IEEE PES DLP: The Role of HVDC and Power Electronics in the Future Smart Electric Grid, 11am 16th June, London
IEEE PES Distinguished Lecturer Programme:
Title: The Role of HVDC and Power Electronics in the Future Smart Electric Grid
By Dr Rambabu Adapa, PhD, FIEEE, P.E., Technical Executive, HVDC & Power Electronics, EPRI
11 am - 12 pm (BST), 16th June 2025.
Room 611, EEE Building, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
Abstract:
Smart Grid is the most popular buzz word in the electric utility industry now-a-days. Many utilities are undertaking smart grid projects around the world. Though the initial smart grid projects focus at distribution level but the trend is growing towards smart transmission level controllers as well. It is foreseen that many High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) and power electronics-based Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) controllers will be installed in the T&D networks to realize the smart transmission and distribution network. According to a report from Pike Research, one of the most important high-growth sectors within the utility market is HVDC transmission. According to Cleantech Market Intelligence Firm, the cumulative spending for HVDC Systems between 2012 and 2020 is about US $110 Billion to US $ 120 Billion. Though most of the growth is in Asian countries like China and India, it is also anticipated that significant increase in HVDC applications will happen in Europe, North America, and other parts of the world due to renewable resource integration.
This presentation provides the state-of-the art in HVDC and FACTS technologies and discusses the new applications of HVDC and FACTS, AC line conversion to DC, and new converter developments such as modular multilevel VSC converters. This lecture will also provide thought-provoking analysis on the key challenges in the power delivery of the future renewable dominated power grids, and benefit the next generation and early career researchers and engineers in their career planning and development.
Host: Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London
Organiser: IEEE Power and Energy Society UK&I Chapter
Co-organisers: IEEE PES Student Branch Chapters at:
- University of Birmingham
- University of Manchester
- University of Sheffield
- University College Dublin
- Imperial College London
- University of Strathclyde
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
- Date: 16 Jun 2025
- Time: 10:00 AM UTC to 11:00 AM UTC
-
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- Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
- Imperial College London
- London, England
- United Kingdom SW7 2AZ
- Building: EEE Building
- Room Number: Room 611
- Click here for Map
- Contact Event Hosts
-
Dr Yunjie Gu
Lecturer in Power Systems
Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering,
Imperial College London
https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/yunjie.gu
- Co-sponsored by Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London
Speakers
Dr Ram Adapa of EPRI
The Role of HVDC and Power Electronics in the Future Smart Electric Grid
Smart Grid is the most popular buzz word in the electric utility industry now-a-days. Many utilities are undertaking smart grid projects around the world. Though the initial smart grid projects focus at distribution level but the trend is growing towards smart transmission level controllers as well. It is foreseen that many High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) and power electronics-based Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) controllers will be installed in the T&D networks to realize the smart transmission and distribution network. According to a report from Pike Research, one of the most important high-growth sectors within the utility market is HVDC transmission. According to Cleantech Market Intelligence Firm, the cumulative spending for HVDC Systems between 2012 and 2020 is about US $110 Billion to US $ 120 Billion. Though most of the growth is in Asian countries like China and India, it is also anticipated that significant increase in HVDC applications will happen in Europe, North America, and other parts of the world due to renewable resource integration.
This presentation provides the state-of-the art in HVDC and FACTS technologies and discusses the new applications of HVDC and FACTS, AC line conversion to DC, and new converter developments such as modular multilevel VSC converters. This lecture will also provide thought-provoking analysis on the key challenges in the power delivery of the future renewable dominated power grids, and benefit the next generation and early career researchers and engineers in their career planning and development.
Biography:
Bio:
Dr. Ram Adapa is a technical executive in EPRI’s power delivery and utilisation sector. His research activities focus on HVDC transmission, flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS), custom power and fault current limiters. He is a technical authority in these areas. Dr. Ram Adapa is an IEEE Fellow and has been honoured several times by IEEE for his outstanding contributions to the profession. He received the 2016 IEEE PES Nari Hingorani Custom Power Award and 2023 IEEE PES Uno Lamm High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Award.