Get to know the researchers: Doctor Anuradha Annaswamy

Dr. Anuradha Annaswamy is part of the UI-ASSIST project and is the director of the active-adaptive control laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). According to the MIT Institute for Data Systems and Society website, “Dr. Annaswamy is the author of a hundred journal publications and numerous conference publications, co-author of a graduate textbook on adaptive control, co-editor of several reports including “Systems &Control for the future of humanity, research agenda: Current and future roles, impact and grand challenges,” “IEEE Vision for Smart Grid Control: 2030 and Beyond,” and Impact of Control Technology.”

From the beginning technical co-lead of the UI-ASSIST project, Dr. Anurag Srivastava reached out to Annaswamy, asking her to join the project. Annaswamy said that signing up for the project was a no brainer, and the topic of UI-ASSIST was applicable, especially the idea of getting electricity to people who don’t have it.

“It was a big collaboration between the US and India, so it was like returning back home for me in a way, so that part was very appealing,” Annaswamy said.

For UI-ASSIST, Annaswamy works on the distributed optimization of the project, as well as developing algorithms for grids.

“Working on the distributed optimization aspects of [UI-ASSIST] and developing various kinds of algorithms for grid services when you have a large amount of renewables and storage. Developing a whole market structure for encouraging people who are owners of these renewable energy assets to come to the table and help participate in the overall electricity delivery to the grid,” Annaswamy said.

The power of collaboration is one of the biggest things that Annaswamy highlights as her time with the UI-ASSIST project, along with the international perspectives that were given. Annaswamy works on themes six and seven of the project, with those topics being “DSO Functions/Energy Management and DSO-Market and Regulatory issues respectively.

One of the functions of theme six focuses on load profiling and forecasting, which according to energy.gov, is what utilities use to collect data about what functions of electricity are being used, such as lighting.