The course focuses on modern numerical methods for the analysis of fields with applications in electrical engineering.

The course provides an overview of planning and operating power systems. In particular, the course covers the planning process and the network procedure for effective grid operation, both in healthy working conditions and after a contingency. The goal is to provide a clear understanding of procedures devoted to fostering an efficient design, operation, and protection of power systems and, simultaneously, the security and quality of service. In addition, an overview of the power networks' expected evolution through the deployment of ICT infrastructures, loads and distributed generations flexibility, sector coupling, electric vehicles etc. will be explored.

The course aims to develop students' capabilities in understanding the power grid planning and operation main issues, discussing technical and scientific topics on power grid-related problems, reading and understanding specialistic documents related to grid planning and operation, and roughly identifying issues and solutions. Furthermore, the students will be able to identify necessary data and elaborate them to obtain results using Python programming language and to discuss critically results, providing directions to the solution and obtaining sensitivities on the parameters. Assessment of the proposed solutions will also be a part of the knowledge provided by the course.

The contents of the course will be delivered through lectures and tutorials. Moreover, some seminars delivered by industry experts will be organized to present real-life applications of power systems planning and operations. At the end of the course, a technical visit will be arranged to a real primary substation and either to a smart grid lab or to a distribution network control room located in Milan.

The exam consists of an oral test on the contents covered during lectures, tutorials, and seminars.

  • Power Generation, Operation, and Control, 3rd Edition. Allen J. Wood, Bruce F. Wollenberg, Gerald B. Sheblé, Wiley 2013 (3rd edition)
  • H.L. Willis, Power Distribution Planning Reference Book, 2nd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2004.
  • R. E. Brown, Electric Power Distribution Reliability, 2nd ed. New York: CRC Press, 2009.
  • T. Gönen, Electric Power Distribution Engineering, 3rd ed. New York: CRC Press, 2014.
  • J. D. Glover, T. J. Overbye, M. S. Sarma, Power System Analysis & Design, 6st ed. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2017.

Smart grids and microgrids are emerging as the latest trending aspect in power industries. The smart grid integrates the technology dealing with Information and Communication in almost all parts of power systems starting from electricity generation to consumption, to improve the reliability of energy consumption and service, minimize the environmental impact, enable active participation of the consumers, new products and markets, improves the efficiency leading to more safe and reliable energy production and distribution.

The course will therefore investigate the primary systems and technologies related to the evolution of distribution networks towards smart grids, such as SCADA, smart metering, quality of service, IEC protocols, with a deep focus on power quality-related issues and challenges to be met to avail the benefits of this emerging technology, such as harmonics in voltages and currents, long and short interruptions, unbalance and voltage variations. Particular attention is paid to medium and low voltage systems, which, as known, are characterized by a significant number of such issues.