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GESC Keynote Speaker: Moving to Smart Grid a Necessity, Not an Option

gescposter2
IEEE Student Member Megan Lyn Del Rosario demonstrates her research with heart auscultations at GESC Monday.

It was 1971 when Dr. Merwin Brown first heard the term smart grid. Decades later, there is still disagreement on its definition. But one thing there is no disagreement on is its necessity.

“We must have a smart grid. The smart grid is not an option, it’s a necessity,” said Brown, keynote speaker at Monday’s 7th annual IEEE Green Energy and Smart Systems Conference (IGESSC) at CSULB.

The event, organized by CSULB Electrical Engineering Chair Henry Yeh, draws researchers and practitioners to discuss research about smart systems and sustainable and green energy systems. This year’s theme is “Toward Smart Systems, Sustainable, Secure Cyber-Physical Energy Technologies.” Continue reading “GESC Keynote Speaker: Moving to Smart Grid a Necessity, Not an Option”

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Modern Power Grid Needs Advanced Controls

Modern Power Grid

In the 1990s, the U.S. built out the broadband networks that laid the foundation for today’s high-speed Internet and resulting technologies. And now, the nation needs to put that same kind of attention into upgrading its power grid.

Keyue Smedley, an IEEE Fellow and professor of electrical engineering and computer science at University of California Irvine, said the current grid was designed for predictable loads and centralized control. That means when there’s system instability or a blackout, it cascades to other parts of the power grid. And new types of uses—such as electric-vehicle charging stations—are intermittent and difficult to prepare for, as are renewable sources of energy, such as solar or wind. Continue reading “Modern Power Grid Needs Advanced Controls”