IEEE Metropolitan Los Angeles Section Power & Energy Society Chapter

Presented by: Dr. Wei Du, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory This webinar: Recently, the US Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) approved two standard library grid-forming inverter models: REGFM_A1 and REGFM_B1. These models represent two mainstream grid-forming controls used in the industry: Droop Control and Virtual Synchronous Machine Control. As the first generation of WECC-approved GFM models, they have been integrated into commercial simulation tools used by transmission planners worldwide, including Siemens PSS-E, GE Vernova PSLF, PowerWorld Simulator, and Powertech TSAT. This presentation will: a) Provide an overview of the development process for these two models, b) Introduce the key functions of these two models, their applicability, and their limitations, c) Outline the next steps in the development of standard library grid-forming inverter models. Presenter bio: Dr. Wei Du is the solar subsector manager and a staff research engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). He also holds a joint appointment as a Research Associate Professor at Washington State University (WSU). He is responsible for PNNL’s power electronics strategy and serves as the interim co-director of the PNNL-WSU Advanced Grid Institute (AGI). His main areas of research include control design, modeling, and simulation of power systems with a high penetration of power electronics. He is the lead developer of the first generation of the US WECC standard library grid-forming inverter models, REGFM_A1 and REGFM_B1. These models have been integrated into major commercial transient stability simulation tools, including Siemens PTI-PSS®E, GE-PSLF, PowerWorld Simulator, and Powertech TSAT, for industry and academic use. He also serves as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid.

Topic: Inverter Based Resources: Utility Insights Presented by: Mythili Chaganti, CenterPoint Energy This webinar: With the increasing adoption rates of Inverter Based Resources both on the transmission and distribution grid, this webinar speaks to the successes and challenges of one utility in navigating this unique space Presenter bio: Mythili enhances the lives of Houstonians by delivering safe, reliable, and affordable electricity. As a manager of Distributed Generation team at CenterPoint Energy, Ms. Mythili oversees the safe and reliable integration of ~ 900MW of distribution energy resource assets on to the electric grid. She collaborates, strategizes, and negotiates with state legislators, city government officials, business owners, and residential customer home associations to drive value for the community we all live and love. Mythili obtained her Masters in Electrical Engineering from Missouri Science & Technology, Rolla in 2004. She is a licensed professional engineer in the state of TX. She is a senior member of IEEE and was the recipient of IEEE PES Outstanding Engineer award in 2015 for her contributions in raising awareness and educating the community leaders in energy conservation and efficiency programs. She also graduated top of class in 2019 from Bauer College of Business with an MBA. She is passionate about electric industry and plans to utilize her newly acquired business skills to lead the transformation of traditional utility delivery business model to a sustainable model that provides energy and fuel diversity choices for consumers.

Presented by: Shuhui Li, Ph.D., Professor, University of Alabama This webinar: This webinar series aims to provide fundamental knowledge and guideline on how to conduct solar photovoltaic system design and installation process. The webinar starts with a brief introduction to electric power systems as well as the clean development of modern electric power systems. Then, the webinar turns to one of the fastest-growing clean energy sectors – Solar Photovoltaic (PV). The webinar aims to provide an easy understanding way, with minimum theoretical involvement, to establish with quick understanding and skills on how to design and install a solar PV system. The topics include solar panels, solar inverters, batteries for solar PV systems, racking of solar panels, PV system design guidelines, PV system installation guide, and testing and troubleshooting. A significant number of practical figures, drawings, videos, and presentation animations will be utilized in the webinar series to build fundamental skills that would speed up trainees to get into the solar industry. Presenter bio: Dr. Shuhui Li received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China, in 1983 and 1988, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA, in 1999. From 1988 to 1995, he was with the School of Electrical Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, where his fields of research interest included electrified railways, power electronics, power systems, and power system harmonics. His current research interests include renewable energy systems, power electronics, power systems, electric machines and drives, and applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in power and energy systems. Dr. Li is a senior member of IEEE and the National Academy of Inventors.

Presented by: Dr. Hong Chen, PJM Interconnection This webinar: This webinar will briefly review the first PES Technical Roadmap report: “IEEE Power and Energy Technology Assessment and Roadmap”. It was prepared by the IEEE PES Technical Council with assistance from the IEEE Technology Roadmaps Committee. The report identifies current strategic directions and technology trends to achieve Net Zero. The roadmap spans the next 10+ years to 2035 and provides global strategic goals for the power and energy industry. The report serves as a professional and independent resource for energy producers, grid operators, electricity distributors, research labs, and academia, as well as policy makers. The roadmap addresses the current and future status, gaps, challenges, and potential solutions for the areas of: Renewable Energy Integration Reliability and Resilience Grid Edge Technologies Computation Cybersecurity This report is a living document. It will grow, evolve, and be updated as needed or as significant development arises that should be Presenter bio: Dr. Hong Chen is a Principal Engineer at PJM. She is a well-known practitioner on electricity market and power grid operation risk mitigation. In the past two decades, she led the development of many power grid control room applications which have achieved billions of dollars’ savings in energy markets. Following her passion for technology innovation, Dr. Chen also serves as an industry advisor for many R&D projects at National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and Power Systems Engineering Research Center