Cut electricity consumption with automation - Watt Now Magazine

Department Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois USA.
He is past director of the Electric Power and Power Electronics
Center at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and is author of 300
technical papers and four books on electric power systems planning,
operation, and control.
He is the recipient of 2005 IEEE/PES Best Transactions Paper
Award, 2004 IEEE/PSO Best Transactions Paper Award, Edison
Electric Institute’s Outstanding Faculty Award, HKN’s Outstanding
Young Electrical Engineering Award, Sigma Xi’s Outstanding
Researcher Award, IIT’s Outstanding Faculty Award, and University
of Michigan’s Outstanding Teaching Award. He is the past president
of National Electrical Engineering Honor Society, and serves as the
Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Power Systems.
Dr. Shahidehpour has lectured across the globe on electricity
restructuring issues and has been a visiting professor at several
universities. He is an editor of IEEE Transaction on Power Systems,
Chair of the Power System Operation Committee of IEEE. Finally
he was key note speaker at a power conference held in Cape Town on
May 28-30 2008.
Prof. Shahidehpour’s summary of his lecture is as follows: “The
presentation reviews the impact of distributed generation on power
system restructuring and the essence of competition in the operation
and the planning of electric power systems. The electric power system
operation is rapidly becoming market-driven in which generation,
transmission, and distribution companies strive to maximize their
respective revenues in a highly competitive environment. In a
competitive electricity market, Independent System Operators (ISOs)
coordinate power system operation constraints with electricity market
participants for satisfying hourly load demand, energy constraints,
limited availability of fossil fuel and water resources, environmental
constraints, and transmission security requirements. However, because
of the increasingly intimate role that the electricity plays in the
national economy, security remains to be the most important aspect
of power system operation which cannot be compromised in a marketdriven
approach. The presentation discusses assumptions, functions,
and calculation tools that are essential for satisfying power systems
security requirements. The presentation elaborates on the impact of
distributed generation on the security and economics of restructured
power systems. The presentation concludes that global analyses of
security options provide additional opportunities for seeking optimal
and feasible schedules in competitive electricity markets.”
In view of the recent load shedding that has been experienced in
South Africa, it was most interesting to hear about the experiences
of the American system in regard to “Rolling Blackouts” with details
of the causes and results of these problems. Some of the professor’s
slides showed interesting night-time satellite images of the USA
during blackouts. The lecture will be repeated in Cape Town and it is
hoped that those responsible for the South African electricity systems
will learn from the American experience. The picture shows (L to R
) the President of the SAIEE Victor Wilson, Prof Shahidehpour and
Prof Willie Cronje the representative of the IEEE.
From the President’s Pen
We congratulate
Andries Tshabalala
on his election
as a Vice President
of the SAIEE and welcome him as
an Office Bearer. Andries is an active
participant in Council and its
committees and the Institute is fortunate
to have him in a leadership
position.
The Western Cape Centre has begun a programme of introducing
school learners to Electrical Engineering as a career. The events take
place at the MTN Sciencentre and include meeting young Engineers,
a question and answer session, and building a working (in most
cases) electric motor.
Initiatives such as this and the continuing tutoring and science
activities at schools in KwaZulu-Natal are an excellent way for the
SAIEE and its members to be relevant to the community and I thank
those who give of their time.
Council members represent the Institute at various meetings, workshops,
and conferences. A number of these, not surprisingly, deal with
the electricity crisis. Many of the meetings give us the opportunity to
present the Engineering facts and point of view to senior businessmen,
government officials, and politicians. Education and skills development
continue to come to the fore in such discussions.
Please use the forum on our website www.saiee.org.za to follow
and add to the discussions there. The forum is where current topics
can be debated while we are still working on submissions on legislative,
regulatory, or standards initiatives. There are also forums for
less serious chatter. Remember that Institute members get access to
additional topics not on the public page.
Members in Mpumalanga and the Vaal triangle are encouraged to
make contact with and participate in the activites of the newly formed
Centres there. The face to face interaction facilitated by the Centre
committees is one of the significant benefits of Institute membership
and I thank the committees for their enthusiasm.
Keep an eye on the website for upcoming events.
July 2008
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