IEEE PES UK & Ireland e-Newsletter June/July 2025
Dear PES Member,
Welcome to your June/July 2025 e-Newsletter.
Upcoming Events
IEEE PES Webinar - "AI-Ready Data Centers and their impact on the electrical grid" by Prof. Edvina Uzunovic
We are delighted to invite the IEEE PES President-Elect 2025 candidate, Prof. Edvina Uzunovic from Worcester Polytechnic Institute to give an online technical talk, on "AI-Ready Data Centers and their impact on the electrical grid". The event date is TBD.
Abstract:
The electric power industry is a regulated and highly capital-intensive sector. To provide economically efficient energy services, utilities design grids that are just large enough to meet the needs of homes and businesses. However, the rapid expansion of AI-ready data centers—purposely built to support intensive artificial intelligence workloads—is driving a projected tenfold increase in electricity demand by the end of the decade. This presentation will examine the challenges posed by this unprecedented load growth and highlight how the industry is preparing to manage its impact, while continuing to deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy to power the global economy.
Keep tuned for more information of this upcoming webinar! Website LinkedIn
60th International Universities Power Engineering Conference (UPEC 2025): 2–5 September 2025,Brunel University of London
The 60th Universities' Power Engineering Conference (UPEC 2025), technically sponsored by IEEE PES UK&I Chapter, will take place at Brunel University of London, UK. Join us for insightful presentations, keynotes, and discussions on the latest developments in power engineering.We look forward to welcoming you at Brunel University of London!
Early Bird Registration Deadline: 18th July 2025
More info and programme: Here.
IEEE Power & Energy Society Future Energy Leaders’ Summit (PESFELS), 20–22 October 2025, California, United States
The inaugural IEEE Power & Energy Society Future Energy Leaders’ Summit will be held from 20 to 22 October 2025 in San Jose, California, USA. The summit is designed to equip future power and energy leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to drive change in the power and energy sector. Participants will engage in high-level discussions on leadership, policy transformation, regulatory advancements, and energy innovation. Participants are expected to gain valuable capacity building in technology governance, policy, advocacy in the power and energy sector. The goal is to empower attendees to apply these insights within their local communities—driving positive societal change through leadership. The ambassadors will get a chance to interact and learn from 50+ like minded young leaders from across the world. If selected, IEEE PES will sponsor your economy class round-trip flights, lodging in the event hotel in San Jose (2 Nights/3 days), full conference registration and transit travel.
More info: Here.
IEEE PES WiP Mentoring Programme 2024-2025, Seminar 2: "Navigating Imposter Syndrome"
The IEEE PES WiP UK&I Chapter is organising another seminar "Navigating Imposter Syndrome" for the Mentoring Programme 2024-2025. Keep tuned for more information of this upcoming seminar!
Official social media: Here.
IEEE PES WiP UK&I Chapter: One-Day Seminar - Future of Energy: Economic and Technical Insights, Jan 2026, University of Manchester
The IEEE PES Women in Power (WiP) UK & Ireland, in collaboration with the IEEE PES University of Manchester Student Branch, will organise an one-day seminar titled “Future of Energy: Economic and Technical Insights”, aiming at fostering interdisciplinary dialogue around the evolving global energy landscape. This seminar will serve as a platform for energy professionals, academics, and policy stakeholders to exchange insights, explore emerging challenges, and identify opportunities at the intersection of technical innovation and economic transition. This event has been planned in January 2026.
Keep tuned for more information of this upcoming seminar! Official social media: Here.
Past Events
IEEE PES UK&I DLP Programme: The Role of HVDC and Power Electronics in the Future Smart Electric Grid, 16th – 20th June 2025, London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Dublin
June 2025 – Between June 16 and 20, IEEE PES UK & Ireland organised and co-hosted a four‑city Distinguished Lecturer Programme (DLP), delivering technical talks in London, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Dublin. Three sessions were in‑person, followed by a hybrid event, offering both face‑to‑face engagement and inclusive online access. These talks—hosted by local academics and IEEE Student Branch PES Chapters—drew 125 attendees in total: 100 in person and 25 online, including students, academics, and power systems engineers.
This DLP activity given by Dr Ram Adapa from 16-19 June helped bridge academic understanding and industrial application, fostering collaborations in research and young researchers’ and engineers’ development.
Following the success of this multi‑city series, the IEEE UK&I PES plans to continue its DLP programme through 2025 and beyond. The focus will remain on cutting‑edge topics such as grid-forming converters, AI, next‑generation Energy Storage Systems, and strategic system planning.
Keep tuned for more information!
Event News including Watch Again will be soon on IEEE PES UK&I Chapter Official Website.
Birmingham Decarbonisation Summer School: Accelerating Energy Transition towards Net Zero, 16th – 19th June 2025, University of Birmingham
The Birmingham Decarbonisation Summer School 2025 "Accelerating Energy Transition towards Net Zero", a 4-day event co-organised by the IEEE PES UK&I Chapter and locally supported by the IEEE University of Birmingham Student Branch PES Chapter, has been successfully hosted at the School of Engineering, University of Birmingham. With 25 speakers mainly from industry, this event attracted 25 participants including students, early career researchers and engineers throughout the UK.
This summer school has successfully provided a platform for young talents to learn from and network with world-leading experts and strengthened the academia-industry collaborations.
News will be soon on: IEEE PES UK&I Chapter Official Website and UoB Official Website.
IEEE PES DLP lecture - " The Energy Transition in Canada and the Role of the IEEE and PES in the World’s Decarbonization" by Prof. Claudio Cañizares, 5th June.
We are delighted to invite the IEEE PES President-Elect 2025 candidate, Prof. Claudio Cañizares to give an online Distinguished Lecture Programme Talk on "The Energy Transition in Canada and the Role of the IEEE and PES in the World’s Decarbonization" from 15:00-16:00 BST on 5th June.
This talk provides an overview of Canadian provincial and remote community power grids, and a detailed discussion of Ontario’s provincial grid, market, and future expansion plans, in the context of zero-emission power systems as the backbone of the energy transition. A critical overview of the decarbonization status and policies for energy systems in Canada are also presented, focusing on zero-emission power grid, EV, and Hydrogen plans and strategies to enable a Net-Zero 2050. Furthermore, the role that the IEEE and, especially, PES can play and is already playing in decarbonization efforts across the globe are discussed, providing an overview of relevant initiatives led by the Institute and Society on this topic. Finally, concluding remarks include a personal plea for a commitment to eliminating emissions in our daily energy use and to getting involved in relevant IEEE and PES decarbonization programs and initiatives.
News and video will be soon on: IEEE PES UK&I Chapter Official Website
IEEE PES DLP lecture - "Stability Modelling and Analysis of Converter Driven Power System" by Prof. Bikash Pal, 27th May.
We are delighted to invite the IEEE PES President-Elect 2025 candidate, Professor Bikash Pal, to give an online Distinguished Lecture Programme Talk, on "Stability Modelling and Analysis of Converter Driven Power System" from 16:00-17:00 BST on 27th May.
The talk focuses on an analytical framework in impedance domain to quantify the interaction between the new plant and the rest of the network for setting additional grid connection study specifications which includes detail technical study to check and mitigate the risks associated with new power electronics interfaced generation. The framework developed is to support MMC technology, control delay, system strength and FRT capability of dynamic voltage support devices and windfarm through technical case study conducted at the research group of Bikash Pal at Imperial College London. Future research challenges and opportunities has been highlighted.
News and video will be soon on: IEEE PES UK&I Chapter Official Website
IEEE MFDSP Working Group Spring Webinar Series, 5pm, 24th April - 5th June, 2025
The IEEE Modern and Future Distribution Systems Planning (MFDSP) Working Group has successfully organised its Spring Webinar Series! The event was co-hosted by IEEE UK and Ireland Power and Energy Society Chapter.
This series featured insightful discussions by industry and academic experts on the latest trends and advancements in Distribution Systems Planning. All webinars were scheduled from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM US Pacific Time, running from April 24 to June 5, 2025, including
1. Introduction to Electric Utility Distribution Planning, by Brad Jensen (Quanta Services, United States) on 24th April
2. Advanced Flexible Solar Interconnection into Distribution Systems with Dynamic Asset Rating and Fail-Safe Mode, by Dr. Leo Y. Jiang (Clarkson University/ Avangrid/ RLC Engineering, United States) on 8th May
3. Generative AI for Distribution Systems Planning by Dr. Pedro P. Vergara (Delft University of Technology, Netherlands) on 22nd May
4. Reliability and Resilience: An Evolving Journey by Heide Caswell (Oregon Public Utilities Commission, United States) on 5th June
More details about the talks and the speakers: here.
News will be soon on IEEE PES UK&I Chapter Official Website.
Announcements
The IEEE PES UK&I Chapter won the IEEE PES Outstanding Award 2023!
We are delighted to announce that the IEEE UK and Ireland Power and Energy Society Chapter was recognised as the winner of the IEEE PES Outstanding Chapter Award 2023 for the Large Chapter Category!
This recognition implies that our Chapter will receive $1000 and a custom-prepared IEEE PES Outstanding Chapter Award banner. The Chapter Chair, Chapter Vice Chair, Chapter Secretary, Chapter Treasurer, Chapter Regional Representative will also receive plaques in recognition of their outstanding leadership.
The IEEE PES Outstanding Chapter Award recognises a PES Chapter for achieving excellence in providing its members with the best overall programs and activities. Each year the Power & Energy Society Outstanding Chapter Award is given to the Chapter that is judged to provide the most outstanding overall contribution and service to its members in the following categories: Technical, Educational and Student Activities; Societal Activities; Affinity Groups (WIE, WiP, YP), Membership Advancement, PES Conferences, Fellow Nominations and Awards, Chapter Operations, Communications Channels and; Enlistment of New PES Members among others.
Many thanks to all committee members and volunteers, especially to current and past Chairs who have made this recognition possible through their leadership!
More details about the award: here.
The official announcement: here and here.
Senior Member Grade Elevation
A Senior Member grade, in addition to professional recognition of your peers for technical and professional excellence, offers the following benefits
1. Eligibility to hold executive IEEE volunteer positions.
2. Letter of recommendation sent to your employer upon request on the achievement of the Senior Member grade and receive an engraved Senior Member plaque, etc.
3. Ability to refer other candidates for Senior Member upgrade.
4. Opportunity to mentor young engineers in fulfilling their career goals.
Why wait? Apply for Senior Member grade elevation online.
Additional information on Senior Member grade and eligibility is available here.
Did you know that the PES Chapter Committee can help you with identifying suitable references towards your Senior Member grade elevation application? Please get in touch with the PES Chapter Committee if you need help with this aspect.
Call for Distinguished Lecturers
Due to the past pandemic situation, the UK & Ireland PES Chapter is mainly organising virtual events. In this order, the chapter is calling for Distinguished Lecturers and general PES members (with proven experience giving lectures) keen on taking part of our series of webinars. If you are interested, please send the talk abstract and bio to the PES Chapter Secretary Lee Crudgington (l.j.c@ieee.org).
Renew Your PES Membership Today!
Renew your PES memberships to continue developing your career, accessing essential networking opportunities, and receiving other exclusive IEEE / PES benefits, including discounted memberships and much more.
>>> Follow us on our social media!
Stay tuned with our latest events, business, and career news!
You can join us in our chapter's LinkedIn discussions and follow us on Twitter @IEEE_PES_UKRI and our YouTube channel.
>>> Get Involved!
We continually bring exciting events for our members. If you have ideas or would like to organise events and need support, please do not hesitate to contact us—we are only an email away.
We hope you will have a great month ahead. Thanks for your time!
Regards,
PES Chapter Committee Team
