The 16th IET International Conference on AC and DC Transmission (hereinafter referred to as ACDC 2020) took place online on July 2-3, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ACDC 2020 adopted a virtual format for the first time and was live-streamed on Tencent Meeting, Weibo (@Graduate Union of Tsinghua University) and Bilibili (@Tsinghua DC).
The conference was held by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and Tsinghua University, and organized by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics of Tsinghua University, Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University, Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute. It was sponsored by the State Key Laboratory of Control and Simulation of Power System and Power Generation Equipment, the State Key Laboratory of Power Grid Environmental Protection, Science and Technology Research Institute of China Three Gorges Group Co., Ltd., Beijing Power Equipment Group, and Xi 'an XD Power Systems Co., Ltd. It was a prestigious international conference on AC and DC transmission for power systems, and drew more than 5,000 experts, scholars, university faculties and students and professionals from across the world who participated in extensive exchanges and discussions on the current popular technologies and development prospects in the AC and DC transmission domain.
The opening ceremony and keynote forum marked the start of the conference on the morning of July 2nd. The conference was addressed by Professor Rong Zeng of Tsinghua University, Chairman of the conference, and Mr. Ian Mercer, Director of International Operations at IET, and was moderated by Associate Professor Zhanqing Yu of Tsinghua University, Chairman of the Technical Committee of ACDC2020. The opening ceremony also had the participation of Academician Guangfu Tang from Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute, Rong Zeng, Professor of Tsinghua University, Alex Q. Huang, Professor of the University of Texas at Austin, Rik W. De Doncker, Professor of RWTH Aachen University, Dr. Makan Chen from ABB Power Grids Switzerland Ltd-Semiconductors, Professor Jinliang He, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of ACDC2020, and distinguished guests from various organizers and sponsors. In addition, more than 400 paper contributors joined the opening ceremony online through Tencent Meeting, and more than 5,000 professional audiences watched it online through live streaming platforms such as Tencent Meeting, Weibo, Bilibili etc.
Figure: A virtual group shot of the speakers and selected participants at the conference
The keynote forum presented the state-of-the-art academic research and cutting-edge technological applications in the AC and DC transmission field. Academician Guangfu Tang from Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute lectured on "High Power Conversion Technology for HVDC Application in China". Rong Zeng, Chairman of ACDC2020 and Professor of Tsinghua University, delivered a lecture on "System analysis-equipment design-device development, How to integrate together?" Alex Q. Huang, Professor of the University of Texas at Austin delivered a lecture on "Medium Voltage SiC Power Device Technology for ACDC Grid". Rik W. De Doncker, Professor of RWTH Aachen University, lectured on "DC Technology based on Power Electronics enables Flexible Electrical Networks for a Sustainable Energy Supply". Dr. Makan Chen from ABB's Semiconductor Division in Switzerland delivered a lecture on "Power Semiconductors for Higher Power and Higher Reliability Application - Development status of high power IGBT and IGCT Semiconductor devices."
ACDC2020 received nearly 700 papers from various countries, thanks to the strong support from major universities, research institutes, power companies and related associations both at home and abroad. A paper review committee consisting of distinguished experts from multiple countries conducted three rounds of review and selected 483 papers for online presentation and poster display. The conference hosted 24 sub-forums on the afternoon of July 2 and throughout the day of July 3, covering 11 topics such as transmission materials and equipment, power system control and protection, AC transmission and distribution systems, and cutting-edge technologies. Experts and scholars from many domestic and foreign universities moderated the sub-forums, delivered academic lectures on the topics, and organized the participating contributors to give oral presentations on their papers. The 24 sub-forums had distinct topics and engaging discussions with a total of 150 online special lectures and thousands of participants.
Figure: A virtual group shot of some sub-forum moderators and contributors
The COVID-19 pandemic that started in early 2020 has posed tremendous challenges and impacts to global academic exchanges. As one of the first online international academic conferences approved by the Ministry of Education in China amid the pandemic, ACDC2020 explored a new model for international academic exchange during this difficult time and opened new opportunities for international academic conferences. Thanks to the "online discussion of electricity", a collection of new theories, new methods and new technologies will greatly support the development of AC and DC transmission technology and contribute to clean and efficient energy transmission.
Stay updated by following us on Bilibili @ “Tsinghua DC”.
The DC Research Center of the Energy Internet Research Institute at Tsinghua University was founded in 2015 under the guidance of Professor Rong Zeng of the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University.
The Department of Electrical Engineering has a strong scientific research strength, which the Center leverages to form a research team with high-level academic research, forward-looking technological innovations, and practical industrial development capabilities. The Center’s core mission is to conduct R&D of key technologies and equipment for DC power transmission and distribution. It focuses on the HVDC power transmission and medium and low-voltage DC power distribution technology to carry out theoretical research, technological breakthroughs and engineering construction at device, equipment, and system levels. The Center aims to become the core concept disseminator, theoretical and technological leader, standard and application practitioner of DC power grid, preparing for the renewable energy revolution.
