IEEE Eastern Idaho Section

Electrical Engineering Design Errors That Caused Construction Problems and Deaths While Engineers like to think that their designs are not only technically correct but perfect, the truth is that errors are often made because the engineers either don’t understand construction practices or just haven’t thought through the design. James will cover many examples of actual design errors that resulted in danger to maintenance personnel and the public. Some errors merely resulted in poorly functioning roadway illumination systems; others simply created unnecessary construction difficulties. Engineers have an obligation to assure that their designs are reasonable and safe. Speaker(s): James, Agenda: - Introduction - Talk by Mr. James Mercier - Discussion Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/513403

The dynamic behavior of the electric grid is changing rapidly as inverter-based resources (IBRs) replace traditional synchronous generators in delivering critical system services. This rapid shift—driven by the growth of distributed generation and energy storage—requires a fundamental re-evaluation of how we define and assess grid stability. In particular, the traditional concept of grid “inertia” must be reconsidered to ensure that stability metrics accurately reflect modern system behavior. In this presentation, I will discuss the nonlinear dynamic nature of the power grid, the influence of increasing IBR penetration on stability, and our recent work on transient stability assessment. I will highlight examples involving grid-forming inverter models and our efforts to incorporate improved stability metrics into simulation frameworks. By combining physical intuition with practical modeling, this ongoing work aims to inform new approaches to stability assessment for the future power grid. Speaker(s): John Zhang Agenda: 12:30pm - Event Starts 1:30pm - Adjourn Times are in PST. Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/521292