[]FAMU-FSU College of Engineering & IEEE Tallahassee Section, PES Chapter, LMAG Joint Technical Seminar
Title: Impact of New Technologies on Power System Planning
Speaker: Dr. Visvakumar Aravinthan, Professor and Ward-Jewell Energy Faculty Fellow, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Wichita State University
Date: Friday, June 6, 2025, 15:00 – 16:00
Location: CAPS Seminar Room 120 (2000 Levy Avenue, Building A, Tallahassee, FL 32310)
Abstract
Recent advancements in energy technologies, AI-powered data centers, and machine learning-driven decision-making are reshaping the landscape of electric power grids, presenting both new opportunities and significant challenges. For example, a utility in Midwest US, has a peak load of 1000MW is expecting nearly 3500MW load from AI based data centers within the next 3 years. Out of the many challenges one of the areas that are less investigated but seeing significant impact is resource inadequacy and transmission planning. Key concerns include long-term planning impacted by unobservable and non-dispatchable generation, the rise of hybrid behind-the-meter generation, and the substantial energy demands of AI-based data centers, which can impact system reliability and alter transmission line utilization.
To navigate these complexities, electric utilities must explore innovative solutions beyond conventional approaches. This talk presents findings from industry-university collaborative research, with a focus on transmission planning. Specifically, it will address three critical issues: (i) challenges in accurately determining the effective value of renewable generation; (ii) the impact of emerging grid-edge resources on transmission infrastructure and strategies to prevent unplanned line degradation; and (iii) the role of line resistance estimation in supporting system operations and reliability. This work is driven by the issues observed by mid-west electric utilities.
The discussion will conclude by highlighting a key research challenge in future transmission planning aimed at enhancing reliability quantification to ensure a resilient and adaptive power grid.
Speaker(s): Dr. Visvakumar Aravinthan ,
Room: 120, Bldg: BLDG. A, 2000 Levy Ave., Tallahassee, Florida, United States, 32310
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