Xiao-Ping ZhangView profile
Professor
Professor Xiao-Ping Zhang is a full-time Professor of Electrical Power Systems at the Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, UK. He holds leadership roles as Director of Smart Grid at the Birmingham Energy Institute and Co-Director of the Birmingham Energy Storage Centre (sponsored by EPSRC), and leads the Electrical Power & Control Systems Group. PhD in Electrical Engineering, 1993 MSc in Electrical Engineering, 1990 BEng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering, 1988 His research focuses on the transformation of modern power systems, with core interests in Smart Grids, HVDC and FACTS technologies, renewable energy integration (wind and wave), control of PHEVs in power grids, energy markets using game theory, smart metering, distributed energy management, and wide-area grid awareness. He pioneered the concepts of 'Global Power & Energy Internet' and 'Energy Union,' the latter adopted by the European Commission, and envisioned the Midlands as the UK’s 'Energy Valley,' now realized through national initiatives. His recent publications reflect a strong trend in advancing HVDC/FACTS control, stability analysis in renewable-rich grids, energy storage integration, smart grid optimization, and market modeling. The articles span high-impact journals such as IEEE Transactions on Power Systems and IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, demonstrating sustained leadership in electrical power engineering. IEEE Fellow IET Fellow Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellow Foreign Fellow of Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering (CSEE) Professor Zhang has secured substantial research grants from UK Government (Science City Initiative), EPSRC, FP7 EU Smart Energy Network Programme, and industry partners. He advises doctoral students in key areas of power systems and smart grids. He established two advanced laboratories at the University of Birmingham: the Smart Power Grid Laboratory and the Real-time Power Grid Simulation, Measurement, Protection and Control Laboratory. He also initiated the UK-China Smart Grid Workshop series, leading to 13 joint research projects. He is actively involved in professional leadership, serving as Editor for IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid and IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, IEEE PES Distinguished Lecturer, Secretary of IFAC Technical Committee on Power and Energy Systems Control, and Co-Chair of the IEEE PES Working Group on Test Systems for Economic Analysis. He has contributed to UK national energy policy, including reports for the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology.





