IEEE PES Meeting – HVDC design, The Power Networks of the Future
The Panhandle Section of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
The Power & Energy Society
Presents
Topic: “HVDC Design – The Power Networks of the Future”
Speaker: Neil Kirby, Business Development Manager, Alstom Company, Philadelphia, PA
When: Wednesday, December 03, 2014
11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Where: Amarillo Club Sunburst room, 30th floor Chase Tower
600 South Tyler St
Amarillo, TX 79101
Attire: Business Casual
Cost: $15.00 per person
payable to IEEE Panhandle Section at the door
Meal: Buffet Style Lunch
RSVP: Please make reservations by COB on Tuesday, December 2nd with Mohsen Ghavami at (806) 378-2787 or by e-mail at “mohsen.ghavami@xcelenergy.com”.
No IEEE membership is required for this meeting. For more information on the Panhandle Section of IEEE refer to the section’s website at www.ewh.ieee.org/r5/panhandle
Neil Bio
Neil Kirby obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering & Computing Science at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in England. He joined Alstom in 1982, which at that time was GEC Rectifiers in Stafford, England. After a period of working in, and then managing, the test department he went on to work on the design of HVDC projects, in the areas of control hardware and software, system design, and overall project engineering. This has included extensive periods of site work and commissioning tests on HVDC projects in Canada, India, and South Korea. In 2003 he moved to the USA where he is presently Business Development Manager for the HVDC business in North America. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, a member of IEC, ANSI and CIGRE, and is an active participant in several working groups in these organizations. Neil is based in Philadelphia with his family, and holds no hope of retirement any time soon with 2 girls currently at university.
About the Presentation
Since the days when Edison and Tesla competed for supremacy in the supply of electricity in the 1880’s there has been a constant evolution in the power networks around the world, with AC quickly taking the lead and a dominant role in the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy to the end user. HVDC has been applied in about 150 installations around the world for a variety of reasons, including long-distance transmission of hydro energy, interconnection of asynchronous networks, long-distance submarine crossings, etc., which by comparison with the extent of AC transmission systems is obviously a very small proportion. However, the recent introduction of VSC technology into the HVDC world is presenting network planners with a whole new toolkit for the creation of more efficient, intelligent and controllable power systems in the future. The presentation will give a history of the development of HVDC over the years, illustrate the systems being installed currently around the world, and provide some insights into the recent innovations and prospects for the future.
About Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world. It provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 92,700 people in 100 countries and had sales of €20.9 billion in 2010/11.
Alstom Grid has over 100 years of expertise in electrical grids. Whether for utilities or electro-intensive industries or facilitating the trading of energy, Alstom Grid brings power to its customers’ projects. Alstom Grid ranks among the top 3 in electrical transmission sector with an annual sales turnover of more than €4 billion. It has 20,000 employees and over 90 manufacturing and engineering sites worldwide. At the heart of the development of Smart Grid, Alstom Grid offers products, services and integrated energy management solutions across the full energy value chain—from power generation, through transmission and distribution grids and to the large end user.
In April 2014, General Electric made an offer to acquire the Power Generation and Transmission assets of Alstom, and after a period of negotiations this offer has been accepted by the Alstom Board, and the French Government in June 2014. The acquisition process is proceeding subject to the final approval of the Alstom shareholders in December 2014, and is expected to be complete by mid-2015.