented by simple passive and dynamic load equivalents. Distributed energy generation and storage systems may now be integrated anywhere on the grid, including at customer sites. Each customer can potentially become a de-centralized ‘prosumer’ of sorts, with photovoltaics (PVs), batteries, and plug-in electrical vehicles.

Generation, transmission and distribution systems must therefore be viewed as integrated and intelligent power grids in which each subsystem can be operated synchronously or asynchronously with the main grid—or, alternately, as completely disconnected in case of problems based on local control and protection systems. This level of semi-autonomy and complexity will only increase with the spread of automated energy exchange contracts between consumers--and further, between consumers and the main grids. New operational and automated trading rules may also be required to help broker increasingly vast numbers of energy transactions. The involvement of several sytem operators will undoubtedly also be required to help mediate these challenges. As an unavoidable consequence of the above, the sheer number of fast power electronics subsystems interacting both between themselves and with the main grids will then also increase dramatically. Voltage, as well as frequency control and generator/load balancing, will, in turn, also become exponentially more complex. (These intelligent systems are usually installed by third parties primarily concerned with the performance of their systems operating in stand-alone mode, and not so much about the interaction between other systems and the grid(s). Additionally, it may not be assumed that utilities are necessarily controlling the quality of the dynamic models required to evaluate the behavior of these systems under abnormal and fault conditions. Consequently the impact on global grid performance and security could end up becoming problematic.) International standards committees are still working on these challenges to ensure that control and energy systems will eventually lead to reliable energy delivery systems. This presentation will discuss the expected flexibility and capability of simulation tools and “digital twins” that will be required to cope with the increasing complexity of our shared modern and evolving intelligent distributed power grids.

 

Keynote Speaker IV

Prof. Mohamed El Hachemi Benbouzid
University of Brest, France

Mohamed Benbouzid received the B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Batna, Batna, Algeria, in 1990, the M.Sc. and Ph.D.degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the National PolytechnicInstitute of Grenoble, Grenoble, France, in 1991 and 1994, respectively, and the Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches degree from the University ofPicardie “Jules Verne,” Amiens, France, in 2000. After receiving the Ph.D. degree, he joined the Professional Institute of Amiens, University of Picardie “Jules Verne,” where he was an AssociateProfessor of electrical and computer engineering. Since September 2004, he has been with the Institut Universitaire de Technologie of Brest, University of Brest, Brest, France, where he is a Professor of electrical engineering. Prof.Benbouzid is also a Distinguished Professor at the Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China. His main research interests and experience includeanalysis, design, and control of electric machines, variable-speed drives fortraction, propulsion, and renewable energy applications, and fault diagnosis ofelectric machines.Prof. Benbouzid is an IEEE Senior Member. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal on Energy Conversion(IRECON). He is also an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, the IEEE Transactionson Industrial Electronics, the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, the IEEETransactions on Vehicular Technology. He is a Subject Editor for the IET Renewable Power Generation.

Speech Title: On Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Optimal and Fault-Tolerant Control: Issues, Solutions, and Recommendations

Abstract: In a world where environment protection and energy conservation are growing concerns, the development of electric and hybrid vehicles has taken on an accelerated pace. Electricity is gaining more importance in critical applications such as transportation (with more electric aircraft, electric ships, and electric vehicles), where continuity of operation is crucial, and there is a growing demand for safety, reliability, maintainability, and survivability. However, several failures afflict electrical machines, sensors, the wiring network (carrying power and/or communication signals), and power converters. To ensure the required levels of reliability and availability in transportation, efficient methods for fault resilience are mandatory. This has drawn significant research in the design of resilient or fault-tolerant systems, namely systems, which are designed to tolerate some faults or able to promptly adapt the control law (fault-tolerant control) in such a way as to preserve pre-specified satisfactory performances in terms of production quality, safety, etc. The need for these resilient or fault-tolerant systems has inspired much research for the particular case of electric machines drives. The majority of these contributions have been focused on faults in the machine or the drive components while current trends include sensors and application fault modes. High resilience can indeed be achieved with robust or oversized systems but the industrial tendency, in particular for transportation applications, which are characterized by high survivability requirements such naval systems, is to design fault-tolerant power conversion systems. These systems include redundancy by adopting specific machines and drive configurations such as multiphase or multi-windings/multi-converters systems. In this challenging context, this keynote aims to present first the fault-tolerant control foundations: Resilient control (also known as accommodation); reconfiguration; and hardware and analytical redundancy. It will be followed by a critical state of the art review focused on electric and hybrid systems, from land to naval propulsions, detailing the main issues and proposing solutions and recommendations.

Keynote Speaker V

Prof. Tyrone Fernando
University of Western Australia

Tyrone Fernando obtained his bachelor of engineering with honours and the degree of doctor of philosophy from the University of Melbourne in 1990 and 1996 respectively. In 1996 he joined the University of Western Australia, School of Electrical Electronic and Computer Engineering where he is currently a Professor. He was the Deputy Head of School in 2009 and 2010. His research interests are in Power system dynamics, renewable energy, functional observers, state estimation, and control theory. He is currently an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II and IEEE Access. He has served as an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine and also as guest editor for the journal of Optimal Control Applications and Methods.  He has authored many journal and conference articles and also two books in the areas of functional observers and closed loop control of blood glucose in diabetics. Professor Fernando is a senior member of IEEE.

Speech Title: Evolution of the Electric Grid

Abstract: The centralised power generation, transmission and distribution electric grid that we currently have is over 100 years old. With the introduction of renewable energy for power generation and incorporation of advance metering technologies, latest control and communication techniques is transforming the electric grid to a more advanced state where consumers can participate in various ways to provide services to enhance the reliability of the power supply. This presentation will focus on the evolution of the electric grid and consumer participation in maintaining a stable power system through services such as demand response.

 

Keynote Speaker VI

Prof. S. M. Muyeen 
Curtin University, Australia

Dr. S. M. Muyeen received his B.Sc. Eng. Degree from Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET), Bangladesh formerly known as Rajshahi Institute of Technology, in 2000 and M. Eng. and Ph.D. Degrees from Kitami Institute of Technology, Japan, in 2005 and 2008, respectively, all in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. At the present, he is working as an Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Curtin University, Perth, Australia. His research interests are Renewable Energy, Energy Storage System, Smart Grid, and Power System Stability. He is the author/co-author of about 200 scientific articles including 80+ journals. He has also authored/edited 6 Books as an author/editor in the area of wind energy, electrical machines, and smart grid. He is serving as Editor/Associate Editor for many prestigious Journals from IEEE,  IET, and other publishers, e.g., IEEE Transactions of Sustainable Energy, IEEE Power Engineering Letters, and IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution, etc. He is the subject editor for IET Renewable Power Generation and also served as the Guest Editor-in-Chief/Leading Guest Editor/Guest Editor for special issues from IET Generations, Transmissions, and Distribution, Applied Sciences, and International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems. He was the recipient of many prestigious awards including the Petroleum Institute Research/Scholarship Award 2012, which was the only research award for the entire university until 2013. He has received many best paper prizes from IEEE Conferences and also the recipient of IEEE Outstanding WA Engineer Award 2017 jointly from PES and PELS societies. He has secured many national and international research grants and have massive experience in developing research infrastructures for universities and research centers. Dr. Muyeen has given many Keynote and Invited speeches to International Conferences and renowned universities. Dr. Muyeen is the Senior Member of IEEE and Fellow of Engineers Australia (FIEAust).

Speech Title: ICT enabled Wide Area Control for Smart Grid

Abstract: The power and energy sector is going through a fast transformation as energy sustainability, efficiency, reliability and environmental concerns are becoming major concerns in the twenty-first century. Distributed Generations are now emerging as standard features of today’s complex power system. The interconnection of small scale modular generating units like PV, wind turbine, photovoltaic system, micro-turbine, fuel cells, and energy storage systems like battery, flywheel, supercapacitor, superconducting magnetic energy storage to the low voltage distribution network in ac, dc or hybrid form leads to a new energy system paradigm, known as Micro-grid. With the blessings of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Micro-grid is further going through another transformation, known as Smart grid. This talk presents ICT applications in smart grid focusing more in Wide Area Control (WAC) system to augment  stability and reliability of traditional power system.