Luis Gutiérrez
I received the Ph.D. degree from The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK, in 2018 and the B.Eng. degree in electrical engineering from Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, in 2009. My general interest is the active operation of future distribution networks (real time operation and short term operation planning), with an emphasis on energy efficiency and the integration of low carbon technologies (e.g., photovoltaics, electric vehicles, energy storage). In particular, quantifying their impacts on medium and low voltage networks as well as proposing operational control strategies for their mitigation, including optimization-based approaches. Recently, as a postdoctoral researcher, I worked on the role of energy storage aggregators in providing services to the system. Particularly, proposing frameworks to guarantee network integrity while trading services (role of the distribution system operator), and assessing the impacts of distribution network constraints on the provision of these services. Currently, I am an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Energy Engineering at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and Associate Researcher at the Solar Energy Research Center (SERC), both in Santiago, Chile. I also contribute to the Smart Grids group at The University of Melbourne, Australia, as a “remote visiting researcher”.
I have always linked my research to industry. As part of my PhD project, I contributed to the “Smart Street” project of Electricity North West Limited (ENWL), UK, where innovative operational strategies were trialled to enable the efficient integration of low carbon technologies to distribution networks. Before, in my B.Eng. thesis, I assessed the efficacy of voltage reductions in primary substations to achieve energy savings in Chilectra (now Enel). To enable this, I developed a methodology to extract voltage-dependant load models at primary substations from trial data. I have five years of working experience in distribution and transmission companies in Chile, where my last position was “Senior Specialist in Operation Studies” in Chilectra.
I volunteered as chair of the IEEE Student Branch PES Chapter at The University of Manchester in 2016, which was awarded with the annual High Performing Student Branch Chapter Program in early 2017. Moreover, in 2017, I was appointed as the volunteer coordinator for the 12th IEEE PES PowerTech Conference held in Manchester. I also have teaching assistant and mentoring experience at The University of Manchester (UK), The University of Melbourne (Australia), Universidad de Chile, Universidad de Los Andes and Universidad Andrés Bello (Chile).