SMart grid And Renewable energy Technology (SMART) Lab

Smart Grid and Renewable Energy Technology Lab, also known as SMART Lab, was founded in March 2015. SMART Lab is involved in research in many areas including Smart Grids, Power Systems and Renewable Energy. This research lab is under the supervision of Prof. C.Y. Chung (FIEEE, FIET), the NSERC/SaskPower Senior Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Smart Grid Technologies and SaskPower Chair in Power Systems Engineering.

Our Position and Goal

A reliable and sustainable power grid is key to enabling increased use of renewable energies, but variability and uncertainty in renewable generation, especially wind power, have seriously challenged the operation of power grids and future planning for integrating renewable resources. The application of a broad array of emerging technologies to modernize and improve the reliability of the existing power grid (collectively referred to as “smart grid technologies”) has been considered an efficient means of enabling greater use of renewable energy and preventing large-scale system blackouts.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and SaskPower have jointly funded a large-scale IRC research program, led by the lab leader Prof. Chung, which aims to address the critical challenges faced by Canadian power systems related to the development and application of smart grid technologies. Through this partnership, SaskPower will provide the SMART Lab with access to its data, facilities and experts. As SaskPower significantly increases the contribution of wind power to its overall capacity in the coming years, the power utility will directly incorporate the knowledge and technology developed through our research into its planning and operations. Besides, the Lab is also working closely with experts at leading power research entities such as Powertech Labs. Inc. (Canada), Hydro-Québec’s research institute (IREQ; Canada), and Argonne National Laboratory (USA).

The ultimate goal of the SMART Lab is to help Canada achieve a safe, reliable, and sustainable power grid while continuously adapting to increasing use of renewable energy sources—a transformation essential to supporting economic growth and enhancing quality of life.