A collaborative research effort between Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering (ECSE) and Dominion Energy has been awarded the Best Paper Award at the 2026 IEEE Green Technologies Conference (GreenTech) held in Boulder, Colorado.
The paper, titled “Irregular Wind Power Plant Dynamics Induced by Power Factor Command Truncation,” was co-authored by Professor Luigi Vanfretti and Dominion Energy engineers Bikal Pudasaini, Chetan Mishra, Jaime De La Ree, and Kevin Jones.
Explaining the "Digital Ghosts" of the Grid
As the modern power grid increasingly relies on inverter-based resources like wind and solar, understanding the nuances of controller-level behavior is critical for maintaining stability. The award-winning research utilized advanced synchrophasor analytics to investigate unusual, non-sinusoidal dynamics observed at a wind power plant connected to Dominion Energy’s system.
While monitoring tools initially flagged the behavior as complex oscillations, the team’s analysis traced the root cause to a subtle "quantization" quirk: power factor setpoints were being truncated to just three decimal places when converted into turbine-level instructions. This seemingly minor digital detail created erratic reactive power "steps" during voltage regulation, leading to irregular plant behavior.
A Legacy of Award-Winning Collaboration
This marks the second time the RPI-Dominion Energy partnership has been recognized with a top conference honor. In 2022, the same collaboration led to a Best Conference Paper Award at the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) General Meeting, demonstrating a consistent track record of excellence in tackling the most pressing challenges facing the utility industry.
A Multifaceted Partnership for the Future Grid
Beyond conference awards, the relationship between RPI and Dominion Energy represents a deeply integrated model of industry-academic cooperation. This partnership has consistently provided ECSE students with unique opportunities to apply their skills to real-world challenges:
- Student Success and Internships: Dominion Energy has been a steadfast supporter of RPI talent, with numerous ECSE students gaining invaluable industry experience through internships.
- Recognizing Research Excellence: The collaboration has also fostered individual student achievements, such as ECSE graduate student Shiuli Subhra Ghosh winning the 2024 Best Poster Award sponsored by Dominion Energy.
- Technical Innovation: Research conducted within the ALSET Lab has led to breakthroughs in grid simulation, proving the promise of new tools to improve grid resilience and performance.
“This recognition reflects a fantastic and sustained collaboration,” said Professor Vanfretti. “As faculty at RPI, I have the tremendous privilege of working with real-world grid challenges. This work proves once again that the ‘devil is in the digital details’ and emphasizes the need for accurate control modeling as we reshape the future of the power system.”
The IEEE Green Technologies Conference is a premier forum for researchers and engineers to address the challenges of achieving a sustainable energy future. This year’s award underscores RPI’s leadership in power systems engineering and its enduring commitment to developing practical solutions for grid stability alongside industry leaders.
Read the full paper here: ResearchGate
Download the presentation slides: ResearchGate