Power System Protection and Control of Renewable Energy Integrated Systems, Dynamic Modeling, and Sustainable Energy Systems

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The 21st-century electrical grid is exploiting significant progress made in digital communication technologies and AI to improve its operation. With increasing concerns regarding environmental pollution, power and energy sectors all over the world are also pushing towards emission-free generation alternatives. My research program focuses on the protection and control of renewable energy integrated power systems, dynamic modeling of new nuclear-powered generators such as small modular reactors (SMRs), and sustainable energy and power system studies. It employs real-time simulation approaches, AI techniques, hardware-in-the-loop simulations, and stability-based programs. My long-term objective is to develop protection and control methodologies for the reliable operation of modern interconnected power systems with emission-free generation technologies. During the next five years, I will focus on research projects within three themes: 1. High Speed Relaying, Protection with Inverter-Based Generation, and Fault Location: Renewable energy resources often feature an inverter-based interface that has a significantly different fault response compared to conventional generation. I will investigate new communication-aided line protection schemes for power systems interfaced with renewable energy as well as Internet of Things (IoT)-based methodologies for accurate fault detection and location in underground AC/DC distribution cables. 2. Real-Time Out-of-Step Prediction and Controlled Islanding in Power Systems: New renewable energy-based electric grids will be prone to blackouts. I will investigate methods to detect instability conditions in the power systems. I will also investigate cascading outage conditions in power systems with renewable energy. I will also develop controlled islanding methods using graph theory to minimize the area of blackout. I will also develop new methods for short-term voltage stability detection due to inverter-based generation and non-linear loads. 3. Sustainable Energy: Balancing renewable energy with storage and new nuclear power technologies such as SMRs: I will investigate new generic-type models for nuclear power generation that could be used for power system protection and control studies. I will include the reactor side thermodynamic model in the turbine-generator model for load following. I will also develop sustainable energy (combined heat and power production)-based power system models. The research will allow faster fault detection and location so that power systems can be made more reliable and stable. Real-time controlled islanding solutions would limit the region of blackout during worst-case conditions. The research will benefit the Canadian power and energy industry as new remedial action schemes are implemented. The sustainable energy theme will help develop low-carbon energy systems for primary electric grids as well as for off-grid locations (remote communities).