Dr Kevin Davies of Hawaii Natural Energy Institute

In this talk, we first will summarize and provide insights into the aggressive inegration of renewable energy in Hawaii, especially distributed energy resources (DER) such as PV, batteries and controllable loads.  Next we will discuss the grid operation constraints associated with PV hosting capacity, including thermal limits, transient overvoltage and voltage flicker at the distribution level as well as energy/load shifting and frequency regulation at the system level.  The second half of the talk will begin by discussing solutions within the scope of Hawaii Electric's grid modernization strategy such as enhanced monitoring and controls at the distribution level and the use of DERs to provide grid services.  Finally, we will cover specific projects and technologies being developed and demonstrated within this space at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute.  

Biography:

Dr Kevin Davies is an assistant researcher at HNEI currently focusing on the grid integration of renewable energy.  His work spans from system-level analysis, resource adequacy and optimization to detailed physical models, hardware-in-the-loop testing and the design of practical hardware and software solutions.  Prior to renewable integration, he focused on multi-domain fuel cell modeling and also was an engineer at Ford Motor Company on battery, hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles.  He received a PhD. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institure of Technology, a M.S. in tnterdisciplinary engineering from Purdue University and a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Email:

Address:Honolulu, Hawaii, United States