More Master’s Theses Completed!
We are thrilled to congratulate Riley Lawson, Hiya Gada, and Jordina Pierre on the successful completion of their master's theses!
Each of them has made remarkable contributions to the electric energy systems field, and we couldn't be prouder of their achievements.
Riley, Hiya, and Jordina will continue their academic journey towards completing a PhD, and we can’t wait to see what incredible work they will accomplish in the future.
Congratulations to all three of you - your achievements make us proud!
Riley Lawson
Title: Transmission Line Dynamics Modeling For Power Electronics-Enabled Control in the Electric Power Systems
Abstract: In the analysis and operation of electric power systems, understanding the rates at which dynamic phenomena evolve is critical. Classically, power systems operate on multiple time scales, with slower mechanical dynamics from synchronous machines, faster electromechanical controls and protection, and very fast electrical dynamics from transmission networks. This time scale separation results in system modeling techniques which neglect certain component dynamics. However, in systems with significant penetration of power electronic devices and under fast time scale phenomena, the rates at which dynamics evolve become less separated, necessitating the modeling of all system dynamics. In large-scale systems, this becomes computationally challenging due to the high dimensionality of the interconnected system model.
This work investigates the role transmission line dynamics play at very fast time scales in power systems. Theoretical results are presented to analyze which transmission line dynamics contribute significantly to power system dynamics, allowing for the intelligent incorporation of transmission line dynamics into computationally tractable models. For the first time, the use of control co-design techniques are demonstrated algorithmically to design fast power electronics-enabled control to stabilize unstable dynamics in electric power systems. This technique allows the design of controls, in an iterative way, to create stable interconnected systems. Finally, transmission line modeling impacts on the design of protection on fast time scales is analyzed. This work presents techniques to protect from short circuits in response to load disconnections, and introduces DC circuit breaker configurations to cause current commutation.
In the modern day, power systems operators possess the technology to implement fast control of dynamics, however, due to insufficient information on how to model and prepare for them, system operators instead rely on using conventional, overly conservative control schemes. This work aims to bridge this gap by presenting methodologies to incorporate these dynamics into next-generation system models, and how to design control and protection to mitigate the risks these fast dynamics pose.
Hiya Gada
Title: Distributed Energy Dynamics Control for Stable Power
Electronic-Enabled Electric Power Systems
Abstract: The increasing penetration of renewable and inverter-based resources is transforming modern power systems into fast, nonlinear, and heterogeneous networks. These converter- dominated systems operate on timescales much faster than traditional synchronous machines, making conventional modeling and control approaches, rooted in quasi-static phasor analysis and centralized architectures, inadequate for ensuring stability and scalability.
This thesis adopts an energy space modeling approach grounded in first principles of energy conservation and system interconnection. It extends the previously introduced second-order energy dynamics model by relaxing the assumption that energy in tangent space can be treated as an independent disturbance. The resulting contribution is a third-order model that treats stored energy in tangent space as a dynamic state, enabling more expressive and accurate modeling of fast-timescale system behavior.
Leveraging this extended energy space model, the thesis develops a multilayered distributed control architecture in which the nonlinear physical dynamics of each component are lifted to the higher-level linear energy space, capturing internal energy dynamics and real/reactive power flows, and integrated with the lower-level physical dynamics with well-defined mappings.
Distributed controllers are designed in this energy space using only local states and minimal neighbor interaction, assuming a system-level coordination mechanism provides consistent references. Two control designs, energy-based feedback linearizing control and sliding mode control, are developed and shown to achieve asymptotic convergence to reference outputs. The framework is validated on two systems: an inverter-controlled RLC circuit and a synchronous generator under load.
Finally, the energy space framework is extended to structurally model inter-area oscillations (IAOs). An inter-area variable is defined as the difference between power incident on a tie-line from Area I and power reflected into tie-line from Area II. Simulations on a 3-bus, 2-area system confirm consistency with eigenmode analysis and show how tie-line strength and generator inertia affect IAO dynamics. A novel resonance phenomenon is also identified: instability arising from interaction between a system’s natural IAO frequency and time-varying disturbances from intermittent DERs. This previously unmodeled behavior is captured explicitly within the energy dynamics framework and may help explain recent blackout events in the Iberian Peninsula.
Jordina Pierre
Title of thesis: Toward Systematic Integration of Inverter-Based Resources in Electricity Markets
Abstract: This thesis introduces a multi-layer control architecture for inverter-based resources (IBRs), separating fast local feedback control from slower self-dispatch and system-level market coordination. Existing integration methods for IBRs limit their control flexibility and completely restrict their market participation potential. Two common practices include treatment of IBRs as negative loads and setting a fixed power factor during grid commissioning.
Modeling IBRs as negative loads excludes them from dispatch coordination in electricity markets, significantly limiting incentive for contribution to grid reliability and flexibility. Likewise, a fixed power factor prevents the IBR from providing voltage support through reactive power absorption/injection. With a fixed power factor, constant real and reactive power limits are imposed on the inverter, even during voltage transients, ignoring the fact that an inverter’s available capacity can vary significantly due to internal current constraints and the power provided by the renewable energy source.
To address the need for reactive power adjustment in IBRs and pave the way for their active participation in electricity markets , this work presents a coordinated control approach that enables IBRs to transition into active, self-dispatching participants. This thesis proposes a first layer hybrid PLL plus Q-V droop based controller in the first layer which governs millisecond-scale autonomous behavior, including low-voltage ride-through and real-time power adjustment based on voltage deviations at the point of common coupling and irradiance fluctuations from the renewable energy source, in this case solar. Given implementation from the first layer and predicted irradiance, Layer 2, which will be implemented in future work, uses a model predictive controller to provide bid functions for both real and reactive power while keeping voltage at the Point of Common Coupling within its limits. Finally, the third layer performs centralized market clearing through a security-constrained optimization by the system operator. By advocating for self-dispatched, constraint aware control, this thesis challenges the prevailing passive modeling paradigm and offers a structured, physics-informed alternative. It demonstrates how IBRs can evolve into reliable, market-integrated assets, enabling smarter renewable integration and a more resilient, cost-effective and decarbonized grid.
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