The activities carried out by the Electrical Engineering Research Area (EERA) in order to become a leading centre are as follows:

Wind power. The aim of the EERA in the field of wind power is to improve the capacity, the efficiency and the power quality of wind generation, as well as the reliability of wind turbines, wind farm facilities, connections to the grid, storage technologies and transmission systems for both on-shore and off-shore wind farms.

Microgrids. The aim of the EERA in the field of microgrids is to develop the necessary technology in power electronics, communications, automation and control; and to propose contributions to the design of microgrids, energy management, grid support capabilities, power quality and operational safety.

Electric vehicles. The aim of the EERA in the field of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles can be divided in the following fields: development of vehicles and components for the vehicles; integration with public grids and microgrids; development of energy policies and regulations; integration of the electric vehicle into the transportation system.

Theses supervised

The current research activities of the three main groups are as follows:

a) Power Electronics Research Group (PERG)

• Digital control of converters. High capacity digital control boards based on DSP, with generalised converter control and specially designed functions for energy systems.


• DC/AC, AC/DC and DC/DC bidirectional converter development. Creation of a laboratory to conduct research into electrical microgrids, energy storage systems and grid integration of renewable energy.


• Development of converters for electrical generation emulators (hardware-in-the-loop). Design and construction of emulators for wind turbines, photovoltaic systems, energy storage systems and electrical grids.

b) Power Systems Research Group (PSRG)

• Future electrical grids. Research on the control and operation of isolated and interconnected grids and microgrids, high voltage DC (HVDC) and flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS).


• Smart grid automation and communication. Industrial communication systems, IEC61850, smart metering, wide area monitoring, condition-based maintenance and electrical grid state estimation.


• Planning, analysis and operation of electrical grids. Grid integration of renewable energy and distributed generation, FACTS integration, detection, islanding and restoration of faults, energy efficiency optimisation, management of energy storage systems and FACTS devices.

c) Energy Economics Research Group (EERG)

• Regulation of energy sectors. Regulatory proposals regarding access tariffs, the payment of regulated activities, the quality of energy supplies, feed-in tariffs for renewable resources, grid codes for transmission and distribution networks, and new challenges in the regulations (e.g. smart grids and electric vehicles).


• Energy policy modelling. Use of advanced simulation tools for advising decision makers on the definition of energy policies. Development of studies on environmental taxation related to energy.


• Smart grids and demand-side management. Integration of simulation and optimisation tools for carrying out research in the field of smart grids, identifying new market opportunities and demand-side management tools.

Xavier Crusat Project Manager

Dr. Oriol Gomis Group Leader of Power Electronics

Dr. Andreas Sumper Group Leader of Electric Power Grids

Ignasi Cairo Head of Projects

Dr. Fernando Bianchi Researcher

Ramon Gumara Project Engineer

Albert Ruiz Project Engineer

Miquel Cruz Project Engineer

David Lavernia Project Engineer

David Berenguel Project Engineer

Aitor Romero Project Engineer

Dr. Lázaro Marco Enginyer de Projectes

Gerard Del Rosario Project Engineer

Oscar González Project Engineer

Laura Val Project Engineers

Dra.Cristina Corchero Project Engineer

Francisco Diaz PhD Fellowship

Luis Trilla PhD Fellowship

José Luis Dominguez PhD Fellowship

Mikel de Prada PhD Fellowship

Mousa Marzband PhD Fellowship

Jordi Pegueroles PhD Fellowship

Mireia Gracia Assistant

Manel Sanmarti Adjunt a Cap de l'Àrea Electrònica de Potència i Xarxes Elèctriques

Joaquim Lloberas Project Engineer

• DER – IREC 22 @ MICROGRID: Build an experimental station which integrates into an interconnected and intelligent microgrid a number of existing Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) with energy consumption elements.
• Digital HOME- IREC Living Lab: Creation of a multi-channel platform for interactive, personalized content for energy efficiency in buildings.
• V.E.R.D.E.: Investigate the technologies that will allow the integration of the electric vehicle in Spain as well as their introduction in the Spanish market.
• GREEN eMOTION: Development and demonstration of a unique and user-friendly framework for green electromobility in Europe.
• Charge & Ride: Improving the energy efficiency of a railway system understood as a subsystem within a microgrid.
• NOVARE: Study of the impact of the electrical vehicle with a slow charge demonstrator of 10kW and a fast charge one of 50kW. Development of the V2G technology and integration of the charge points in the microgrid.
• SURTIDOR: The study, design and test of an ultra-fast recharging station with D.C. batteries for electrical vehicles which will transfer the power by direct contact.
• KIC-Active SubStations: Extending the smart grid capabilities to fully exploit the available energy production of DER, and managing the demands and services offered by electric transportation and domestic storage by maximizing their integration into the grid through active distribution sub-stations.
• KIC-EVCity: To reduce the energy use and environmental/health impact of individual transport in urban areas, an integrated approach is needed for a transition to a sustainable electrified transport system based on local, renewable energy carriers; by developing a user-friendly, grid-efficient and cost-effective integration of electric vehicles in urban areas.
• KIC-Smart Power: Develop innovative methods for efficient design and operation of a smart grid and coordinate applications of innovative smart grids.
• KIC-Instinct: The objective of the project is Optimal design of robust, secure, interoperable and scalable ICT solutions that enable active distribution networks and facilitate new models for customer involvement.
• Windleader: Modelling and control of wind turbines and wind farms. Development of control algorithms for a permanent magnet synchronous generator and a dual-fuel engine for wind energy generation applications.
• EMERGE: The study and development of electrical engineering associated with deep water offshore wind power: generation, generator design and transmission, AC-DC line types, connection to the coast, etc.
• VENDAVAL: Analysis, modelling and simulation of possible configurations of offshore wind farm.
• AZIMUT: Conceptual improvements of three main components of a large offshore wind turbine: Rotor Blades, Drive Train and the Substructures.
• KIC-OFFWINDTECH: The aim of this project is to identify the main challenges and limitations in offshore wind energy and to seek and analyze viable alternatives in the field of power transmission, drive train technology and offshore blades.