Plenary Speakers
Plenary Session 1
Frede Blaabjerg
Presentation Title: Power Electronics Technology - Trends and Applications
Biography
Frede Blaabjerg (S’86–M’88–SM’97–F’03) was with ABB-Scandia, Randers, Denmark, from 1987 to 1988. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Aalborg University in 1995. He became an Assistant Professor in 1992, an Associate Professor in 1996, and a Full Professor of Power Electronics and Drives in 1998 at AAU Energy. From 2017 he became a Villum Investigator. He is honoris causa at University Politehnica Timisoara (UPT), Romania in 2017 and Tallinn Technical University (TTU), Estonia in 2018 as well as honory professor of University of Parma.
His current research interests include power electronics and its applications such as in wind turbines, PV systems, reliability, Power-2-X, power quality and adjustable speed drives. He has published more than 800 journal papers in the fields of power electronics and its applications. He is the co-author of ten monographs and editor of twenty books in power electronics and its applications eg. the series (4 volumes) Control of Power Electronic Converters and Systems published by Academic Press/Elsevier.
He has received 48 IEEE Prize Paper Awards, the IEEE PELS Distinguished Service Award in 2009, the EPE-PEMC Council Award in 2010, the IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award 2014, the Villum Kann Rasmussen Research Award 2014, the Global Energy Prize in 2019 and the 2020 IEEE Edison Medal. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER ELECTRONICS from 2006 to 2012. He has been Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Power Electronics Society from 2005 to 2007 and for the IEEE Industry Applications Society from 2010 to 2011 as well as 2017 to 2018. In 2019-2020 he served as a President of IEEE Power Electronics Society. He has been Vice-President of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences.
He is nominated in 2014-2021 by Thomson Reuters to be between the most 250 cited researchers in Engineering in the world.
Abstract
The world is becoming more and more electrified as consumption is steadily increasing. We expect it to double by 2050. At the same time, there is a large transition in power generation from fossil fuels to renewable energy, which altogether challenges the modern power system but also gives many new opportunities. We also see large steps being taken to electrify the transportation. where better environment, independency as well as higher efficiency are driving factors. One of the most important technologies to move this forward is the power electronics technology which has been emerging for decades and challenges are still seen in the technology usage. This presentation will be forward looking in some exciting research areas to further improve the technology and the systems it is used in. Following main topics will be discussed :
The Evolution of Power Devices
Renewable Generation
Reliability in Power Electronics and use of AI
Power Electronic based Power System
Plenary Session 2
Fang Z. Peng
Presentation Title:
Biography
Fang Z. Peng received the B.S. degree from Wuhan University, China in 1983 and the MS and Ph.D. Degrees from Nagaoka University of Technology (Nagaoka Tech), Japan in 1987 and 1990. Dr. Peng is a scholar, inventor and engineer in high-voltage high-power (mega-watt or MW) power electronics. His research career consists of three periods: 1984-1994 at Nagaoka Tech, Toyo Electric Manufacturing Co., and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) in Japan; 1994-2000 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) USA; and since 2000 with academia: at Michigan State University (MSU), Florida State University (FSU) and now the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). In 1984, he started his research at Nagaoka Tech and originated the active resistance (or active impedance) concept, a groundbreaking approach to blocking, compensating and mitigating harmonics in power systems, featuring as a lossless active/virtual resistor by a power converter to suppress harmonic resonances in power systems for the first time in the world. At Tokyo Tech, he pioneered the research on multilevel converters and flexible ac transmission systems. In 1994, he joined ORNL, became the lead scientist of ORNL’s Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center, and invented delta-connected modular multilevel converter-based static synchronous compensator (Delta-connected MMC STATCOM). In 2000, he founded and directed a MW Power Electronics Research Center at MSU, originated the impedance-source (Z-source) concept, and invented the Z-source control. He became a University Distinguished Professor, the highest title designated by the MSU board of Trustees in 2012. From 2018 to 2024, he joined Florida State University as a Distinguished Professor of Engineering. Since 2024, Dr. Peng has been the RK Mellon Endowed Chair and Director of the Energy GRID Institute at University of Pittsburgh. His current research interest includes fault-tolerant power electronics and fire-free, self-healing and resilient power systems for propulsion, industrial motor drives, and electrical utility applications. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors, and a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
Abstract
As modern society’s reliance on electricity deepens, so does our vulnerability to its hazards and potential for catastrophic failures. This presentation weaves together a technical research pursuit and a personal lifelong journey to “tame the beast”—to create an electric power grid that is safer, more resilient, and more intelligent.
My fascination with electricity began in childhood, sparked by early experiences with both its power and its dangers. That curiosity guided me to study electrical engineering and, later, to pioneer technologies that mitigate harmful resonance and harmonics—phenomena once responsible for equipment damage and fires. In the 1980s, my research introduced the concepts of active and virtual resistance, leading to the world’s first hybrid active power filter using an inverter as an active resistance or impedance. The journey was not without setbacks: an early experiment ended in a shoot-through failure that destroyed our prototype. Yet that incident became a turning point, inspiring deeper investigation into inverter (or converter) technology and their fault tolerance and ultimately leading to the invention of the Z-source converter and inverter. For the first time, traditionally forbidden shoot-through switching states would no longer destroy inverters and could be even safely utilized rather than avoided.
In recent years, the devastating wildfires caused by downed power lines and faulty equipment in California, Hawaii, Florida, and beyond have reinforced the urgency of this work. Extending the Z-source concept to the broader power grid, we have demonstrated that if all power sources and components—transformers, overhead lines, underground cables, and power factor correction capacitors—can be made or controlled to behave like Z-sources, the grid can dynamically limit fault currents within microseconds, suppress sparks, and prevent resonances, instability, and fires.
This talk reflects on both a technological evolution and a personal mission: to make electricity not only powerful and efficient, but fundamentally safe and resilient. Looking forward, we aim to make the future power grid AI-ready—capable of AI-based modeling, design, optimization, operation, and control. By transforming all passive grid components into active and intelligent elements and developing new power and energy theories that generate rich data on system-level interactions, we can move toward an energy infrastructure that is truly adaptive, intelligent, and secure.
Plenary Session 3
Shin-ichiro Sakai
Presentation Title: Looking Back on SLIM's Moon Landing, Looking Ahead to the Future
Biography
Shin-ichiro Sakai is a professor at The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science(ISAS), JAXA. He received the Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2000. He joined ISAS in 2001, became associate professor in 2005, and became professor in 2019. His research fields are the spacecraft guidance, navigation and control issues and electro-magnetic formation flying. From 2016 to 2024, he was also a project manager of JAXA's small lunar lander "SLIM" for pin-point landing demonstration.
Abstract
The Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM) was launched by the H-IIA vehicle on September 7, 2023, and made a precision lunar landing on January 20, 2024 (JST). The landing precision was evaluated to be within ~10 m at an altitude of approximately 50m from the Moon surface, far exceeding the target landing accuracy of 100 m and realizing the world’s first pinpoint landing. In this plenary speech, we will review the achievements of SLIM's lunar landing and discuss how those achievements can contribute to future space development.
Plenary Session 4
Sehoon Oh
Presentation Title:Robot Control in the Era of Physical AI: Bridging the Gap Between Learning and Precision Control
Biography
Dr. Sehoon Oh is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), where he directs the Motion Control Lab. He received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from The University of Tokyo. His academic and research career includes appointments at DGIST and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), as well as prior positions at Sogang University and The University of Tokyo, and industry experience at Samsung Heavy Industries.
Dr. Oh's research focuses on advanced control and mechatronic system development for both robotic systems and vehicle-related mobility platforms. His work emphasizes high-precision servo control, model-based and optimal control design, disturbance rejection, and structured integration of data-driven methods into complex dynamical systems. By bridging rigorous control theory with large-scale experimental validation, he aims to develop analyzable, high-performance motion control architectures for next-generation robots and intelligent mobility systems.
Abstract
The rapid advancement of AI-driven humanoid robots has attracted tremendous attention worldwide. However, current AI humanoids face fundamental limitations: while they excel at balancing and locomotion through learning-based trajectory generation built on position control frameworks, they lack the ability to perform precise force-interactive tasks required in real industrial settings. From a motion control perspective, robot control is distinguished by two critical challenges - the inherently complex, multi-objective nature of robotic tasks and the strong nonlinearity of the target systems. This talk addresses the critical "missing pieces" in humanoid robotics by examining what differentiates robot control from conventional high-precision control across four key dimensions: (1) nonlinear/LPV systems versus LTI systems, (2) the challenge of system identification in complex robotic structures, (3) MIMO multi-task control versus SISO single-task control, and (4) the necessity of combined position/force control beyond pure position control. By advancing these approaches, I will demonstrate how the boundaries of conventional robot control can be overcome - ultimately enabling robots to accurately execute complex tasks involving both precise motion and force interaction in real-world environments.
Plenary Session 6
Yuting Gao
Presentation Title:Research on High-Inertia Brushless Doubly-Fed Flywheel Energy Storage Motor System
Biography
Yuting Gao (Senior Member, IEEE) received the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, in 2012 and 2017, respectively. From 2017 to 2023, she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, and Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, respectively. Since 2023, she has been a Professor at Wuhan University, China. She serves as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications and IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. She has authored/coauthored more than 80 technical papers. Moreover, she is a recipient of the Science and Technology Invention Award (1st prize) from China Electrotechnical Society, the Gold Medal at the International Invention Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Best Paper Award at the International Conference on Electrical Machines. Her research interests include the design and control of flux modulation permanent-magnet machines.
Abstract
Under the goals of "peak carbon dioxide emissions" and "carbon neutrality" in China, the traditional power system is transforming into a new type characterized by a high proportion of renewable energy sources and power electronic equipment. This new power system urgently requires physical inertia support as well as coordinated frequency and voltage support under disturbances, with energy storage systems serving as the core for achieving these goals. Compared to other forms of energy storage, flywheel energy storage offers advantages in enhancing system inertia and short-circuit capacity, as well as achieving coordinated frequency-voltage support. Moreover, it is environmentally friendly, has a short construction period, and boasts a long service life. Among the various types of flywheel energy storage motors, the brushless doubly-fed flywheel energy storage motor stands out with unique advantages, such as the absence of brush-slip rings and the requirement for only a converter with slip power. Therefore, research has been conducted on the brushless doubly-fed flywheel energy storage motor system. Initially, theoretical analysis and comparison of rotor structures for brushless doubly-fed motors are carried out. Subsequently, optimal designs for the stator and rotor are developed targeting multiple design objectives. Next, novel control strategies are designed to achieve rapid active and reactive power responses. Finally, the results of steady-state and dynamic experimental tests are presented.