Recently, the National Natural Science Foundation of China issued an approval notice, granting Professor Sun Hongbin of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA) as the leader of the innovative research group project “Safety Analysis and Intelligent Control of New Type Power Systems”.

This innovative research group consists of members including Professor Sun Hongbin, Professor Kang Chongqing, Professor Wu Wenchuan, Professor Xie Xiaorong, Professor Guo Qinglai, and Professor Chen Qixin. Among them, there are 3 IEEE Fellows, 6 IET Fellows, 3 CSEE Fellows, and 10 individuals with national-level talent titles.

Over the past two decades, the group has engaged in continuous collaboration, focusing on national major demands and international disciplinary frontiers. With sustained support from the National Natural Science Foundation (including 4 National Excellent Youth Foundation projects, 2 Outstanding Youth Foundation projects, 10 Key Projects, and 4 International Cooperative Key Projects, 17 General and Youth Projects, and 5 Overseas and Hong Kong/Macau Scholar Cooperative Projects), as well as national 973, 863, and key R&D programs, the group has carried out fundamental research and ongoing innovation at the interdisciplinary level. They have achieved representative innovative results in four research areas: voltage control, stability control, optimization scheduling, and energy management systems. This has earned them 1 First Prize for National Science and Technology Progress, 2 Second Prizes for Technology Invention, 1 Second Prize for Technology Progress, and 28 provincial and ministerial level first prizes. They have been selected twice among the top ten scientific advances in Chinese universities and have made significant contributions to ensuring the safe and efficient operation of China’s massive complex power grid and supporting the country’s green and low-carbon energy transformation.

As the dual carbon goals advance, new type power systems have become a major national strategy. With the continuous increase in the proportion of renewable energy sources, the characteristics and mechanisms of power systems will undergo a transformation from quantitative to qualitative. The future direction for the group is “Safety Analysis and Intelligent Control of New Power Systems”. For these new power systems, they will adopt a research approach that combines model-driven and data-driven methods. They will further elucidate the stability characteristics and analysis methods in low-inertia dynamic systems intertwined with high-frequency power electronic switch transitions. They aim to construct an interpretable and robust artificial intelligence scheduling theory, promoting the evolution of the operation of new power systems from “automation” to “intelligentization”. This will ensure the safe and efficient operation of new power systems, providing strong support for China’s green and low-carbon energy transformation and carbon neutrality goals.

The Innovative Research Group Project of China’s National Natural Science Foundation was established in 2000 to support outstanding young and middle-aged scientists in becoming academic leaders and core researchers. They collaborate on innovative research in an important research direction, aiming to cultivate and nurture research groups that hold a prominent position at the forefront of international science. The National Innovative Group Project holds a crucial position within the National Natural Science Foundation’s projects and reflects the overall strength of research teams in their respective fields.