ESE Fall Seminar #3, Sept. 16, 2024 - Pena Vergara: "Transmission Expansion..."

TOPIC: “Transmission Expansion with High Percentage of Renewables”
SPEAKER: Pablo Pena Vergara, Ph.D. Professor, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
ABSTRACT OUTLINE: 
~Uruguay's Context and Energy Transition
~ Paradigm Shift in Transmission Expansion Planning: Deterministic vs. Probabilistic Methods; Monte Carlo Approach; Use of clustering techniques to select representative cases; Promising Methods: Point Estimation, Holomorphic Load Flows, Neural Networks load flow estimation.
~ Squeezing the Grid: Planning criteria changes based on probabilistic load flow, Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) experience in Uruguay, Adoption of Ambient Adjusted Rating (AAR), Uprating transmission lines: Isolated Cross Arms / HTLS Conductor, Power Flow Control and Topology Optimization: future potential in Uruguay.

BIO: Pablo Pena Vergara is an Electrical Engineer from Universidad de la República, Uruguay, and holds a Master's degree in Renewable Energy Integration into the Electrical System from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain, awarded through a scholarship from Fundación Carolina and Iberdrola. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de la República, where he has been involved since 2008. Pablo teaches the postgraduate course "Impact of Distributed Generation on the Electrical System" and is a thesis advisor for undergraduate and master’s students in Electrical Engineering. He has also acted as the scientific lead for a research project on probabilistic load flow funded by the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII).
As the Deputy Manager of Transmission Studies at UTE, Uruguay's national utility company, Pablo leads the team responsible for the planning and design of the transmission system expansion. With 15 years of expertise in transmission and distribution, he has contributed to the renewable generation connection studies that have transformed Uruguay's energy landscape and spearheaded the paradigm shift in transmission expansion planning with a high percentage of renewables.