Postgraduate research opportunities Coordinated Control and Operation of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) in Converter Dominated Power Systems

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Key facts

  • Opens: Friday 21 March 2025
  • Deadline: Monday 21 April 2025
  • Number of places: 1
  • Duration: 3.5 years
  • Funding: Equipment costs, Home fee, Stipend, Travel costs

Overview

A collaborative project with a prestigious multinational Fortune 500 company to research and experimentally validate advanced fast controls for robust and resilient operation of converter dominated grids. Utilising high-fidelity real-time simulation platforms, digital twins, hardware-in-the-loop infrastructure with leading-edge tools, and emerging electronics technologies, this represents an exceptional personal development and training opportunity in an exciting and fast-moving area.
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Eligibility

Prospective candidates should have:

  • a high-quality undergraduate Honours degree (first ‎class or 2:1) or MEng or MSc (with Distinction or Merit) in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Control Engineering, Mathematics or similar discipline
  • a strong background in at least one of the related areas: electrical power systems, control engineering, power electronics
  • proactive initiative and the ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • excellent organizational and communication skills
THE Awards 2019: UK University of the Year Winner
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Project Details

This is an exciting collaborative project with a prestigious multinational Fortune 500 company on the research and experimental validation of advanced fast controls for robust and resilient operation of converter dominated grids. Utilising high-fidelity real-time simulation platforms, digital twins, hardware-in-the-loop infrastructure with leading-edge tools, and emerging electronics technologies, this represents an exceptional personal development and training opportunity in an exciting and fast-moving area. The work will be conducted within the internationally recognised DPSL microgrid within the Institute for Energy and Environment (InstEE), and involve active industry engagement and placement.

Power systems around the world are already experiencing 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 understanding in complex interdependencies, in order to guide the unprecedented levels of investment currently planned for grids in the drive to net-zero. 

This PhD will explore coordinated controls and operational algorithms essential to delivering robustness and resilience in 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, part of the state-of-the-art infrastructure that has supported Strathclyde’s award-winning power engineering and energy systems research. 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.

Use project id: PhD-DPSL2502

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Funding details

This is a 3.5 year PhD with a prestigious multinational Fortune 500 company. It's fully funded (fees, stipend, consumables and travel costs) for UK Home Students and exceptional international candidates, and otherwise partially-funded). Candidates claiming to be exceptional must provide clear evidence.

While there is no funding in place for opportunities marked "unfunded", there are lots of different options to help you fund postgraduate research. Visit funding your postgraduate research for links to government grants, research councils funding and more, that could be available.

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Supervisors

Professor Burt

Professor Graeme Burt

Electronic and Electrical Engineering

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Dr Rafael Pena Alzola

Senior Lecturer
Electronic and Electrical Engineering

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Number of places: 1

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Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Programme: Electronic and Electrical Engineering

PhD
full-time
Start date: Oct 2024 - Sep 2025

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Contact us

For further details, please contact Prof Graeme Burt, graeme.burt@strath.ac.uk and reference PhD-DPSL2502