As increasing energy demand and affordability challenges reshape the electric grid, bridging the gap between academic research and real-world utility execution has never been more important. What works in the lab doesn’t always translate in the field, but at the same time, developments rapid electrification and inverter based resources have pushed the grid passed the limits of legacy modeling. It’s why utilities rely on universities and national labs to deliver the field-ready tools, training frameworks, and specialized insights needed to modernize the grid.
That process is something that Dr. Leo Jiang, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Director of the Center for Electric Power Systems Research at Clarkson University, will be exploring in detail at DTECH Northeast during the Standardizing Power Quality Modeling for DER Grid Compatibility at Scalesession. We caught up with him for the latest episode of the Factor This Podcast to get a sense of how utilities can leverage university research to modernize legacy assets, what it means to refine dynamic modeling, how to cultivate the technical talent needed for a resilient grid and much more.
Listen to the audio-only version of the episode:
Bridging Academia and Utility Workflows
Closing the gap between theoretical research and field deployment requires a partnership between academia and industry that’s best on trust and mutually beneficial outcomes. For university models to deliver real-world value, they need to deal with the sort of operational friction and practical challenges that transmission and distribution operators deal with on a daily basis. Leading institutions such as Clarkson University and Dr. Jiang’s research team are working directly with entities NYISO, Avangrid, NYPA, and General Electric (GE) Vernova to solve these challenges in tandem.
“To enable a sustainable, affordable, and resilient electric power grid, there are two critical pillars: talent and technology,” said Dr. Jiang. “But at the end of the day, it’s talent that develops technology. That’s why universities play such a unique role in this energy transition.”
Using actual utility data and joint simulation environments, teams can thoroughly test and de-risk emerging tools prior to deployment. However, building a more resilient grid requires operators who can use today’s data to drive operational stability in the future, seamlessly bridging legacy infrastructure with new technology.
Coupling Legacy Infrastructure with Solar, Wind and More
Grid modernization rarely requires tearing down existing assets. Many substations and transformers built over half a century ago still have impressive health scores and remain structurally sound. Rather than wholesale replacement, modernizing the grid means pairing these resilient physical assets with advanced digital monitoring, control systems, and power electronics to work seamlessly alongside the assets we’ve relied on for decades. It’s a process that can be complicated by a variety of factors, which can include power quality, voltage compatibility, and the reliable operation of customer equipment.
“It’s the reason we’re focused on working with the utility to solve interconnection challenges and have those findings integrated into the utility workflow,” Dr. Jiang told Factor This. “It’s not just about resolving these issues on pilot projects, but is instead about what we can learn from the field to better enable interconnection procedures.”
Modernizing interconnection procedures is essential to safely onboarding solar, wind, BESS, and EV infrastructure. As these inverter-based resources dominate generation and consumption, they’ll require entirely new control and protection frameworks that can be specific to a given region or area.
Standardizing dynamic performance requirements prevents unexpected DER disconnections and mitigates power quality issues before they cascade across the system. At DTECH Northeast, Dr. Jiang will unpack how Northeast utilities are tackling these exact operational challenges head-on.
Moving Power Quality to Proactive Planning
Leveraging hardware-in-the-loop and digital twin environments, such as NYPA’s AGILe Lab that won a 2025 Grid Changer Award, allows researchers and utilities to simulate state-level grid interactions, high-voltage DC (HVDC) links, and grid-forming converters under actual field conditions. At DTECH Northeast, Dr. Jiang will be joined by Victor Daldegan Paduani from New York Power Authority to showcase how DER flexibility and DER control can avoid what might otherwise be costly power quality issues. Their efforts have proven what it means for utilities to expand renewable capacity without cost-prohibitive infrastructure upgrades.
As the power grid gets that much more complicated, there’s a temptation to build increasingly intricate models that illustrate every possibility. However, effective utility engineering is all about balancing practical modeling with actionable decision-making. Engineers need to identify the right level of granularity for each specific operational decision, avoiding unnecessary complexity that can obscure practical field solutions.
“Don’t confuse a more sophisticated model with a better decision,” said Dr. Jiang. “The power system is becoming more complex, but the real value of engineering is knowing what level of detail actually matters for the decision we need to make.”
Building a resilient grid requires a unified strategy that connects advanced EMT modeling with standardized power quality frameworks. These strategies are ultimately through direct collaboration between academic researchers and utility practitioners that defines the workforce of the present and future.
At DTECH Northeast, Dr. Jiang and industry leaders will showcase the real-world results of this collaborative model, providing attendees with everything they need to implement something similar as a platform and process.
Learn more aboutDTECHNortheast andregister for the event.
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