Background
Andrew is a Research Associate with the Centre for Renewable Energy and Systems Technology working on the integration of low carbon technologies onto the electricity distribution network. Andrew is currently working on the Losses Investigation project, funded by Western Power Distribution Ltd, assessing the scale of energy losses on 11 kV and low voltage networks. This includes design of monitoring systems, statistical analysis of the measurement data, and development of novel methods for predicting losses more generally without requiring detailed instrumentation.
Andrew’s broader research interests cover the design of networks that can support an increased number of solar PV systems, electric vehicles, heat pumps and electricity storage. This means understanding the relationships between the time variation and flexibility of electricity demand, and the physical design of feeder networks, cables, transformers and of the low carbon technology appliances. Andrew is developing a set of Python-based tools for network power-flow analysis and electricity demand simulation that enable detailed models to be created. A key requirement of software models is that they should be verified against real-world data and so Andrew’s research has a strong focus on the interpretation of modelling and measurement so that the conclusions are reliable.