Risk-Limiting Dispatch Of The Smart Grid: A Research Agenda   . . . Abstract & Biography Pravin Varaiya, University of California, Berkeley     4:00 PM, 32-124 LIDS Colloquium -   There will be a short reception at 3:30 p.m. on the 6th floor of the Dreyfoos Tower

Abstract & Biography

Abstract: Federal programs are encouraging large deployments of smart grid elements. But for this initial technology implantation to grow, the smart grid may need to become self sustaining, which we believe will require modifications in system operations that create a level field for both reliable and interruptible power. The proposed research agenda seeks to design and analyze one such modification, founded on the concept of risk-limiting dispatch, and realized in a way that permits incremental deployment. The focus is on the use of information—from sensors, generators and customers, and for coordination: ‘smart’ in smart grid has much to do with information. If successfully pursued, the proposed research agenda in the long run can disrupt the established tradition of research and practice in power systems operations.

Biography: Pravin Varaiya is Nortel Networks Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. From 1975 to 1992 he was also Professor of Economics at Berkeley. His current research interests include transportation networks, electric power systems, and hybrid systems.

His honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, three Honorary Doctorates, the Field Medal and Bode Prize of the IEEE Control Systems Society, and the Richard E. Bellman Control Heritage Award. He is a Fellow of IEEE, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science.