Dr. Richard Zhang
Professor, Hugh P. and Ethel C. Kelly Chair
Center for Power Electronics Systems
Power and Energy Center
Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Virginia Tech
Dr. Richard Zhang is a professor with the Center for Power Electronics
Systems (CPES), Hugh P. and Ethel C. Kelly Chair at the Bradley Department of Electricaland Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, and a Fellow of IEEE.
Dr. Zhang was the former Chief Technology Officer of GE Grid Integration Solutions based in the UK, leading HVDC and FACTS technology and product development that led to a new industry standard 2GW/525 kV HVDC solution for offshore wind integration currently being developed in Europe. During 1998-2008, he was with GE Global Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, leading power electronics research serving all
GE industrial businesses, such as GE Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas, Aviation,
Healthcare, etc. Subsequently, during 2009-2020, he held several executive technology and business leadership positions based in Paris, Shanghai, and Stafford, UK. Over the years, Dr. Zhang led large global R&D teams in different GE organizations, won large research programs with government agencies such as DARPA and DOE, created major business research initiatives, and defined and led an extensive business R&D portfolio.
Dr. Zhang had served as Chairman, Board of Directors for Powerex - a power
semiconductor and packaging company in the US; as Chairman of the Industrial Advisory Board for Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) at Virginia Tech; as a steering committee member for SuperGrid Institute SAS in France; and served as an AdCom member for IEEE Power Electronics Society.
Dr. Zhang has 54 journal and conference publications and invited talks, including 4 IEEE Transaction and Conference Award Papers. Dr. Zhang has over 115 global patents granted or pending in 42 patent families.
Dr. Zhang’s current research focuses on Electrified Green Infrastructure Power Conversion, including grid of the future with renewables and energy storage integration, HVDC/MVDC and FACTS, Intelligent Energy Router and microgrid; fast EV charging infrastructure; green hydrogen production; and data center power solutions.
Role of Power Electronics for Grid 3.0 and Electrified Green Infrastructure

Abstract:

We are at the beginning of a new era – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as a power electronics engineer and researcher. With the significant growth of wind and solar energies onshore and offshore – enabled by power electronics for the last two decades, subsequent technology innovations and market growth in HVDC and FACT, explosive growth of EV where power electronics and motors replaced conventional internal combustion engine and upcoming needs for EV charging infrastructure, surged interests
in hydrogen production for cleaner industry processes, power gen, and transportations, the need to build multiple of new electrical grids and utility-scale energy storage with totally different thinking than what we have practiced for the last 140 years, challenges and opportunities for power electronics technologies are at a whole new level.
This talk will share some insights into what we have achieved in power electronics technology in the last two decades along with their impact on modern societies, highlight the current frontiers of power electronics research to enable an electrified green infrastructure, including creating a power electronics-based grid – Grid 3.0 with AC and
DC microgrids, EV charging infrastructure, utility-scale energy storage, data centers, and green hydrogen production.