On the morning of January 8, 2019, the 2018 National Science and Technology Award Conference was solemnly held in Beijing. Tsinghua University has won the 2018 National Science and Technology Award in 2018 for 24 outstanding scientific and technological achievements.

The Department of Electrical Engineering & Applied Electronic Technology (EEA) of Tsinghua University (THU) has made gratifying achievements at this award conference. Its total number and level of awards have reached a record high. Among them, The project Key Technologies, System Development and Engineering Application of Self-discipline-Collaborative Automatic Voltage Control for Complex Power Grids" led by Prof. Sun Hongbin of the EEA THU (as the first completing unit) was awarded the first prize of National Science and Technology Progress; and the project Basic Theory, Key Technologies and Engineering Application of Power System Grounding led by Prof. He Jinliang of the EEA, THU (as the first completing unit), and the project Key Technologies and Applications of Active Defense against Cascading Faults in AC and DC Power Systems led by Prof. Mei Shengwei, EEA, Tsinghua University (as the second completing unit), were awarded the second prize of National Science and Technology Progress.

The project: Key Technologies, System Development and Engineering Application of Self-Discipline-Cooperative Automatic Voltage Control for Complex Power Grids

Major Completors: Sun Hongbin, Guo Qinglai, Zhang Boming, Wu Wenchuan, Xu Tao, Liu Yingshang, Wang Bin, Huanghua, Yao Jianguo, Li Haifeng, Tang Lei, Zhang Minghua, Wang Yiyu, Hu Rong and Dai Zemei

The main completion units are Tsinghua University, State Grid Corporation of China, China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd., Nanrui Group Co., Ltd., China Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd., Beijing King Star High-Tech System Control Co., Ltd., Inner Mongolia Electric Power (Group) Co., Ltd.

After more than 20 years of continuous research and joint work by production, teaching and research, the project puts forward the theory of master-slave splitting of complex power grids, constructs the "self-discipline and coordination" complex power grid AVC technology system, and develops the world's first complex power grid AVC system, which is widely used in China's power grid. The closed-loop of the AVC system can control 81% of water/thermal power, 88% of over 220 kV substations and 55% of centralized grid-connected fans/photovoltaics in China. And it has produces great economic and social benefits with its export to the PJM, the largest power grid in the United States. The project has realized the leap of modern grid voltage control from manual to automatic, and from off-line to on-line, and has been selected as the top ten scientific and technological advances in Chinese universities in 2016.

The project: Basic Theory, Key Technologies and Engineering Application of Power System Grounding

Major Completors: He Jinliang, Zeng Rong, Zhang Bo, Wang Sen, Liu Jian, Hu Jun, Li Zhizhong, Guo Jian, Li Qian and Du Shuchun

Main completion units: Tsinghua University, State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Company, China Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd., Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd., Electrical Planning and Design Institute, Hainan Zhonghai Electric Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Sichuan Sunlight Intelligent Electric Equipment Co., Ltd.

The project belongs to the field of electrical engineering. It reveals the mechanism of soil discharge under lightning strike, puts forward the calculation method of grounding system parameters in complex soil, pioneers the technology of grounding resistance reduction by blasting in rock and soil area, and invents the diagnostic technology of grounding system. It releases 50 SCI papers and 7 monographs, wins 28 invention patents, 14 software copyright, and 9 individual domestic and overseas honor awards. Its results have been applied to the grounding design, resistance reduction and detection of more than 1700 electric power projects in China, as well as the lightning protection grounding projects in Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Olympic venues and more than 20 countries. 21 international, national and industrial standards have been widely applied at home and abroad, with huge economic and social benefits.

The project: Key Technology and Application of Active Defense against Cascading Faults in AC/DC Power System

Major Perfectors: Mei Shengwei, An Jun, Zhang Zhenan, Yu Xiaopeng, Zhang Xuemin, Huang Shaowei, Xu Dechao, Zhang Baohui, Rao Yufei and Wei Wei

Main completion units: State Grid Henan Electric Power Company, Tsinghua University, China Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd., State Grid Shanghai Electric Power Company, Xi'an Jiaotong University, State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company

The project belongs to the field of electrical engineering. Many innovative achievements and key technical breakthroughs have been made in the overall modeling, active prevention and active interruption of cascading failures in AC and DC power systems: (1) Establishing the integrated dynamic modeling and analysis technology of "micro-macro" collaborative cascading falts in AC and DC power systems; (2) Establishing the technology of fast identification of dangerous fault paths and active risk prevention of cascading faults in AC and DC power systems; (3) Apply the R&D achievements of on-line active interruption for cascading faults in AC and DC power systems to 5 UHV/UHVDC power systems in Henan, Shanghai, Sichuan, Guangdong and Xinjiang, as well as more than 20 provincial and municipal power companies and many power projects. The project has 43 authorized invention patents, 3 monographs and 211 SCI/EI papers. In the past three years, it has increased sales by about 1 billion yuan, with remarkable social and economic benefits.