Panel Session Overviews

Panel Session 1: MV & HV Power Electronics

The grid of the future will be enabled by power electronic devices that convert and control electrical energy. The usage of power electronics in generation, transmission/distribution, and load at all voltage and power levels will enable a more robust, resilient, and controllable electrical grid. Fundamental improvements are needed to scale power electronics to the voltage and currents of grid applications at a cost, efficiency, and reliability necessary for widescale implementation into the electrical grid. This panel will discuss solutions for medium- and high-voltage power converters to enable next grid functionalities.

Panel Session 2: Power Plant of the Future

The power plant of the future will be heterogeneous, incorporating multiple storage and generation asset types. These assets and the plant itself will be integrated with power electronics at multiple levels and thus be able to operate in multiple modes to support the grid. This panel will discuss the power plant of the future and visions of power electronic interfaces, new methods of control, and balancing of multiple assets.

Panel Session 3: PE Grid Architectures

The environment of the electrical grid is rapidly changing. The grid is simultaneously moving towards a carbon neutral future, supplying increased load due to consumer electrification, and grappling with increased risk due to extreme weather. To continue operation of the grid at historical resilience levels requires new control paradigms and architectures ranging from dynamic microgrids to intercontinental super-grids. This panel will explore what solutions enable a highly resilient, renewables-based grid of the future.

Speakers:

Ram Adapa

Technical Executive –
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
“Role of HVDC and Power Electronics in the Future Smart Electric Grid“

Dushan Boroyevich

Professor –
Center for Power Electronics Systems at Virginia Tech
“Electronically-Interconnected Network for Electrical Energy Transport”

Maryam Saeedifard

Professor –
Georgia Institute of Technology
“DC Grids: Key Drivers in the Future of Power Systems“

Johan H. Enslin

Program Director –
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
“Increasing Grid Capacity Through a Resilient DC
Grid, Using Existing Infrastructure”

Panel Session 4: PE Compliant Modeling/Testing

Modeling power electronics is challenging due to the highly nonlinear and discontinuous nature of power electronic circuits. Accurate and computationally efficient dynamic models for power electronics are a challenge which prevents implementation in the electrical grid. Additionally, the nature of the wide variety of grid conditions and interconnections typically requires some tuning of controls in order to ensure system stability. This panel will discuss methods of modeling and testing power converters that can increase confidence of implementation into the electrical grid.

Panel Session 5: PE Grid Operations and Control

The implementations of power electronics into the electrical grid will give unprecedented insight and control into the operation of the grid, allowing for operational modes that are simply not possible in the conventional grid. This panel explores new methods of system integration and control of power electronics to improve the operations and robustness of the electrical grid.

Panel Session 6: Financing and Value Proposition

Widescale implementation of power electronics into the electrical grid will only proceed if they make economic sense. While power electronics can enable new paradigms of command and control, they will inevitably not reach pure cost parity with conventional grid assets. This panel will explore the value proposition that power electronics provide and discuss whether power electronics can achieve value-parity rather than cost-parity compared to conventional grid systems.

Questions

Questions regarding the technical agenda, contact Jack Flicker.