Seminars run by PhD students and postdocs with the Control and Power Group
The Control and Power (CAP) Research Group is excited to be holding a recurring Research Roulette event in the upcoming academic year! We are looking for speakers who would be happy to talk about their research to others.
The event will take place every month in the seminar room of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department building. It is intended to be an opportunity for our cohort of MSc students, PhD students, and postdocs in the Control and Power community to share their research, get to know each other, exchange ideas, and learn from each other’s topics.
The format of the event is a 20-40 minute presentation followed by a discussion. This will be an excellent opportunity for you, as a speaker, to practice presenting your research, prepare for presentations related to ESA/LSR/conferences etc., and potentially receive constructive feedback from colleagues.
If you would like to speak at this event, please complete this form. Once you have expressed an interest in speaking at the event, we will be in touch with more details. We are confident that you will find participating in this event to be a positive and enriching experience.
Contacts: Hanqing Zhang (Control talks), Yanshu Niu (Power talks)
Most Recent/Upcoming Talk
Title: On the Stability of Negative Imaginary Systems with Applications to Electrical Power Systems
Speaker: Dr Yijun Chen
Venue: EENG 909B
Date and time: Thursday, 05/09/2024, 14:00-15:00
Abstract: The electric grid, as we have known it for over a century, must undergo a fundamental transformation to address the global challenge of climate change. This transformation is driven by the urgent need to replace fossil fuel-based power generation with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, supported by large-scale battery storage. However, as we shift towards these new technologies, the power system must continue to operate safely, reliably, and stably while also remaining economically viable.
Future electric grids will require efficient and robust control systems to regulate voltage, synchronize grid frequency, and stabilize power angles. Rather than relying solely on the traditional engineering approach of expanding grid infrastructure (e.g., building more power lines), innovative solutions are needed. One such solution lies in large-scale batteries and their associated power electronics, which offer the potential for fast-acting active and reactive power control.
In this presentation, we explore how extensions of negative imaginary (NI) systems theory can provide an alternative framework for designing frequency, angle, and voltage control. This approach promises to enhance the utilization of existing grid infrastructure while improving the grid's resilience and robustness.
Biography: Yijun Chen joined the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Melbourne as a departmental research fellow in July 2024, focusing on control and power systems. She earned her PhD from the University of Sydney in September 2023. Following her PhD, she held a postdoctoral position at the Australian National University, where she focused on improving power system stability through the integration of large-scale batteries using negative imaginary systems theory.
Yijun's research interests lie primarily in multi-agent systems, intersecting with control theory, game theory, network science, and optimization. She was honoured as one of the five finalists for the IFAC Congress Young Author Prize for her paper titled "Dynamic Game for Regional Climate Mitigation Control".