IEEE PES Lecture: Power Electronics Modernizing the Power Grid
The present power grid faces increasing challenges arising from congestion and blackouts associated with high penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) and growing demand, compounded by lagging infrastructure upgrades. This presentation discusses how advanced power electronics is modernizing existing transmission and distribution networks. It further highlights the development of universal One-Cycle Control–based power electronic systems for rapid and precise control of grid operations, with objectives including the enhancement of power quality, provision of reactive power support, and mitigation of congestion. Case studies demonstrate that these approaches enhance system resilience, operational flexibility, and overall efficiency, thereby supporting sustainable long-term growth.
Keyue Ma Smedley, Keyue Smedley, IEEE Fellow, received her BS in EE from Zhejiang University and her MS and Ph.D. in EE from Caltech. Dr. Smedley was the chief designer of magnet power converters for all accelerator rings at DOE Superconducting Super Collider Lab in early 1990s. She is currently a Professor in EECS, University of California, Irvine (UCI) and Founder/Director of the UCI Power Electronics Lab since 1992. In addition, she is a co-founder of One-Cycle Control, Inc., that commercializes OCC technology. Dr. Smedley’s research is in power electronics. She is the inventor of the One-Cycle Control (OCC) method. Initially groundbreaking in high-fidelity audio applications during 1990s, OCC later unified four-quadrant control of single and three-phase power converters in the early 2000s. Today, OCC technology is widely applied across various market sectors, including professional audio, renewables, storage, power quality, grid stabilization, and defense. Dr. Smedley’s team also invented the Hexagram multilevel converter in the late 2000s, deployed and tested the first fault current limiter on the U.S. grid in the 2010s, and demonstrated OCC-DVC technology for fast and precise grid control during the same period. More recently, her team has achieved breakthroughs in full-range gain control of resonant switched-capacitor converters, opening the door to magnetic-less power conversion and enabling significant reductions in the size and weight of power electronic converters. Dr. Smedley is dedicated to innovation and impact. Her research has yielded >200 publications, >15 US and international patents, two startup companies, and wide industry acceptance. She has received numerous recognitions, including UCI Innovation Award in 2005, IEEE Fellow in 2008, and a DOD Achievement Award in Pentagon 2010 with OCC, Inc. She was an IEEE PEL Distinguished Lecturer in 2021-2024. Dr. Smedley won 2024 IEEE Power Electronics Society RD Middlebrook Achievement Award.