An Interview with Professor Alexandra von Meier on an Efficient Electric Grid: Improving Visibility and Integrating Renewable Sources

Abstract

A n I nterview with P rofessor A lexandra von M eier on an E fficient E lectric G rid : I mproving V isibility and I ntegrating R enewable S ources B S J By: Manraj Gill, Saavan Patel, Harshika Chowdhary, Daniel Miller, Philippa McGuinness Dr. Alexandra von Meier is an adjunct associate professor in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California at Berkeley and is co-director of the electric grid program of the California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE). Her interest in electric energy spans from making distribution systems more efficient to improving the integration of renewable energy sources into the electric grid. We got the opportunity to talk with Dr. von Meier about her passion for energy, the current and future power distribution grids, micro-synchrophasor technology and the challenges with optimizing the incorporation of renewable energy into the pre-existing system. about essentially how the system works. Not dumbing it down, but not starting with a bunch of phasor diagrams that would be immediately unintelligible. So, the goal was to write something that would qualitatively explain what’s happening and what are the constraints when you’re operating the electric grid. That was a labor of love, and I started it during my postdoc. Figure 1. Professor Alexandra von Meier teaches courses in electric power systems at UC Berkeley. Berkeley Scientific Journal: How do you find yourself here, in this research field? Professor Alexandra von Meier: I was a physics major as an undergraduate at Berkeley. Then I taught high school physics and chemistry for two years. I came back here and as a master’s and PhD student in energy and resources here at UC Berkeley. Then I did a postdoc in electrical engineering here with Felix Wu, during which time I started writing a textbook, which has done pretty well. The book is called “Electric Power Systems.” It’s a little atypical as an engineering text. The idea [with the book] was to teach people who are interested in energy and electricity but who don’t have an electrical engineering background Then I did another postdoc in nuclear engineering, also at Berkeley. I studied plutonium, in the context of nuclear materials management: what to do with spent fuel from nuclear reactors and what to do with plutonium that comes out of dismantled nuclear warheads. Long story, but then I got a job as a professor at Sonoma State University where I taught in the Environmental Studies and Planning Department. I taught energy management and design. This is a wonderful program, where I was for about twelve years, and taught a curriculum that’s really pretty unique. It spans renewable energy, energy efficiency, green Figure 2. Professor von Meier’s building. It’s not really book, “Electric Power Systems: an engineering program, A Conceptual Introduction,” but it’s quite technical is used in her ‘Introduction and quantitative so it to Electric Power Systems’ at 44 • B erkeley S cientific J ournal • W aste • S pring 2015 • V olume 19 • I ssue 2 Berkeley.