Description:

The Electric Power Systems working group, that carries out its teaching and research activities at the Engineering Department, possesses all technical and scientific competencesnecessary for conceiving, designing, carrying out, characterizing, testing and analysing, both in steady-state and in dynamic regime, components and systemsusing modern technologies for the production, transmission, distribution and utilization of electric energy. The spectrum of the considered applications extends to all systems of interconnected components using energetically-significant electrical vectors. In particular, to this context topics belong such as safety and security, automation, reliability, energy efficiency, fault diagnosis, grid planning,electric system operation and management, EMC, power quality, high voltage techniques, all issues related to electricity market, renewable energy sources and distributed generation, electric system materials engineering, on-board electric assemblies, power systems for electric transportation and all special electric installations, ranging from building automation to the most sophisticated computer-based systems.

The main ongoing research studies are:

• Analysis of safety and security issues
• Fault analysis, diagnostic and stabilitystudies in public distribution and transmission networks and in public and private microgrids
• Definition and development of innovative solutions for providing ancillary services such as synthetic inertia, fast frequency response and grid-forming
• Resolution of connection issues of RES-based distributed generators
• Analysis and control of traditional and innovative electric energy storage systems
• Analysis of the impact of the diffusion of RES-based generators on the planning of the electric power system
• Smart prosumers aggregation and demand response aiming at providing ancillary services and at the participation to the balancing market
• Previsional analysis of new scenarios for the electricity market
• Analysis of electroenergetic issues of small islands not suppled by the main grid
• Analysis and definition of innovative solutions for building automation and of control logics for smart buildings
• Technical aspects related to the Energy Blockchain
• Definition of solutions for identifying faults and pre-faults conditions in MV and HV cables
• Retrofit of urban street lighting systems
• Definition of solutions for increasing the efficiency and the level of automation at the end-users’ premises

Main research projects:

• DEMAND “DistributEdMANagement logics and Devices for electricity savings in active users installations”, National Project: Research on Electric Power Systems (decree 30/6/2014 by the Italian Ministry for Economical Development)
• Greening the power system with solar power for GHG emission reduction in Vietnam, Project cofunded by the Italian Ministry of foreign affairs and the Ministry of Trades of Vietnam (MOIT) 2017-2019
• I-NEXT "Innovation for GreeN Energy and Exchange in Transportation", National Project: ASSE II PON R&C 2007-2013 Call ‘Smart Cities and Communities and Social Innovation (D.D. Prot. n.84/Ric. 2 march 2012)
• SIRRCE "System for the residential energy optimization with summer air conditioning integration", National Project: Research on Electric Power Systems (decree 12/12/2008 and 4/5/2009 by Italian Ministry for Economical Development)
• METERGLOB “Contribution of extended extraneous conductive parts to the global grounding system”, National Project: Research on Electric Power Systems (decree 12/12/2008 and 4/5/2009 by Italian Ministry for Economical Development)
• “Sistema integrato di comando, controllo protezione e supervisione di processi di produzione, trasmissione, distribuzione (SCADA integrato Col AdMin) dell’energia elettrica da fonti rinnovabili e non con interfaccia periferica verso campo dei processi atto all’utilizzo razionale energia elettrica”, Project cofunded by the European Unione within the POR FESR SICILIA 2007-2013 Operative Task 4.1.1 – Line 4.1.1.2 Prog. n. 187

Keywords: Electric Power Systems, Electricity Generation, Electric Energy Transmission and Distribution, Smart-grids, Electric Energy Storage, Safety and Security, Electricity Market, Distributed Generation, Renewable Energy Sources