SPEED for increased renewable energy

Bio

Dr. Pulgar was born in Los Angeles, Chile. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Concepcion, Chile, in 2001 and 2003, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, in 2010. He held academic positions at the Federico Santa Maria Technical University, Chile, from 2001 to 2014. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA. He is one of the recepients of the NSF CAREER Award in 2021. He is a senior member of the IEEE, member of the Center for ultra-wide-area resilient electric energy transmission network (CURENT) and a Fulbright Fellow. His main research areas are power system dynamics, energy storage systems and renewable generation.

Research

The primary aim of the research efforts is to strengthen power system dynamics for improved stability and for superior system capability to allow for higher penetration levels of renewable energy.

Grants

NSF CAREER Award #2044629

Towards enhanced grid robustness: Augmenting grid regulating capabilities through discrete controls on emerging power technologies, PI: H. Pulgar, Awarded amount: $500,000, Duration: 5 years (March 2021 - February 2026)

NSF Award #2033910

Adaptive dynamic coordination of damping controllers through deep reinforcement and transfer learning, PI: H. Pulgar, Co-PI: F. Li, Awarded amount: $210,000, Duration: 2 years (Sep 2020 - August 2022)

NSF Award #1509114

Strengthening power system dynamic operation with the advent of increased renewable generation - Location and control of fast energy storage systems, PI: H. Pulgar, Co-PIs: K. Tomsovic and S. Djouadi, Awarded amount: $355,372, Duration: 4 years (August 2015 - July 2019)

Teaching and mentoring

Current PhD students

Sebastian Martinez

Francisco Zelaya

Former graduate students

Timothy Thacker, M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering, 2023

Horacio Silva, Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering, 2019

Yajun Wang, Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering, 2019

Paxton Wills, M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering, 2019

Michael Breuhl, M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering, 2018

Jonathan Devadason, M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering, 2018

Mentoring program for Hispanic students

Program built around the study of engineering experiments based on reflective practice models, dissemination of educational opportunities, and support for the pursuit of pre-college experiences.

Courses

ECE-202 Circuits II

ECE-325 Electric energy system comp.

ECE-421 Electric energy systems

ECE-422 Power system op. and planning

ECE-521 Power systems analysis I

ECE-692 Adv. pws. mod. and analysis