Events

Title: The role of nuclear energy in Ontario’s clean economy

Abstract: As Ontario’s economy grows and shifts from fossil fuels to electric-powered systems in the transportation and industrial sectors, electricity demand will continue to increase over the next three decades. Nuclear power will be critical in supporting this growth while ensuring a reliable grid and maintaining Ontario’s clean energy advantage. Danielle LaCroix, Bruce Power’s Senior Director of Environment, Sustainability & Net Zero, will discuss the future of the nuclear industry in Ontario and Bruce Power’s approach to sustainability and Net Zero.

Bio: Danielle LaCroix is the senior director of Environment, Sustainability, and Net Zero at Bruce Power. She has worked in the environmental field for over 20 years and leads the company’s Environmental Protection and ESG program, including the Net Zero strategy.  Danielle provides strategic leadership on sustainability-related matters such as climate change, environmental stewardship, stakeholder issues, and interest management, and is responsible for directing the governance, coordination, communication, and management of sustainability-related issues for Bruce Power. 

Danielle is responsible for the development and implementation of strong governance to ensure environmental protection and drive sustainability in Bruce Power’s operations and in our partnerships, pursuing and supporting local projects that will help meet our environmental sustainability goals including mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon, protecting our watershed, biodiversity and wildlife habitat and maintaining important wildlife corridors. Using operational integration and focused consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders and environmental regulators, Danielle leads her team with professionalism and integrity to drive operational support to ensure consistent performance that exceeds regulations and industry best standards to protect the environment and secure our future.

Title:

Keep decarbonizing and carry on: what are the GB network stability challenges on our way to net zero?

Abstract:

The Great British electricity sector is rapidly evolving to meet net zero requirements. In 2023, Wind power contributed 29.4% of the UK’s total electricity generation, and a peak of 87.6% of the electricity was generated using carbon-free resources. The transition is not free from challenges, especially regarding stability.  The severity of these challenges was illustrated on the 9th of August in 2019 when areas of England suffered a blackout partially due to the incorrect setting of power electronics converters in an offshore wind farm. The presentation will explore some of the recent stability events in GB, the research involved in understanding them better, and the solutions that have been adopted.

Bio:

Agustí Egea-Alvarez is a Reader (Associate Professor) at the Electronic & Electrical Engineering department and a PEDEC (Power Electronics, Drives and Energy Conversion) group member. Also, he is the holder of a Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowship with ScottishPower. He obtained his BSc, MSc, and PhD from the Technical University of Catalonia in Barcelona in 2008, 2010, and 2014 respectively.  In 2015, he was a Marie Curie fellow at the China Electric Power Research Institute (CEPRI). In 2016 he joined Siemens Gamesa as a converter control engineer working on grid-forming controllers and alternative HVDC schemes for offshore wind farms. He is a member of IEEE, and IET and has been involved in several CIGRE working groups.

Register:

Zoom Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/s/4640082022?omn=87976595544#success

WISE Public Lecture

WISE Public Lecture

WISE is pleased to announce the public lecture by John Avdoulos. Join us for a discussion on building a clean, affordable, and reliable electricity system. With the decarbonization efforts and growth in economic development, increased electrification is forecasted to double in the next 20 years.  The problem has been defined as costing $500 billion in electricity infrastructure needs, but it can be accelerated through innovation and technology.  Data, AI, modeling, and distributed energy resources are key components to solving the problem. The Essex Power PowerShare DSO initiative is moving the industry forward to deploy technologies to enable DER’s at a faster pace. 

Patricia Romero-Lankao, a Professor from the University of Toronto will be giving the public lecture on Creating a Network for Equity in Energy Sustainability Transitions.

WISE is pleased to announce a hybrid WISE Public Lecture with Jean Roy, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Kruger Energy.

WISE is pleased to announce a hybrid WISE Public Lecture with Dr. Gen Li. Please join us in-person or on Zoom for a discussion on Europe’s Offshore wind energy sector. Europe is committed to an ambitious energy transition, aiming to become the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Offshore wind energy and HVDC technology are pivotal to achieving this goal. In this presentation, the state-of-the-art of HVDC and offshore wind in Europe will be presented. Specifically, the driving forces, electrical design, and technical challenges of building the Danish Offshore Energy Islands will be discussed.