Invited Speaker I

Prof. Ahmed Mohamed
Smart Grid Interdependencies Laboratory
City University of New York, City College, New York, USA

Ahmed Ali A. Mohamed is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering (EE) at the City College of the City University of New York (CUNY). He is the EE PhD Program Advisor, and the director of the CUNY Smart Grid Interdependencies Laboratory (http://smartgrid.ccny.cuny.edu). Prof. Mohamed has been leading research projects sponsored by private companies and government agencies, e.g. Con Edison, the National Science Foundation, and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. He consulted for various companies and organizations. His research interests include critical infrastructure interdependencies, smart grid resilience, microgrids, and transportation electrification. He has numerous publications in these fields as book chapters, and articles in premier journals and conference proceedings. Prof. Mohamed serves on the editorial board of several journals, including the IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, among several other honors and awards. Prof. Mohamed serves on the Board of Directors of Advanced Basics Research, a non-profit with a mission through large-scale.

Speech Title: Power Grid Decarbonization and Modernization: The New York City Case

The power grid is the most critical infrastructure serving any city; its inability or destruction causes debilitating societal and economic impacts. Power distribution grids around the globe are facing profound challenges including: (1) the imperative to decarbonize the grid by accommodating high penetration of renewable energy, in order to combat global warming; (2) the growing load demand due to electrification (e.g., of transportation and heating sectors); (3) the need for increased resiliency in the face of low-frequency high-impact events, such as hurricanes and cyber attacks; and (4) the need for trained workforce to cope with the emerging technologies. In this talk, these challenges along with some of the emerging advances and key solutions (e.g., energy storage, microgrids, and smart inverters) will be discussed. The talk will summarize lessons learned and key findings of multiple relevant projects that the presenters led, in collaboration with the utility company and other industry partners in NYC. In addition, research facilities and capabilities at the City University of New York relevant to the topic will be highlighted.