Abstract

Since the early 21st century, over 80% of major U.S. blackouts have been weather-related. Intensifying extreme events such as hurricanes, heatwaves, and wildfires, have nearly doubled weather-related outages in the past decade compared to the first decade of the century. Meanwhile, our energy sector, especially the electric power system, is becoming more exposed to the environment due to the large-scale integration of intermittent renewable energy such as solar and wind.

Considering this increasingly coupled climate-energy challenge, in this seminar, I discuss our recent research advancements in modeling, optimization, and socio-technical analysis of electricity grids towards climate resilience. Specifically, I cover topics including: (1) Grid modeling under extremes: quantifying cascading power outages with renewable integration under evolving hazards; (2) Grid optimization: enhancing grid resilience through coordinating transmission and distribution networks with large-scale distributed renewable integration; and (3) Social vulnerability: understanding community-level impacts and exploring opportunities for sustainability through microgrids. These topics will be illustrated through case studies of real-world power grids in Puerto Rico and NYC, highlighting the potential of resilience-oriented strategies to inform energy system planning and operation from grid operators to local communities.

Bio

Luo Xu is an Associate Research Scholar at Princeton University, affiliated with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment. He obtained his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Tsinghua University. He conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of climate science and power & energy systems, with a particular focus on energy system resilience under various climate extremes. His research integrates advanced modeling, optimization, and control techniques to develop resilience-oriented strategies, supporting resilient and sustainable energy transition. He is a recipient of the CIGRE Thesis Award, the Best Research Award from the IEEE PES PhD Dissertation Challenge, and the IET Premium Award. He serves as the Chair of the IEEE Task Force on Cross-Sector Energy System Resilience Under Climate Change, Program Chair of the IEEE PES Energy Internet Coordinating Committee, Chair of the IEEE PES Princeton Central New Jersey Chapter, and Secretary of CIGRE Working Group D2.56. His research bridges theory and practice through close collaborations with industry partners, including grid operators and power utilities such as LUMA Energy, Con Edison, ISO New England, and State Grid.

Research/Related Papers

* indicates the corresponding authorship
L. Xu* et al. Resilience of renewable power systems under climate risks. Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44287-023-00003-8
L. Xu*, N. Lin, H.V. Poor, D. Xi, A.T.D. Perera. Quantifying cascading power outages during climate extremes considering renewable energy integration. Nature Communications, in press, 2025. (preprint at arXiv https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.01758)
L. Xu*, N. Lin, D. Xi, K. Feng, H.V. Poor. Hazard resistance-based spatiotemporal risk analysis for distribution network outages during hurricanes. IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1109/tpwrs.2024.3469168
L. Xu* et al. Entropic Value-at-Risk constrained optimal power flow considering distribution network outages during extreme events. IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1109/tpwrs.2024.3498435