Blog 9 - Educational activities: Power System Analysis module
Grazia, 31 March 2024
In the past semester, I had the privilege to teach new module to Engineering Students at King's College London. The module title is 'Power System Analysis' and the module is offered to third year BEng and MEng students enrolled in the General Engineering and Electronics Engineering programmes.
PSA is based on classic tests and theories of power system analysis, and it gains a fresh perspective by addressing aspects of grid modernisation. It is becoming more apparent that the legacy electrical grid is a fundamental infrastructure to support our effort to transition to Net Zero for decades to come. Therefore, the next generations of engineers need to know how this infrastructure works, the impact of integration of new technologies, as well as the opportunities offered by the latest generation of devices to revolutionise the energy systems of the future.
After learning fundamental concepts of line parameters, line modelling, and per unit systems, the module covered extensively one of the key studies of power system analysis, i.e., the power flow study. Finally, students learned the fundamentals of power electronics and HVDCs. The theoretical studies were demonstrated via computer simulations, and students had the opportunity to practice the simulation and modelling of a simple power system, and studying the impact of a wind farm on voltage profiles and power supply to local loads.
Example of a slide shown to illustrate the concept of power flow.
The module was influenced by the research activities carried out at SPRINT, and by my industrial practice. Therefore, I introduced some concepts related to power quality, such as filter design for power converters, and many anedoctes and examples from my professional experience.
I enjoyed immensely the opportunity given to me to teach this very important topic, and the to share my experience and my passionafor power system modelling and analysis. I am also very grateful to students who showed so much engagement and intellectual curiosity and asked me many questions that challenged me, and gave me the opportunity to dive into topics that I was not planning to cover.
While preparing this module, I realised how much I owe to my former professors, colleagues and the many experienced professionals I met through my career. I hope that this module will contribute to maintaining the immense knowledge that has been developed in this topic and deliver it to the next generation of engineers.
Contact: grazia.todeschini@kcl.ac.uk