The Sustainable Power and Energy Laboratory (SPEL) is proud to announce that Dr. Zongjie Wang was featured in a live interview on WTNH-TV Channel 8 on October 21st, as part of the Women of Innovation summit. Dr. Wang, selected as a finalist for the prestigious Women of Innovation Award by the Connecticut Technology Council, shared her research and leadership roles at the Eversource Energy Center, University of Connecticut.

During the live interview, Dr. Wang discussed her work in advancing grid modernization, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the energy sector, and workforce development through industrial educational training. As a leader in sustainable energy systems, her research focuses on integrating renewable energy into the power grid, optimizing power systems, and strengthening grid resilience to support a sustainable and secure energy future.

The live TV feature highlighted Dr. Wang’s significant influence in the energy sector and underscored the essential role women play in driving engineering innovation. Her recognition as a finalist for the Women of Innovation Award serves as a powerful inspiration for other women aspiring to leadership in STEM fields, demonstrating that their work can have a profound and lasting impact.

Dr. Wang’s research is central to advancing clean energy technologies and building a more resilient, reliable, and efficient electric grid. Through her cutting-edge projects, she is contributing to a sustainable energy landscape for Connecticut, the broader Northeast region, and nationwide.

We are honored to see Dr. Wang’s achievements recognized on a prominent platform, and we look forward to her continued great impact on the future of energy innovation.

View Dr. Wang’s Interview on WTNH – Channel 8

In July 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy funded the “Wind Impact Study for Power Resilience” (WISPR) project with a total of $1.63 million. Dr. Zongjie Wang, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Associate Director of the Eversource Energy Center at UConn, is the R&D leader for this critical initiative. The WISPR project aims to improve grid resilience and reduce electricity costs across Connecticut and the Northeast region.

“As we face increasing climate-related challenges, enhancing grid resilience has become more critical than ever,” Wang says. “The WISPR project leverages advanced optimization techniques and dynamic risk assessment models to address these challenges, integrating climate change projections and vegetation management strategies. Our goal is not only to ensure a more reliable and efficient power grid but also to reduce electricity bills and provide direct benefits to customers.”

Wang’s leadership in the R&D efforts highlights UConn’s commitment to advancing innovative solutions in power systems, with the WISPR project playing a critical role in ensuring the future sustainability and reliability of the electric grid.

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On March 19th, 2024, the Department of Energy awarded Lead Principal Investigator, Associate Director of the Eversource Energy Center and Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Zongjie Wang with a $4.5 million grant ($3,340,168 DOE and $1,127,191 awardee costs share) to pursue this groundbreaking initiative, which focuses on developing a new “TRANSFORMATIVE” tool that will make significant improvements in power grid efficiency, reliability, and resilience to bounce back from disruptions, like severe weather events.

“In the United States, the amount of electricity generated from renewable energy sources to supply the electric grid is continuing to increase,” Wang says. “Simultaneously, more electric customers are installing rooftop solar and battery energy storage systems. The accelerating integration of these resources can present complex challenges, but also bring opportunities that TRANSFORMATIVE will harness for both managing and operating the electric grid.”

Read More on UConn Today

Prof. Zongjie Wang will be joining the Eversource Energy Center’s leadership team as Associate Director for DEI and Workforce Training to lead diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as well as industry workforce training and development.

Dr. Zongjie Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and has a joint appointment as core faculty in the Eversource Energy Center. Dr. Wang is recognized for her innovation in optimizing hybrid T&D operations and for her impactful research on DER behaviors and market dynamic integration. She has been PI of multiple projects in the center funded by the DOE, NSF, Eversource Energy, national labs, ISO-NE, and MISO, with an overarching aim of enhancing the power grid’s reliability and resilience.

Dr. Wang is dedicated to enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and serves on the College of Engineering Vergnano Institute for Inclusion DEI Committee. Prior to UConn, Dr. Wang spent over six months with the Ministry of Energy in Accra, Ghana, focusing on enhancing power quality and reducing outages through improved grid infrastructure planning and market dispatch. This experience underscores her commitment to impacting underrepresented communities and addressing global renewable energy integration challenges. As General Chair of the 56th North American Power Symposium (NAPS) she will bring NAPS to UConn in 2025, giving it a focus on students, academic, and workforce educational & training. Since 2021, she has mentored many UConn undergraduates to publish research papers and secure long-term career positions in the industry. As a core contributor to our center’s Grid Modernization Graduate Certificate, she has developed and delivered courses for this program and received top evaluations (5/5) from students, including industry professionals, for their practical relevance.

Dr. Wang’s efforts in Electrical Engineering, a field where women are significantly underrepresented, have ensured wide representation and enhanced inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are recognized. Her approach sets a benchmark for incorporating DEI to promote a more inclusive engineering community.

Please join us together in welcoming Zongjie in the leadership of the Eversource Energy Center at University of Connecticut!