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Keynote Speakers

Thursday, 30th of June

Prof. Dr. Eng. Braham Ferreira, President of IEEE PELS

"Emerging Technologies for Renewable Energy Conversion"

Abstract - With a few exceptions all the power coming from renewable energy sources needs to be converted by power electronics and electromechanical generators to electricity, usually 50 or 60 Hz ac. Renewable energy generation is evolving at rapid pace, for example the price of PV panels has dropped significantly and the economics of scale favour larger wind turbines. Conversion technology needs to keep up and new principles of renewable energy conversion may open up new opportunities. In the presentation three emerging technologies will be discussed:

- Wind turbine generator concepts with simplified mechanics; direct drive concentrated winding designs, flexible wind turbine designs and brushless DFIG.

- Electrostatic actuators for wind and wave energy generation.

- Application of GaN devices in PV converters and PV-cell integrated converters.

Prof. Dr. Deepak Divan, Center for Distributed Energy, Georgia Tech, Atlanta

"Entrepreneurship and its Role in Creating a New Energy Infrastructure"

Abstract - Plummeting price of renewable energy and storage, availability of distributed smart inverters, rapid growth of electric vehicles and LED lighting, and visibility/intelligence provided by smart grid elements - these are major disruptive forces that will change the energy infrastructure as we know it. Will the established industries with deep investments and a vested interest in maintaining the status quo drive this change? Or will it be entrepreneurial start-ups that disrupt the industry? How do budding entrepreneurs decide on moving forward? What are the major steps along the way to success? This presentation will explore the role that entrepreneurs can play in driving this transition, and will highlight some of the key learnings they may have to pay attention to.


Wednesday, 29th of June

Prof. Dr. James Tansey, Sauder School of Business, UBC, Vancouver

"Campus as a Living Lab: Sustainability and Innovation"

Abstract - As a campus university and a leading global research institution, UBC has developed a platform that translates laboratory research and demonstration projects into practice. The UBC Living Lab project seeks opportunities to develop research projects based on the infrastructure of a campus that encompasses 14 million square feet of buildings. The campus also manages its own water and utility services, creating opportunities to test a range of clean technologies at the building and neighbourhood level.


Dr. Francis O'Sullivan, Director of Research and Analysis, MIT Energy Initiative

"The rise of solar and how it is changing the power sector"

Francis O'Sullivan

Abstract - This presentation will examine the salient dynamics that are reshaping the contemporary power sector. The talk will open with an initial framing that discusses the major trends that are impacting today's power markets, paying particular attention to the recent rapid expansion in solar generation additions. The factors driving this contemporaneous rise in solar power will be reviewed, and current and future solar economics will be discussed. Following this, the presentation will turn to the broader issue of distributed energy resource (DER) adoption, and the opportunities and challenges that the integration of greater levels of DER on the grid will yield. The presentation will close with some reflections on the business model innovations that are altering how consumers consider their energy services, and on the resulting challenges for traditional utilities and the continuing efficient operation of the grid.


Tuesday, 28th of June

Dr. Seiki Igarashi, Senior Manager for Device Application Technology Department Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., Japan.
"Future Trend of Power Semiconductor Devices"

Seiki Igarashi Abstract - The growing population and economy of this planet require us to build up a sustainable society system. In electric power equipment for the industrial applications and automotive applications, more energy-saving and more resource-saving, efficient systems must be developed. Power semiconductor devices are the key to develop more efficient electric power equipment. In Si IGBT, the state-of-the-art technology are the 7th generation (7G) standard IGBT, 1G RC-IGBT, and 2G RB-IGBT. The era of SiC devices is also starting soon. These new devices increase the output power density per weight or per volume, reduce the consumption of natural resources, and increase the efficiency of electric power conversion systems. The impacts of SiC devices are especially dramatic.


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