Electrical Power and Control Systems Group

The University of Birmingham is situated in the second largest city – Birmingham, which is considered to be the ‘energy valley’ in the UK as well as in Europe. Energy research is one of the priority research areas of the university. The 3rd energy industry revolution is taking place where the key is the development of electrical power systems in the context of smart grids.  Advances in electrical power systems are playing a pivotal role in the development of a sustainable energy supply, enabling efficient integration of renewable energy generation into smart grids.

The Electrical Power and Control Systems Group conducts research addressing fundamental engineering and economic challenges facing electrical power systems, energy systems and future cities. Current research efforts include: 

• Advanced control methods and decision making tools for infrastructures such as energy systems, environmental systems, technological processes, defence systems and telecommunication systems, etc.
   − Intelligent decision support and control of large scale complex systems,
   − Multiagent softly switched robustly feasible model predictive control
   − Integrating monitoring, control and security of Critical Infrastructure Systems
• Energy system modelling, economics and policy
   − Smart energy systems and smart cities
   − Whole system modelling and analysis of energy systems
   − Integration of energy storage into energy systems
  − Energy policy, energy economics and market design
• Operation, control and planning of power grids and smart grids
   − Smart grid architecture
   − HVDC and FACTS
   − Real-time power grid simulation, monitoring, protection, control and optimization with PMUs and wide area synchronised measurements
    − Integration of large scale renewable energy sources (PVs, Wind and Wave) into power grids
   − Power system stability and control
   − Demand response and energy management of distributed energy resources including PVs, EVs, energy storage and renewable energy
• Cyber-security and privacy of Infrastructure Systems
   − Control of DWDS under malicious attacks on water quality
   − Cyber-physical security of power grids
   − Cyber-security and privacy of smart energy control, smart metering

Our research is highly interdisciplinary with strong collaborations via the Institute of Energy Research and Policy and the Birmingham Centre for Cryogenic Energy Storage sponsored by UK EPSRC. Excellent collaborations have been established with leading power companies nationally and internationally such as ALSTOM, E.ON, National Grid, etc.