The Princeton-Philly Power Electronics Advancement Consortium (PPPEAC) was founded in 2019 to support power electronics activity in Central and South Jersey and the Philadelphia region. The area has a long history in power electronics, with many engineers, companies, labs, and education programs. Our mission is to connect these groups so we can learn, grow, and network together.
PPPEAC is the joint chapter of the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) and the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS). We work under the Princeton/Central Jersey and Philadelphia IEEE Sections in Regions 1 and 2 (geo-code CH01279).
Upcoming Event
- HVDC Driving the Age of Electricity (PELS Distinguished Lecture)
PPPEAC hosts a free IEEE PELS Distinguished Lecture webinar with the IEEE Connecticut Section PELS Chapter. Dr. Frans Dijkhuizen of Hitachi Energy Research will speak. HVDC links carry more long-distance and offshore power each year, and each one depends on power electronics at the converter station.
- Date: Thursday, December 3, 2026
- Time: 12:00 to 1:00 PM ET
- Location: Virtual
- Cost: Free. Registration is required.
HVDC Driving the Age of Electricity
Over the next decades, the grid needs three times today’s transmission capacity to follow demand growth. Operators must keep power in balance, keep generators in synchronism, and return to steady state fast after disturbances. This talk covers HVDC and STATCOM, two technologies that ease AC grid operating limits, free up grid capacity, and improve power system stability.
The talk gives a general introduction to the fundamentals, a technology update, and an outlook on DC grid solutions. It also covers future scenarios for energy grids, including national distributed hubs, centralized hubs, and meshed offshore grids. It stresses how these scenarios strengthen energy markets and help integrate renewables.
About the speaker
Dr. Frans Dijkhuizen is a Research Fellow at Hitachi Energy Research in Sweden and an IEEE PELS Distinguished Lecturer. He has 25 years of industrial experience in research and development of high-power electronics for HVDC and power quality solutions. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. He joined ABB Corporate Research in Västerås, Sweden, in 2001 and has worked at Hitachi Energy Research since 2019. He is vice-chair of the IEEE PELS International Technology Roadmap for High-Power Electronics for Modern Energy Grids (ITRG) and of IEEE PELS TC8. He is also a working group member of IEC TC115-WG15.
Links
Join PPPEAC
Membership is free. Sign up to get emails about upcoming seminars, tours, and social events.
We also welcome volunteers. Helping run the chapter is a good way to grow your career and your network. Contact any officer below to get involved.
Chapter Officers
- Chair: Vishram Deshpande
- Vice Chair: Fei Lu
- Secretary: Miles Wright
- Past Chair and Treasurer: Grant Pitel
Subcommittee Chairs
- Tours and Events: Bogdan Proca
- Webmaster: Miles Wright
