Dr. Denis Faubert

Director IREQ, Institut de Recherche d’Hydro-Québec

PLENARY PRESENTATION

Presentation Title: Energy Sustainability - A Hydro-Quebec Perspective

Presentation Abstract:

Our civilisation is facing a double grand challenge: energy sustainability and the protection of the environment.  Taken together, they imply significant societal changes with a profound impact on the way we live.  The repercussions on electrical energy production are just as important.  This paper discusses how Hydro-Quebec, a major utility, adresses the situation.

            We will first review the situation of electricity production throughout the world.  After briefly describing the company, we will explain how innovation is part of the Hydro-Quebec Strategic Plan.  We will give a bit of information about the Hydro-Quebec Research Institute that is at the heart of the company’s innovation system.  We will discuss a number of research projects relating to energy sustainability that are underway.  We will finish by talking about a number of challenges and opportunities that are presenting themselves in the pursuit of our work.  We conclude by saying that there are great opportunities for Canada with the current situation.  By capitalizing on our resources and know-how and by integrating our efforts together, Canada can go a long way toward building a bright future for itself and the rest of the world.

Bio: As General Manager of Hydro-Québec’s research institute since January 2007, Dr. Denis Faubert is very familiar with the challenges related to managing R&D and technological innovation activities. Throughout his career, Dr. Faubert has worked in the scientific community, first as a researcher and later in R&D management. Prior to joining Hydro-Québec’s research institute, he was Director General of R&D Programs for Defence Canada, reporting directly to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Science & Technology within the Department of National Defence. He holds a doctorate in laser physics and has been recognized for his leadership and managerial skills. A well-known figure in R&D and technological innovation circles, Dr. Faubert shares his extensive expertise by sitting on many international boards and committees, including the Board of the International Electric Research Exchange, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Committee on Research Partnerships, and other bodies.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Zoltan Cendes

Chief Technology Officer and General Manager of Ansoft, LLC

Keynote Address

Presentation Title: Technology Innovation for Sustainable/Renewal Energy – A Simulation Driven Approach

Presentation Abstract:

The drive towards sustainable/renewable energy is built on innovation – solar power, wind power, fuel cells, energy storage systems, higher efficiency electric generators, electric vehicles and a host of other power and energy alternatives gain greater acceptance as reliability and efficiency are improved and costs are reduced. For these reasons, new ideas and recent advances in existing designs fuel an expanding industry. We are experiencing changes in power generation, delivery and use unprecedented since the time of Tesla, Westinghouse and Steinmetz 100 years ago.

Fortunately, the last 100 years have witnessed the transition from paper and pencil design and cut and try engineering methods to computer simulations and virtual prototyping. We are now able to design and build new energy systems in the computer, simulate them, optimize them, and make sure they work before expensive hardware is fabricated. Just as important, computer simulations provide understanding – how does the efficiency of a wind turbine-generator increase with variable step power conversion, how can an electric car get higher performance by optimizing the start-up stroke angle, how does wind flow affect resonances that can decrease the life of power systems – these and many other questions are answered easily in the computer but are very difficult to obtain experimentally.

This talk presents a range of simulation examples from the new, innovative power and energy industry. We present the optimization of a wind power generation system, from simulating the kinetic energy derived from the wind to the electrical energy produced by the generator, from the heat generated from losses in the generator laminations to the heat produced due to harmonics in DC-AC power conversion, and from the effects of wind gusts on reliability of wind turbine blades to the effects of power surges on grid reliability. For traditional electric generators, we present how advances in simulation techniques are used to gain a greater understanding of the total losses experienced by the electric machine and how how these losses correspond to a rise in temperature and corresponding theremal stress as well as direct mechanical stress.  For hybrid electric vehicles, we show how multiphysics simulations can increase reliablity and performace and model the energy stored in a battery during a drive cycle. Obtaining a fundamental understanding the underlying physics-based issues is critical in obtaining the optimal design.

Bio: Dr. Zoltan Cendes is the Chief Technology Officer and General Manager of Ansoft, LLC, a subsidiary of ANSYS, Inc. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of ANSYS, Inc.  From 1996 to 2008, Dr. Cendes served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer at Ansoft Corporation, which he founded in 1984. He has made significant contributions in the area of finite element modeling of electromagnetic devices. In particular, he solved the problem of spurious modes that prior to his work had made the application of finite element methods in electrical engineering impractical. He, along with his coworkers, developed new types of finite elements called edge elements that eliminate the problem of spurious modes. He also introduced the Delaunay mesh generation algorithm and adaptive mesh refinement procedures to finite element analysis and the transfinite element method and model order reduction procedures to high frequency electromagnetics. In 1980, he was appointed associate professor of electrical engineering at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. In 1982, he joined the faculty of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, where he was a professor until 1996. Cendes received his MS and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from McGill University. A fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Dr. Cendes received the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (IEEE AP-S) Distinguished Achievement Award in 2008. In addition, he has served on the editorial board of IEEE Spectrum, on the International Steering Committee of the COMPUMAG Conference, and as an IEEE AP-S Distinguished Lecturer.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. John G Caron

Vice President for ABB Service in Canada

Keynote Address

Presentation Title: ABB's Innovative Solutions are Helping Customers to Use Electrical Power Effectively and to Increase Industrial Productivity in a Sustainable Way.

Presentation Abstract: During his presentation, Mr. Caron will talk about how ABB's innovative solutions are helping customers to use electrical power effectively and to increase industrial productivity in a sustainable way. He will focus on several  breakthroughs, including HVDC Light technology, technologies for ultrahigh-voltage transmission at 800 kV DC and 1,000 kV AC, FACTS and Smart Grid. He will also describe ABB's renewable energy solutions including wind, hydrogen, hydro and solar power technologies.

Bio: John G Caron is Vice President of Service at ABB Inc. in Canada. John has a Master's degree in Project Management from the University of Quebec and an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Sherbrooke, Quebec.

John has worked in the manufacturing and process industry for over 22 years.  For the past 14 years, he has built service operations designed around solving customers’ issues.    He joined ABB in 2000 and works closely with all divisions (Power Products, Power Systems, Process Automation, Automation Products and Robotics) to provide best in class service.  His stewardship has rapidly made the Canadian service team a top business performer within the ABB global service network.  

In John Caron’s current role, he works with  utility and process industry customers to increase their asset reliability to realize energy conservation gains as well as reducing the total cost of ownership.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Jean Bélanger

Co-Founder, CEO and CTO of OPAL-RT Technologies

Keynote Address

Presentation Title: The Use of Model-Based Design Method and Real-Time Simulation for Power Electronic System Design and Test: Renewable Energy Applications

Presentation Abstract: Mr. Belanger will discuss how power system simulators evolve to follow the evolution of power systems, which are taking full advantage of power electronic systems using conventional thyristors and very fast IGBT switches.
He will explain how standard PCs can now be used to replace multi-million dollar analog simulators to test the most advanced and fast power electronic systems proposed by innovative manufacturers for renewable energy systems, hybrid vehicles, electrical aircrafts and all-electric ships. He will also present examples of real-time simulation of large wind farms, multi-terminal HVDC systems and STATCOM with hundreds of IGBT switches.
He will conclude by challenging University faculties in enhancing the teaching of modern power systems.

Bio: Jean Bélanger is the co-founder, CEO and CTO of OPAL-RT Technologies. Founded in 1997, OPAL-RT Technologies develops and commercializes digital real-time simulators for the design of systems and the testing of electronic controllers.

Jean Bélanger received his Electrical Engineering degree in 1971 in Laval University, in Quebec City, and his Master degree from the École Polytechnique de Montreal.

Under his direction and technological leadership, OPAL-RT became a well known developer of state-of-the-art real-time simulators capable to simulate all sorts of mechanical and electrical systems, including the fastest power electronic converters used in a wide range of industries - from hybrid vehicles to entirely electrical-driven aircrafts, and from micro-grids to very large AC/DC power systems.

Jean Bélanger began his career at Hydro-Quebec’s System Planning Division and in IREQ.  His contribution allows the insulation and co-ordination of equipments and the installation of lines on the 765-kV James Bay transmission system, as well as the installation of static var compensators and series capacitor. He also contributed to the design and construction of Hydro-Quebec real-time simulators.

Today, Jean Bélanger foresees that high-end real-time simulators will soon be available to all engineers, scientists and students by taking full advantage of off-the-self PCs. This is the main challenge that Jean Bélanger and the OPAL-RT team took as their primary goal.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. John Douglas

Founder, President and CEO of Riverbank Power Corp

Keynote Address

Presentation Title: TBA

Presentation Abstract: TBA

Bio: Mr. Douglas is the founder, President and CEO of Riverbank Power Corp. He is also the CEO and founder of Douglas Capital Inc. where he is responsible for the principal investing activity at the firm.  He earned his Bachelors Degree in Economics at the University of Waterloo in 1985. Until recently, Mr. Douglas served as the President and CEO of Ventus Energy Inc. a company which he co-founded in 2004 to develop wind farms in Canada. In 2007, Ventus was acquired by Suez Energy for $140 million, and Mr. Douglas was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of wind development for Suez Renewable Energy North America. Mr. Douglas has now left the wind industry to pursue new investment opportunities. Prior to founding Douglas Capital Inc. in 2002, Mr. Douglas was Co-Head of Investment Banking, Senior Vice President and Director at Canaccord Capital in Toronto. Prior to his time at Canaccord, John was a Senior Vice President and Director in the Investment Banking group at Sprott Securities Inc. (now Cormark Securities Inc.), Canada's leading small-to-mid capitalization investment bank. Mr. Douglas joined Sprott in 1996 and participated in the employee buy-out of the majority ownership position from its founder Eric Sprott in 2000. While at Sprott, he served as a member of Sprott's Steering and Risk Committees. Before coming to Sprott, Mr. Douglas worked as a manager in the Corporate Finance Group at Price Waterhouse in Toronto. For almost three years, he managed valuation assignments, acquisition and sale mandates, private placements, restructurings and due diligence for national and international clients.  His first foray into the banking industry came when he took a job upon graduation with Ernst & Young in Toronto. During this time, he managed audit and advisory services for some of the firm’s largest Canadian clients. Mr. Douglas a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator.