Dr. Jianhui Wang of Southern Methodist University

The rapid proliferation of data centers is placing unprecedented strain on power grid operations. This presentation examines the energy demand challenges data centers pose to grid infrastructure, including skyrocketing electricity consumption, peak load pressures, and the risk of grid instability in capacity-constrained regions. We explore how data centers’ 24/7 power requirements exacerbate grid reliability issues and drive up operational costs for utilities and operators alike. Solutions such as demand response programs, microgrids, optimized load balancing, and small modular reactors (SMRs) will be discussed to mitigate these challenges. By aligning data center energy needs with grid capabilities, operators can enhance reliability, reduce costs, and support sustainable grid operations.

Biography:

Dr. Jianhui Wang is a Professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Southern Methodist University. Dr. Wang is the Principal Investigator on a multitude of energy- related research projects focused on smart grid, microgrids, power system operation and control, renewable integration, grid resilience and cybersecurity. He has been invited to give tutorials and keynote speeches at major conferences including IEEE ISGT, IEEE SmartGridComm, IEEE SEGE, IEEE HPSC and IGEC-XI.

Dr. Wang is the Chair of the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Power System Operations, Planning & Economics (PSOPE) committee. He is also the recipient of the IEEE Chicago Section 2012 Outstanding Young Engineer Award.

Dr. Wang has authored and/or co-authored more than 500 journal and conference publications, which have been cited more than 45,000 times by his peers with an h-index of 111. Dr. Wang is a 2018 -2022 Clarivate Analytics highly cited researcher for production of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in Web of Science.

Dr. Wang is the Past Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid (2015-2019) and an IEEE PES Distinguished Lecturer. He is also a guest editor of a Proceedings of the IEEE special issue on power grid resilience.

He is a Fellow of IEEE.