Title: Advances and Challenges for Smart Grid Communication Infrastructures   

Speaker: Prof. Yi Qian 

From: University of Nebraska-Lincoln      

Time: 9:30 a.m., July 2, 2014     

Place: Conference Room 502 at DSP Building  

Welcome!     

Sponsors:     

Science and Technology Department      

High Performance Network Laboratory   

Abstract: 

Smart grid is a term referring to the next generation power grid in which the electricity distribution and management is upgraded by incorporating advanced two-way digital technology and communication capabilities for improved control, efficiency, reliability and safety. Communication infrastructures are at the core of the smart grid as they will empower the legacy power grid with the capability of supporting two-way energy and information flow, isolating and restoring power outages more quickly, facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid and empowering the consumer with tools for optimizing their energy consumption. In this talk, we first present the background and motivation of communication infrastructures in smart grid systems. We then summarize major requirements that smart grid communications must meet, followed by the current technology advances. We further discuss the challenges for a communication infrastructure as the part of a complex smart grid system. Since a smart grid system might have over millions of consumers and devices, the demand of its scalability, reliability and security is extremely critical. Through a communication infrastructure, a smart grid can improve power reliability and quality to eliminate electricity blackout.  

Biography: 

Yi Qian received a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University. Currently he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer and Electronics Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). His research interests include information assurance and network security, network design, network modeling, simulation and performance analysis for next generation wireless networks, wireless ad-hoc and sensor networks, vehicular networks, broadband satellite networks, optical networks, high-speed networks and the Internet. Prior to joining UNL, he worked in the telecommunications industry, academia, and the U.S. government. Some of his previous professional positions include serving as a senior member of scientific staff and a technical advisor at Nortel Networks, a senior systems engineer and a technical advisor at several start-up companies, an Assistant Professor at University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, and a senior researcher at National Institute of Standards and Technology. He has a successful track record to lead research teams and to publish research results in leading scientific journals and conferences. Several of his recent journal articles on wireless network design and wireless network security are among the most accessed papers in the IEEE Digital Library. Dr. Yi Qian is a member of ACM and a senior member of IEEE. He is currently serving as the Chair of IEEE Communications and Information Security Technical Committee. He is also a Distinguish Lecturer of IEEE.