A University of Saskatchewan (U of S) engineering professor has been awarded a $2.2-million research chair to create solutions to the pressing challenge of power grid modernization.
Tony Chung will leading a research team that will work alongside SaskPower engineers to modernize its power grid and incorporate renewable energy sources.
“Adding more renewable electricity options, such as wind and solar, is part of our plan to significantly reduce emissions,” said Guy Bruce, SaskPower’s vice-president of planning, environment and sustainable development.
“This research will help us better understand the best way to integrate these options into our power grid as we plan the system of the future.”
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Chung is an internationally recognized expert in smart grid technology. Smart grids include a broad array of emerging technologies that improve power grid reliability, enable greater use of renewable energy and prevent blackouts.
The project’s goals will be to evaluating these technologies and developing new ones to determine options for incorporating them into Saskatchewan’s power grid.
Research will be equally funded over five years by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and SaskPower.
“This major partnered investment in smart grid research will ensure Canada is positioned as a leader in new ways of sustaining powering our future,” said Karen Chad, vice-president of research at the U of S.
“Our students will also gain the practical skills needed to understand and operate energy grids of the future, enabling them to gain employment and become leaders in this growing field in Canada and beyond.”
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Nineteen U of S students and research personnel will make up Chung’s team.
He holds a bachelor of engineering and a PhD in electrical engineering from Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Chung’s past research has generated three U.S. patents, two book chapters as well the successful transference of three commercial software packages developed for power system analysis.
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