PROF. SAIFUR RAHMAN of VIRGINIA TECH ADVANCED RESEARCH INSTITUTE, USA

This presentation discusses some of the ongoing and recently completed research projects at the Advanced Research Institute (ARI) of Virginia Tech. These projects encompass four main research areas: (1) renewable energy integration and storage; (2) demand response; (3) energy efficiency; and (4) smart grid and smart city. The discussion focuses on how these research projects are initiated, how students and research faculty are engaged in these research areas, what are the interactions between the sponsors and the university and how industry experts are engaged in university research projects. Issues related to both fundamental and applied research are addressed. Some of the project deployment experiences are highlighted including some of the barriers faced during field deployments. It is expected that discussions between the Virginia Tech and Australian university professors will open ways for future research collaborations between the parties.

Biography:

Professor Saifur Rahman is the founding director of the Advanced Research Institute (www.ari.vt.edu) at Virginia Tech, USA where he is the Joseph R. Loring professor of electrical and computer engineering. He also directs the Center for Energy and the Global Environment (www.ceage.vt.edu).  He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and an IEEE Millennium Medal winner.  He is the president-elect of the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) for 2016 and 2017, and will be the president for 2018 and 2019. He was the founding editor-in-chief of the IEEE Electrification Magazine and the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy. In 2006, he served on the IEEE Board of Directors as the vice president for publications. He is a distinguished lecturer for the IEEE Power & Energy Society and has lectured on renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart grid, electric power system operation and planning, etc. in over 30 countries.  He served as the chair of the US National Science Foundation Advisory Committee for International Science and Engineering from 2010 to 2013. He has conducted several energy efficiency related projects for Duke Energy, Tokyo Electric Power Company, the US Department of Defense, the State of Virginia and the US Department of Energy.