Renewable Energy Integration: Pioneering Solutions for a Sustainable Future
Speaker
Dr. Lina He
Assistant Professor and Director of the Power Energy Innovation (PEI) laboratory, ECE Department, University of Illinois Chicago
Title
"Renewable Energy Integration: Pioneering Solutions for a Sustainable Future"
Abstract
The U.S. government’s ambitious goal of achieving 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 highlights the urgent need for a transformative shift in modern power systems. This vision demands the large-scale integration of inverter-based resources (IBRs) into transmission and sub-transmission grids, along with the widespread deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution grids. As renewable energy sources like offshore/onshore wind and solar photovoltaics become key contributors to
electricity supplies, the transition from synchronous generators to inverter-based renewables presents significant challenges to power system modeling, control, protection, and operation. In addition, the gradual reduction in system inertia due to this shift increases vulnerabilities, which can threaten power system stability and resilience.
To overcome these challenges, we have been developing innovative and practical solutions for future power systems. These include PMU-based dynamic modeling for real-time stability analysis, systematic grid-forming control of power electronic inverters, and intelligent system protection coordination. Through collaborations with industry leaders such as GE, Siemens, ISO-NE, and others, we aim to bridge the gap between traditional power systems and power electronics, ensuring the reliability, resilience, and stability of the future grid in alignment with the U.S. clean energy goals.
About Speaker
Dr. Lina He is an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Power Energy Innovation (PEI) laboratory in the ECE Department at the University of Illinois Chicago. She received her Ph.D. degree from University College Dublin, Ireland, in 2014. She also received her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, in 2009 and 2007, respectively. Prior to joining UIC, Dr. He served as a Project Manager and Senior Consultant at Siemens headquarters in Germany and Siemens US for four years.
With over 20 years of academic and industrial experience in renewable energy integration, including wind and solar, Dr. He serves as the Principal Investigator on multiple major DOE-funded projects. She received the “Distinguished Senior R&D Award” from the IEEE Chicago Section and the “Outstanding Engineer Award” from the IEEE PES Chicago Chapter, both in 2022. She also received the “Best Paper Award” at the IEEE PES General Meetings in 2024 and 2016. In addition, Dr. He serves as the TCPC and Vice-Chair of the IEEE PES Distribution System Operation, Planning, and Economics (DSOPE) Subcommittee. She is also the Founding Chair of the Taskforce on “Control and Operation of DERs” and a Regional Representative on the IEEE PES Women in Power Committee.
Dr. He is an Associate Editor of several leading journals, including the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, the IEEE Power Engineering Letters, the IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics, and the International Journal of Sustainable Computing: Informatics and Systems. She holds two patents on power electronics-based self shunt excitation systems. Dr. He’s research interests include modeling, control, protection, and operation of power electronics-based power systems, renewable energy
integration, HVDC control and operation, and wide-area protection and cybersecurity. She is a Senior Member of IEEE.