Agustin A. Irizarry-Rivera

A risk-based security index for determining operating limits in stability-limited electric power systems

This paper is motivated by a concern that dynamic security limits based on the most severe contingency and scenario often result in operating restrictions corresponding to low or no risk but very high costs. A new risk-based security index is presented which accounts for both probability and impact of instability and is useful in determining operating limits. The approach is illustrated for a stability-limited system in Arizona.

Sustainable Energy: Balancing the Economic, Environmental and Social Dimensions of Energy

Many of the problems the World faces are managed from a mostly technical or economical perspective, even though problems also have social and environmental dimensions and could be better managed with a more integrative, global perspective. A common trait of these global issues is their interdisciplinary nature, which makes them complex problems difficult to address from one particular discipline. Energy is an example of a global, interdisciplinary problem which is usually approached from a narrow technical or economical perspective. This paper will approach the energy dilemma from the broader perspective of sustainability, striving to achieve a balance among the economic, environmental and social dimensions of energy. Such a balance can benefit the energy policy process by providing a framework that account for many of the interests involved in developing future energy directions and policies.

Advancing a Sustainable Energy Ethics Through Stakeholder Engagement

The Worlds dependence on fossil fuels and the need to move to more beneficial energy alternatives pose daunting challenges to humanity. Historically, economic and political rationality has driven the exploration, development and management of natural resources in the search for stable energy supplies. The insistence on continuing the unsustainable consumption patterns of developed countries has jeopardized human rights, political stability, environmental quality and sustainable improvement for vulnerable communities. This single-minded pursuit of economic rationality pushes to the side a more beneficial, holistic sustainability framework that integrates environmental, ethical and social value with economic and practical considerations. This paper will focus on responding to the challenge of energy sustainability by advancing a new energy ethics founded on the bedrock of solid environmental, social and ethical principles. It will also expand this baseline by presenting a new vision of ethical and practical excellence in energy, a vision that will translate readily into new and implementable energy policies.

Intelligent power routers : a distributed coordination approach for electric energy processing networks

The Intelligent Power Router (IPR), a concept based on scalable coordination, is proposed to control the next generation power network. Our goal is to show that by distributing network intelligence and control functions using the IPR, we will be capable of achieving improved survivability, security, reliability, and reconfigurability. Each IPR has embedded intelligence into it allowing it to switch power lines, shed load, and receive/broadcast local state-variable information to and from other IPRs. The information exchange capability of the routers will provide coordination among themselves to reconfigure the network when subject to a natural or man-made disaster. In this paper, we report our progress on six different activities around the creation of the IPR: IPR architecture; Communication Protocols among IPR; distributed controls; risk assessment of a system operated with and without IPR; power system reconfiguration based on a controlled islanding scheme using IPR; and the definition of the power routing as an ancillary service, since the IPR may provide improved efficiency and security in the context of a realistic market structure, such as Standard Market Design with LMP pricing algorithm. Finally, we present our effort to link this new concept to an education plan that addresses the socio-technical nature of power systems and the education needs of the new workforce.

Curriculum improvements in power engineering

The Power Engineering Group at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) has implemented several strategies to improve its curriculum and meet new ABET accreditation criteria. Strategies include the revision of course contents, integration of laboratory practices to courses, and a more prominent role of undergraduate research and power electronics in the power engineering curriculum. Courses are being updated to include contemporary topics while keeping fundamental engineering principles. A recent grant by NSF will support on-going efforts to create laboratory practices that would connect the teaching of theoretical principles to actual implementations. Participation in the Center for Power Electronics Systems, a NSF Engineering Research Center, has given UPRM the opportunity to expand course offerings and undergraduate research in power engineering. An important outcome of this curriculum improvement is to motivate students to take an active role in the learning process.

Socially-Relevant Capstone Design Projects in Power Engineering

Senior design projects can be a way to bring the university closer to societal needs. This paper describes how the senior capstone design courses in power engineering developed at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagiiez (UPRM) strive to provide a service to society. These projects deal with societal needs, and are part of design courses that culminate the major design experience as specified by ABET. Teams of students identify a society-based problem, propose a design solution, perform measurements/simulations and present the final analysis and design to an industry or community partner. An important aspect of the projects is the inclusion of both technical and social constraints such as safety and environmental issues. These design experiences are an ideal way to understanding the new challenges in power systems planning, policy, analysis and design

Analysis of wind projects considering public perception and environmental impact

Nowadays, we arc confronting many different problems and limitations associated with conventional electricity generation. People are concerned about the pollution emitted by energy sources like coal, oil and natural gas. Wind power is one of the most rapidly growing technologies for renewable power generation, and is taking an important role as an accepted utility generation technology. It is important to consider the direct and indirect environmental impacts associated with wind energy. Some of them are related to the visual impact, noise, use of lands, electromagnetic interferences, the impact on birds and the impact of construction in terrestrial ecosystems. This paper focuses on the perception of the public about wind energy, and potential environmental impacts. The paper also presents an example of the analysis for a wind project in the island of Puerto Rico, considering impact on bird mortality.

Economical effects of the Weibull parameter estimation on wind energy projects

In this paper we analyze wind measurements using the Weibull probability density function (PDF). We estimate the shape factor (k) and the scale factor (c) of a Weibull PDF using maximum likelihood estimators (MLE) and the least squares estimation (LSE) method. We then compare the energy production results that would be obtained when using the parameters estimated with each method. An economical analysis is performed to show the effects of overestimating or underestimating energy production caused by an erroneous estimation of the Weibull PDF parameters. Finally a Monte Carlo simulation is performed to asses the economical risk that the shape and scale parameters represent to the outcome of the project.

The power of undergraduate research

Over the years, the power engineering program at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) has prepared engineers to deal successfully with industry challenges. An important strategy in a power engineering curriculum renovation has been to give a more prominent role to undergraduate research. A new Energy Systems Instrumentation Laboratory (ESIL) has been established at UPRM to support the integration of undergraduate research within the power curriculum. ESIL is both a physical space and a teaching philosophy. It occupies two laboratory spaces at the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department, and it is also an environment where students are active participants in the learning process. Undergraduate research projects at ESIL provide an opportunity for students to study in detail theoretical concepts presented in class, improve their understanding of engineering principles and applications, and explore the frontiers of knowledge in power engineering. The ESIL also fosters the integration of teaching and research and the development of new teaching methods for the improvement of undergraduate education. This is done by adapting the results from projects to courses in the form of demonstrations and laboratory practices. Research projects also provide measurable outcomes of student work that can be used to comply with new ABET accreditation criteria.

Integrative graduate program in sustainable electric energy systems

The College of Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM) created a novel electric energy Masters Program with APEC University (UNAPEC) in Santo Domingo structured using the sustainability philosophy. Initially a traditional graduate power systems program was proposed to fill this need. After mentoring and supervising many Dominican graduate students at UPRM, and using information obtained from meetings and visits to the Dominican Republic, the authors conducted a study of the current state of the countrys electric system. The main result is that the workforce challenge goes beyond traditional educational approaches, and a more holistic framework is needed in order to prepare Dominican engineers to face the socioeconomic challenges of the 21st Century. The program described in this paper addresses the Dominican energy problem from a technical perspective, but also considers and integrates social aspects of the problem. This constitutes a new paradigm in the professional development of power engineers in the Americas, by framing the program under the sustainability philosophy: a balance among the economic, social and environmental aspects of development.