Newcastle University

On Friday the 17th of August, the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering hosted a visit from distinguished Professor James Kirtley from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Professor Kirtley is a world leading specialist in electrical machinery and electrical power systems and was elected to the United States National Academy of Engineering in 2007.  He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and served as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transaction on Energy Conversion from 1998 to 2006.  He continues to serve as Editor for the journal and as member of the Editorial Board of Electrical power Components and Systems.

During his visit, Professor Kirtley delivered a lecture on the “Future of the Electric Power Grid”.  Although the main focus of the lecture was on the U.S. electric grid, his analysis was also applicable to the U.K. and Europe.  Electricity grids in the developed world are reliable and well-established, but starting to age.  The future of the electricity grid is a hot topic as governments consider more diverse range of energy sources, including renewable and distributed generation.

Published: 28th August 2012