Dr Rafael Pena Alzola

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Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Personal statement

Rafael Peña-Alzola received the combined licentiate and M.Sc. degree in industrial engineering from the University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain, in 2001, and the Ph.D. degree from the National University for Distance Learning (UNED), Madrid, Spain, in 2011. He has worked as an electrical engineer for several companies in Spain. From September 2012 to July 2013, he was Guest Postdoc at the Department of Energy Technology at Aalborg University in Aalborg, Denmark. From August 2014 to December 2016, he was Postdoc Research Fellow at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. From January 2017 to May 2017, he was with the University of Alcalá in Madrid, Spain for a short-term industrial collaboration. Since June 2017, he is with the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK initially as Research Fellow and since 2019, as a Lecturer within the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre for Electrical Power Systems, Institute for Energy and Environment. His research interests are energy storage, LCL-filters, solid-state transformers, power electronics for hybrid electric aircraft and innovative control techniques for power converters. He is an IEEE Senior Member and Associate Editor of the IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics.

Publications

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Publications

Control of isolated wind power systems with hydrogen production: Monroy-Morales José Luis, Peña-Alzola Rafael, Campos-Gaona David, Burt Graeme, Melgoza-Vázquez Enrique; Sustainability Vol 18 (2026); https://doi.org/10.3390/su18168355
10 kW cryogenic dc/dc converter for superconducting propulsion applications: Elwakeel Abdelrahman, Liao Yuchuan, Zao Zihao, Alzola Rafael Peña, Liao Yudi, Zhang Min, Yuan Weijia; IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity Vol 36 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1109/tasc.2026.3666493
Control design for wind-diesel hybrid power systems retrofitted with fuel cells: Monroy-Morales José Luis, Peña-Alzola Rafael, Sajikumar Adwaith, Campos-Gaona David, Melgoza-Vázquez Enrique; Energies Vol 19 (2026); https://doi.org/10.3390/en19061573
Supercapacitor-based energy storage system using two- and three-level converter topologies: Zalapa Andrea Xiomara Monroy, Manjarrez Daniela Bobadilla, Monroy-Morales José Luis, Peña-Alzola Rafael, Campos-Gaona David; 2025 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC) 2025 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC) 2025 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC), pp. 1-5 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1109/ropec68163.2025.11353982
Fault Signatures and Dynamic Partial Shading Effects in Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaic Systems: Qais Mohammed, Bayram I Safak, Pena Alzola Rafael, Galloway Stuart; 52nd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IECON 2026) (2026)
Small-Signal Stability of Grid-Forming Converters : VSM and Droop with Field-Current Dynamics: Sajikumar Adwaith, Pena Alzola Rafael, Feng Zhiwang, Seferi Yljon, Monroy Morales Jose Luis, Burt Graeme; 61st International Universities Power Engineering Conference 61st International Universities Power Engineering Conference (2026)

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Research

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Professional Activities

Current-type Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Interface for Black Start Testing of Grid Forming Converter: Contributor; 19/10/2022

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Projects

A Framework to Predict Sensitivities of Transient Response for Robust Integrated Design of Electrical Propulsion Power Trains (STRIDE): Jones, Catherine (Principal Investigator) Pena Alzola, Rafael (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2026 - 31-Jan-2028
Hybrid Electric Research in Machines for Efficient Propulsion Systems (HERMEP): Norman, Patrick (Principal Investigator) Jennett, Kyle (Co-investigator) Jones, Catherine (Co-investigator) Pena Alzola, Rafael (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2029
Smart Meter Project: Seferi, Yljon (Principal Investigator) Burt, Graeme (Co-investigator) Pena Alzola, Rafael (Co-investigator) Feng, Zhiwang (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 30-Jan-2026
UTC25-PSAC2506 Power systems appreciation course (digital): Fong, Chung Man (Principal Investigator) Burt, Graeme (Co-investigator) Jones, Catherine (Co-investigator) Norman, Patrick (Co-investigator) Pena Alzola, Rafael (Co-investigator); 15-Jan-2025 - 08-Jan-2026
Metrology for efficient grid-forming converters to stabilise future power grids (GridForm): Pena Alzola, Rafael (Principal Investigator) Burt, Graeme (Co-investigator) Feng, Zhiwang (Co-investigator) Seferi, Yljon (Co-investigator); metrology; 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2028
GKN COTS Fault Protection Devices: Pena Alzola, Rafael (Principal Investigator) Norman, Patrick (Co-investigator); Previous work under RKES 240358; 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2025