Grid-edge technology development for renewable energy transition

With the ever-increasing inverter-based resources (IBRs) integrated into the Australian electricity grid, system strength, inertia, and damping are all on a downward trend year by year, such as the 2016 South Australia blackout due to the angular stability and frequency stability, 2018 Queensland separation from the main power grid due to frequency stability issue, and 2022 South Australia oscillation stability problems. Therefore, it is crucial to develop new tools and methods to deal with the declining key grid parameter caused by the rising IBRs and ensure power network stability and security. With more and more high-precision real-time monitoring devices of phasor measurement units (PMUs) installed in the transmission and distribution networks, real-time power grid operating condition prediction is very important. This project aims to develop a real-time method using grid-edge techniques to evaluate system strength, oscillations, and inertia levels, with the goal of predicting various stability issues for network operators.

The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has world class research facilities in this field, which includes access to Renewable Energy laboratory and industry 4.0 UQ Energy TestLab with hardware-in-loop experimental setup in both RTDS and Opal-RT platforms and state of the art industry based software tools, PMU database and multiple PMUs.

This project is supported by the Research project scholarship.

Learn more about the Research project scholarship.

Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.

We take into account your:

• previous academic record
• publication record
• honours and awards
• employment history

A working knowledge of power system stability and grid-edge technologies would be of benefit to someone working on this project.

You will demonstrate academic achievement in the field/s of power system stability analysis and big data technology applications in power systems and the potential for scholastic success.

A background or knowledge of renewable energy systems, power system stability analysis, PMU applications in power grids, and hardware in the loop experiment is highly desirable.

Before you apply

Before submitting an application you should:

1. check your eligibility for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
2. prepare your documentation
3. contact Dr Feifei Bai (f.bai@uq.edu.au) to discuss your interest and suitability
4. submit your application by 26 February, 2025 26 February, 2025.

When you apply

You apply for this scholarship when you submit an application for your program. You don’t need to submit a separate scholarship application.

In your application ensure that under the ‘Scholarships and collaborative study’ section you select:

• ‘My higher degree is not collaborative’
• ‘I am applying for, or have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship'
• ‘Other’, then ‘Research Project Scholarship’ and in the ‘Name of scholarship’ field enter GRID-EDGE-BAI.

Apply now