EPNES: Designing an Efficient and Secure Power System Using an Interdisciplinary Research and Education Approach

Howard University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The national need for improving the security of the electric power networks and efficiently has been articulated by several government policies including President Bush's energy policy that calls for the creation of a national energy grid, and the elimination of regulatory provisions that limit investment in transmission and curtail power generation. This requires a new dynamic architecture that can sustain vulnerabilities under different perturbations to the system while remaining stable, secure and cost-effective. The Center for Energy Systems and Controls at Howard University (CESaC) will develop a multidisciplinary perspective, to attain an integrated sustainable scalable and survivable power system in the context of a deregulated US market system. A multi-layered network inculcating system technology, financial network within the context of various market structures and environmental soundness will employ modem control and optimization techniques. It will also invoke risk assessment strategies in constructing, the architecture thereby generating and delivering power efficiently at minimum cost without sacrificing environmental and reliability standards. Proposed research and educational activities will increase the participation of under represented groups across disciplines as a workforce and intellectual leaders to address the complex secured networks of the future. A system simulator will be designed and developed to study various test beds based on the Navy challenge problem and civilian test bed system provided by utility companies that CESaC has worked with in the past. Results of the education pedagogy, including the assessment of the learning outcomes will be disseminated via cdrom, and distance learning information system technologies.