KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Georges Kaddoum
École de technologie supérieure, Université du Québec
Title: IIoT-Empowering Smart Grid Networks: Potential Solutions and Challenges
Abstract: Complicated by climate change, overpopulation and increasing industrialization, energy sector has been calling for revolutionary changes. Inefficient nature of fossil fuels, emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gases (GHGs) have stressed the need for incorporation of renewable resources. However, the newly proposed smart grid (SG) faces its own challenges, such as need for effective fault diagnostics, power output reliability and compatibility with electrical vehicles. Therefore, the key role of communication technologies to play in this new grid cannot be overstated. It will allow bidirectional flow of information between different parts of SG and the customer to facilitate distributed control and monitoring of various SG environments. Furthermore, with the advent of industrial internet of things (IIoT), a large number of low-power low-rate sensors are going to be deployed in a bandwidth-limited wide range system, which requires new communication techniques and strategies to serve their requirements and quality-of-service (QoS) and also handle the possibility of node failures and self-correction once a fault occurs. In this presentation we will introduce the SG communication environment and related communication systems, challenges, potential solutions, and future research directions.
CV: Georges Kaddoum is a Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair with the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Université du Québec, Montréal, Canada. In 2014, he was awarded the ÉTS Research Chair in physical-layer security for wireless networks. Prof Kaddoun has published over 300+ journals, conference papers, two chapters in books, and has eight pending patents. His recent research activities cover wireless communication networks, tactical communications, resource allocations, security. Dr. Kaddoum received the Best Papers Awards at the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Wireless and Mobile Computing, Networking, Communications (WIMOB), with three coauthors, and at the 2017 IEEE International Symposium on Personal Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC), with four coauthors. Moreover, he received IEEE Transactions on Communications Exemplary Reviewer Award for the year 2015, 2017, 2019. In addition, he received the research excellence award of the Université du Québec in the year 2018. In the year 2019, he received the research excellence award from ÉTS in recognition of his outstanding research outcomes. Prof. Kaddoum is currently serving as an area editor for the IEEE Transactions on Machine Learning in Communications and Networking and an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, IEEE Transactions on Communications, and IEEE Communications Letters.
Hrvoje Pandžić
University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing
Title: Do we need distribution-level markets?
Abstract: Fast penetration of renewable energy sources and introduction of the distributed paradigm are some of the recent key trends in the power system structure. Hence, the distribution network faces challenges such as voltage deviation and bidirectional power flows. Although there are already existing market mechanisms to deal with network problems, they are primarily focused on the transmission level. Some argue that new circumstances require adequate new distribution-level markets, whereas others claim that such markets would be difficult to integrate into the existing structure and that they might cause more problems than they would solve. This talk discusses and elaborates on the necessity of the distribution-level markets.
CV: Hrvoje Pandžić received his PhD from the University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (UNIZG-FER) in 2011. After graduation, he was a Post-doctoral Researcher at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2012-2014. Currently, he is a Professor and the Head of the Department of Energy and Power Systems at UNIZG-FER. He is also the Head of the Demand Response Laboratory at UNIZG-FER and the Principle Investigator in a number of international and national research projects. He published over 50 papers in Q1 journals by the JCR rankings. He received many awards for his work, such as the award Science by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, 2018, Award for the highest scientific and artistic achievements in Croatia by the Croatian Academy of Science and Arts, 2018, Award Vera Johanides by the Croatian Academy of Engineering, 2015. He is an Associate Member of the Croatian Academy of Science and Arts and an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Power Systems.