The University of Strathclyde is pleased to be able to offer an exciting collaborative project with a prestigious multinational Fortune 500 company on the development and experimental evaluation of coordinated controls that contribute to robust and resilient operation of converter dominated power systems. This work will be conducted within the internationally recognised DPSL microgrid at the Technology and Innovation Centre, as part of the Institute for Energy and Environment (InstEE), and involve active industry engagement.

Power systems around the world are already experiencing a transition with a fundamental change in their operation and management, driven by the changing energy landscape and growing demand for electricity. Increasing renewables penetration, reducing inertia, sensitive voltage profiles are a few concerns of many that present a challenge to operators who struggle to ensure a secure, resilient, and flexible power network. Furthermore, with the rapid technological advancements in power electronic devices and their increasing penetration within power networks, new stability, protection, and monitoring challenges are being identified. There is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the complex interdependencies, and ensure future devices support robustness and resilience. 

This PhD will focus on coordinated controls and operational algorithms that contribute robustness and resilience to the operation of future converter-dominated power systems. Emerging grid forming controls will guide candidate approaches for converter dominated control and operational architecture analysis. A thorough investigation of power electronic interface controls and power system architectures will support the analysis of emerging system dynamics and stability limits, and the formation of prospective control approaches. Working with industry colleagues will support the realization of protype systems, and their evaluation within the established hardware-in-the-loop testbed. This will provide unique research insight into the distributed implementation necessary for more complex dependency identification and provide a platform for impactful research.

The successful candidate will have access to and work alongside the existing team of specialists within the DPSL microgrid, which is part of the state-of-the-art infrastructure that has supported Strathclyde’s award-winning power engineering and energy systems research activities. This is further complemented by the extensive expertise across the wider InstEE team, including the MW-scale PNDC infrastructure. They will also benefit from the close working relationship and placements with the industry partner, and from the training delivered as part of the University of Strathclyde’s Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development.