Amritanshu Pandey
University of Vermont, VT·Engineering
Moving to a zero-carbon power grid means solving very large computing problems. Solar panels, batteries and other sources that connect to the grid through inverters (devices that convert direct current to alternating current) create fast electrical behavior.
- Fields
Engineering
Computer Science
Mathematics & Statistics
- Topics
power systems
power grid
electric grid
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Apr 2027
What they work on
- Build a scalable framework that uses equivalent-circuit representations of grid models to solve large nonlinear power grid simulations and optimizations split into bordered-block-diagonal pieces.
- Develop a metric that measures analytically how strongly the subproblems of a decomposed grid problem are coupled to one another.
- Identify the best ways to split large grid problems using physics-inspired graph partitioning and combinatorial optimization with submodular objectives, a class of objectives with diminishing returns.
More about the research
Engineers need to simulate this behavior across the whole system. Uncertain renewable supply also requires optimizations that plan grid operation over many time periods at once. Today's general-purpose solvers often cannot handle problems this large quickly or reliably.
Why it matters
Grid operators and planners need fast, reliable large-scale simulations and optimizations to add renewable and inverter-based energy sources while keeping the grid stable. Scalable solvers could speed up the planning and operation of zero-carbon power grids. The same decomposition methods may also help solve very large computing problems in other fields.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Dominic Gross
University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI·Engineering·Early-career
Develop a control design and stability analysis framework for grid-forming inverters that explicitly accounts for the static and dynamic limits of power electronics and renewable generation in zero-carbon power systems.
Illya Hicks
Rice University, TX·Mathematics & Statistics
Develop polyhedral theory — representing discrete choices as geometric shapes amenable to linear methods — to formulate and solve optimization problems for battery storage in microgrids.
Wencong Su
University of Michigan-Dearborn, MI·Engineering
Build a fundamental understanding of the practical challenges facing low-inertia power grids with high penetration of grid-forming inverter-based energy resources, which set grid voltage and frequency themselves.
The school
University of Vermont: 16 labs on PI Pages, $246M a year on research, 76 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
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