Dr Weiqi Hua PhD

Dr Weiqi Hua

Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering
Assistant Professor in Energy Systems

Contact details

Email
w.hua@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@Weiqi_Hua_Bham
View my research portal
Address
217, School of Engineering (Y8)
Department of Electronic Electrical and Systems Engineering
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Weiqi Hua is an Assistant Professor in Energy Systems at the University of Birmingham since 2023. He took postdoctoral positions at the University of Oxford and Cardiff University and received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Durham in 2021. Dr Hua is the founder of Energy Digits, and recongnised as the Forbes 100 Most Influential Chinese in 2023. His research interests include: i) multi-energy system modelling and optimisation, ii) digitalisation, digital twin, and machine learning for energy system analytics, and iii) energy policy, economics, and local energy markets, which has been funded by EPSRC, the Royal Society, British Academy, UK Government, Horizon 2020, and UK Network Innovation Allowance . Dr Hua is an Editorial Board Member of Applied Energy, IET Smart Grid, and Oxford Open Energy.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Engineering, University of Durham, 2020.
  • MSc in New and Renewable Energy, University of Durham, 2017

Biography

Dr Weiqi Hua is an Assistant Professor in Energy Systems with the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham (U.K.) since 2023. He took postdoctoral positions at the University of Oxford (U.K.) and Cardiff University (U.K.). He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Durham (U.K.) in 2021, co-funded by Hyundai Motor Company and Durham Research Doctoral Scholarship. He was the visiting researcher to the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE), Greece in 2019, and visiting researcher to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China in 2018 and 2019.

Dr Hua is the founder of Energy Digits. In 2023, Dr Hua earned a distinguished spot on the Forbes 100 Most Influential Chinese, an accolade that acknowledges his contributions to research and knowledge transfer in the fields of energy and low-carbon futures. He has edited the book ‘Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Technologies for Smart Energy Systems’, and ‘Digitalisation of Local Energy Systems’. His research has contributed to the written evidence (DHH0053) of UK Parliament discussions on heat decarbonisation and Ofgem policy consultation on Regional Energy Strategic Plan (RESP).

His research interests include:

  • Multi-Energy System Modelling and Optimisation with Renewable Integration.
  • Digitalisation, Digital Twin, and Machine Learning for Energy System Analytics.
  • Energy Policy, Economics, and Local Energy Markets.

Dr Hua’s research has been funded by EPSRC, the Royal Society, British Academy, UK Government, Horizon 2020, and UK Network Innovation Allowance, including:

  • British Academy, Assembling Digital Solutions for Inclusive and Net-Zero Transition of Community Energy Systems (ADvaNCE), 2024, PI.
  • The Royal Society, EPTituDE: Evaluating Potential of Transportation Electrification under Digitalised Energy Systems, 2024-2026, PI.
  • EPSRC (through Innovation Launchpad Network+: Researchers in Residence Scheme), Digitally-Enabled Flexibility Assessment of Multi-Energy Systems Toward Net-Zero Transition, 2024-2025, PI.
  • EPSRC-MRC-IAA, Sustainable Healthcare through Energy Analytics and Data-driven Efficiency (SHADE), 2024-2025, PI.
  • The Royal Society Kan Tong Po International Fellowship, CANDlES: Consumer-Centric Analytics For Net-Zero Digitalised Multi-Energy Systems, 2024-2025, PI.
  • Innovate UK, DIATOMIC (Digital InnovAtion TransfOrMatIve Change), 2023-2025, Co-PI.

Dr Hua is an Editorial Board Member of Applied Energy, Oxford Open Energy, and IET Smart Grid. He also served as a Guest Editor for the Special Issue in IET Smart Grid, IET Energy Conversion and Economics, Oxford Open Energy, Journal of Energy Engineering, Water, Frontiers in Energy Research.

Dr Hua has been appointed as the regional chair for the 8th and 9th International Conference on Power and Renewable Energy, sessional chair for CEN2023 Applied Energy Symposium, 2023 International Conference on Resource Sustainability, IEEE SmartGridComm 2018, and IEEE International Smart Cities Conference 2017. He was a technical program committee (TPC) member for IEEE SmartGridComm 2020, IEEE International Smart Cities Conference 2021, and IEEE SmartGridComm 2023. 

Dr Hua has served as a member of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, the Athena Swan SAT working group, and Representor of the Publicity Committee at the University of Birmingham.

Dr Hua has undertaken research projects as a key researcher, collaborating with academia and industries, including:

  • BEIS Heat Pump Ready, Clean Heat Streets.
  • EPSRC, Analytical Middleware for Informed Distribution Networks (AMIDiNe).
  • EPSRC, Maximising Flexibility through Multi-Scale Integration of Energy System (MISSION).
  • EPSRC, Integrated Heating and Cooling Networks with Heat-Sharing-Enabled Smart Prosumers.
  • European Commission - Horizon 2020, Virtual Power Plant for Interoperable and Smart Islands (VPP4ISLANDS).
  • UK Network Innovation Allowance, Distributed Leger Technology-Enabled Distribution Network Operation (DeDSO).
  • ERDF and Durham County Council, Solid Wall Insulation Innovation.
  • MSCA-RISE-2016, Testing and Evaluating Sophisticated Information and Communication Technologies for Enabling a Smarter Grid (TESTBED).

Teaching

  • LM Renewable Energy Systems Integration

Postgraduate supervision

i) Digitalisation of Energy Systems.
ii) Energy System Modelling.

Dr Hua is interested in supervising doctoral research students in the following areas:

  • Energy system modelling and optimisation.
  • Renewable energy integration.
  • Digitalisation, digital twin, and machine learning for energy system analytics.
  • Energy policy and economics.
  • Local energy markets and peer-to-peer energy trading.

Dr Hua is interested in supporting PhD applications with other funding sources, e.g., industries, university, or self-funded.

Research

  • Multi-Energy System Modelling and Optimisation with Renewable Integration.
  • Digitalisation, Digital Twin, and Machine Learning for Energy System Analytics.
  • Energy Policy, Economics, and Local Energy Markets.

Other activities

  • Editorial Board Member of Applied Energy.
  • Editorial Board Member of Oxford Open Energy.
  • Editorial Board Member of IET Smart Grid.
  • Attendee of COP28 in Dubai.
  • Guest Editor for Special Issue “Advanced Demand-Side Management in High-Renewable Power Distribution Systems” in Journal of Energy Engineering.
  • Guest Editor for Special Issue “Operations of DERs for Providing Grid Services in Renewable-rich Power Systems”, IET Energy Conversion and Economics.
  • Guest Editor for Special Issue “Digitalisation and Digital Twins for Low Carbon Energy Systems” in Oxford Open Energy.
  • Guest Editor (Lead) for Special Issue “Blockchain Technologies Empowering Peer-to-Peer Trading in Multi-Energy Systems: From Advanced Technologies Towards Applications” in IET Smart Grid.
  • Guest Editor for Special Issue “Low-Carbon Oriented Market Mechanism and Reliability Improvement of Multi-energy Systems”, Frontiers in Energy Research.
  • Guest Editor for Special Issue “Low-Carbon, Zero-Carbon and Negative-Carbon Wastewater Treatment Technology and Operation Strategies” in Water.
  • Regional Chair of The 9th International Conference on Power and Renewable Energy.
  • Regional Chair of The 8th International Conference on Power and Renewable Energy.
  • Panel Session Chair of “Urban Sustainability”, 2023 International Conference on Resource Sustainability.
  • Panel Session Chair of “Intelligent Energy Uses and Energy Efficiency”, CEN2023 Applied Energy Symposium.
  • Panel Session Chair of “Operation and Integration of Electric Vehicles in Smart Grid”, IEEE SmartGridComm 2018.
  • Panel Session Chair of “Smart Energy Systems”, IEEE International Smart Cities Conference 2017.
  • Technical Program Committee (TPC) Member, 22nd International Conference on Practical applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (PAAMS) 2024.
  • TPC Member of IEEE SmartGridComm 2023.
  • TPC Member of IEEE SmartGridComm 2020.
  • TPC Member of IEEE International Smart Cities Conference 2021, Track 1: Smart Transportation.
  • Reviewer for Journals: IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, IEEE Transactions on Energy Markets, Policy and Regulation, IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence, Applied Energy, IEEE Communications Magazine, IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Industrial Electronics, IEEE Access, Energy, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, IET Renewable Power Generation, IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution, Applied Sciences, Sustainability, International Journal of Energy Research, Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks, Energy and AI, Advances in Applied Energy, CSEE Journal of Power and Energy Systems, Journal of Cleaner Production, Mathematics, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, Frontiers in Energy, Sustainability, World Electric Vehicle Journal, Electronics, Sensors, EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking, Journal of Risk and Financial Management, Engineering Reports, Complexity.

Speaking Engagements:

  • “Blockchain-Based Joint Energy and Carbon Trading”, Cyber-physical perspective of smart grid stability, security and resilience towards a net-zero energy transition, Innovation Smart Grid Technologies (ISGT), Croatia, 2024.
  • “Digital Technologies Enabling Energy System”, Advancing Integrated Industrial Energy Systems for Decarbonization: From Research to Real-world Implementation, International Conference on Applied Energy (ICAE), Japan, 2024.
  • “Digitalisation of Energy Systems: A Pathway to Net-Zero”, 2024 ADVANCE Workshop, Aalto University, Finland, 2024.
  • “Digital Technologies Enabling Energy System Transition”, MSc Energy Systems, University of Oxford, UK, 2024.
  • “Community Energy Sharing for Resilience of Energy Systems”, Kremenchuk Mykhailo Otrohradskyi National University and University of Leicester, UK-Ukraine Twinning Initiative, UK, 2023.
  • “Digital Analytics for Informed Distribution Networks”, MSc Energy Systems, University of Oxford, UK, 2023.
  • “Virtual Power Plants: Trends and Opportunities”, Alibaba Group, China, 2023.
  • “Digitalisation and Digital Twin for Energy Systems”, Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese academy of sciences, China, 2023.
  • “Local Energy Market and Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading”, Chongqing University, China, 2022.
  • “Renewable Energy, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence Enabling Future Energy Systems”, Eton College, UK, 2022.
  • “Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading: Barriers and Opportunities”, Dutch Seminar on Digital Energy, Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2022.
  • “Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading”, MSc Energy Systems, University of Oxford, UK, 2022.
  • “A Blockchain Based Peer-to-Peer Trading Scheme Coupling Energy and Carbon Markets”, Department of Engineering Research Day, University of Durham, UK, 2019.
  • “Scientific Innovation and Regulatory Support in Achieving Low Carbon Energy Systems”, UK Summer School for China University of Geosciences, UK, 2019.
  • “Energy Market Transitions Towards Prosumers Era”, Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese academy of sciences, China, 2018.
  • “Carbon Emissions Reduction Technologies for Future Energy Systems”, Department of Engineering Research Day, University of Durham, UK, 2017.

Publications

Recent publications

Book

Hua, W, Zhang, X-P & Wallom, DCH (eds) 2025, Digitalisation of local energy systems. Green Energy and Technology, 1 edn, Springer.

Article

Abdelaziz, S, Sparrow, SN, Hua, W & Wallom, DCH 2025, 'Assessing the long-term effects of climate change on offshore wind operations in the UK', Energy, vol. 332, 137062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2025.137062

Azizi, E, Hua, W, Stephen, B, C.H. Wallom, D & McCulloch, M 2025, 'Digitalization opportunities to enable local power system transition to net-zero', Energy for Sustainable Development, vol. 84, 101596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2024.101596

Wu, Y, Chiu, W-Y, Tsai, Y-P, Liu, S & Hua, W 2025, 'Multiagent Reinforcement Learning in Enhancing Resilience of Microgrids under Extreme Weather Events', Expert Systems with Applications. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2025.129145

Wang, H, Hua, W, Peng, J & Hu, M 2025, 'Public sentiment analysis of data center energy consumption using social media data and large language models', Energy and Buildings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.115802

Ma, T, Pei, W, Yang, Y, Xiao, H, Tang, C & Hua, W 2024, 'A coordinated operation method of wind-PV-hydrogen-storage multi-agent energy system', Global Energy Interconnection, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 446-461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloei.2024.08.001

Abdelaziz, S, Sparrow, S, Hua, W & Wallom, D 2024, 'Assessing long-term future climate change impacts on extreme low wind events for offshore wind turbines in the UK exclusive economic zone', Applied Energy, vol. 354, 122218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.122218

Liu, W-J, Chiu, W-Y & Hua, W 2024, 'Blockchain-enabled renewable energy certificate trading: A secure and privacy-preserving approach', Energy, vol. 290, 130110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2023.130110

Chapter

Hua, W, Azizi, E, Zhang, X-P & C. H. Wallom, D 2025, Introduction to Digitalization and Local Energy Systems. in W Hua, X-P Zhang & DCH Wallom (eds), Digitalisation of Local Energy Systems. 1 edn, Green Energy and Technology, Springer, pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-77833-9_1

Conference article

Liu, S & Hua, W 2024, 'Mapping Heat Electrification to Socioeconomic Segments of Consumers for Net-Zero Energy Transition', Energy Proceedings, vol. 55. https://doi.org/10.46855/energy-proceedings-11586

Conference contribution

Li, M, Chiu, W-Y, Stephen, B, Tachtatzis, C & Hua, W 2025, A CTGAN-based approach for synthetic data generation of low-voltage distribution networks. in 2025 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting (PESGM). IEEE General Meeting Power& Energy Society, IEEE, 2025 IEEE PES General Meeting, Austin, Texas, United States, 27/07/25.

Hua, W, Mullen, D, Wahid, A, Sitabkhan, K & Mason, K 2024, Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Electric Vehicle Energy Systems: A Survey. in Artificial Intelligence for Knowledge Management, Energy and Sustainability: 10th IFIP International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Knowledge Management, AI4KMES 2023, Krakow, Poland, September 30–October 1, 2023, Revised Selected Papers. IFIP International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Knowledge Management, vol. 693, Springer, pp. 92–115, 10th IFIP International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Knowledge Management, Krakow, Poland, 30/09/23. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61069-1_8

Azizi, E, Hua, W, Wallom, D & McCulloch, M 2024, Maximizing Grid Intelligence: Harnessing Substation Load Data via Machine Learning. in 2024 IEEE International Conference on Communications, Control, and Computing Technologies for Smart Grids (SmartGridComm)., 10738037, IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications, IEEE, pp. 594-599, The 15th IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications, Control, and Computing Technologies, Oslo, Norway, 17/09/24. https://doi.org/10.1109/SmartGridComm60555.2024.10738037

Other contribution

Hua, W 2025, Written Evidence (COM0049) to the UK Parliament on Unlocking Community Energy at Scale. UK Parliament. <https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/133991/pdf/>

Other report

Buettner, A, Lamadrid L, AJ, Rahman, A, Chen, B, Nauck, C, Zhao, J, Hatziargyriou, N, Hellmann, F, Li, F, Chen, H, Pang, K, Rafy, MF, Zhang, Q, Lamichhane, S, Lei, S, Manshadi, S, Zhao, S, Hua, W & Sun, W 2025, AI for power system resilience: resources toward various extreme events and operation issues. IEEE. https://doi.org/10.17023/1hss-az22

View all publications in research portal