The Center for Advanced Power Engineering Research (CAPER) is a collaboration among three universities and industry members focusing on research and educational needs in the electric power industry in the southeast region of the US. In attendance are CAPER researchers and students along with industry and government representatives to present current industry topics, update sponsored projects and take part in discussions about the Center’s research and opportunities to engage students.
We wish to thank Dr. Ning Lu, CAPER Center Co-Director at NC State University, for hosting the workshop. Special thanks go to Shannon Jenkins for all the many arrangements that were required for this event. We also wish to thank our Industry Members, Faculty and Students for participating in the Workshop, Reception and Poster Session.
Location –The meeting took place in the McKimmon Conference & Training Center at NC State University in Raleigh, NC.
Limited Seating Event Attendees – 77 (Faculty – 14, Industry – 32, Students – 31)
Wednesday, October 29th, 2025
1:00 pm – Workshop Welcome, Safety Moment & Commencement
Panel Session – Utility Perspectives (Distribution Challenges) – Accommodating Load Growth led by Dr. Robert Cox of UNC Charlotte and CAPER Director
Micah Till of Dominion Energy, opened the session with a discussion on issues surrounding distribution interconnections.
John Hart of Duke Energy shared an overview on how to modernize workforce for operations and maintenance of a modernized grid.
Panel Session – Utility Perspectives (Transmission Challenges) – led by Dr. Valentina Cecchi, UNC Charlotte and EPIC Associate Director
Zhangxin Zhou of Dominion Energy, discussed transmission planning challenges with large load integration.
Taylor Raffield of Duke Energy, then shared perspectives on challenges with traditional transmission line protection elements.
Panel Session – Faculty Perspectives – led by Drew Clarke, Duke Energy and CAPER Chair
Dr. Ning Lu of NC State University spoke on power system digital twin development and AI applications for power system data analysis.
Dr. Valentina Cecchi of UNC Charlotte shared what is currently driving EPIC’s research on advancements in grid technology and infrastructure.
Dr. Johan Enslin of Clemson University provided an overview on research development and innovation strategies for energy related technology.
The sessions ended with a collective discussion to prioritize and address current industry research needs.
Senior Design Project Introduction – The Clemson University team provided a summary of the current scope of CAPER’s Senior Design project, which focuses on “Design and Implementation of System Protection Schemes for Electric Utilities”. Participating teams consist of students from UNC Charlotte, NC State University and Clemson University.
Day 1 was followed with a Reception and CAPER Project Poster Session.
Thursday, October 30th, 2025
At 8:00 am, a CLOSED MEETING of the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) was held. IAB meetings are open to all employees of companies that are CAPER Industry Members.
The IAB led by Rebecca Rye of Dominion Energy, met to elect officers for 2025-2026, review CAPER initiatives and collect feedback for submission to the CAPER Steering Committee. Rebecca Rye was elected to continue in her role as the IAB Chair and Gokhan Cakir was elected as the Vice-Chair.
The morning session shared updates on the following CAPER Research Projects:
– PD-05: “Inertia Estimate Using Synchrophasor Measurements”, led by Dr. Ramtin Hadidi of Clemson University and CAPER Center Co-Director.
– PD-07: “Data Center Load Characterization for Grid Analysis and Planning”, led by Dr. Dingrui Li of Clemson University.
– PD-06: “A Machine Learning Based Automated Load Model Parameterization Tool”, led by Dr. Ning Lu of NC State University
– MRA-01-PD/EHP-10-PD: “Improving Power Flow Performance for IVVC Applications on NC Distribution Feeders with DERs” and PD-08: “Bad Data Detection and Investigation of Measurement Schemes to Improve Real-Time Power Flow Performance in Distribution Circuits with Solar Generation”, both led by Dr. Valentina Cecchi of UNC Charlotte
Panel Session – Industry Perspectives – led by Dr. Robert Cox of UNC Charlotte and CAPER Director
James Stoupis of ABB opened the session by introducing ABB’s US Corporate Research Center and to announce their recent membership with CAPER.
Manan Pandya of Siemens Energy then discussed challenges faced by transformer producers.
Taylor Hill of Advanced Energy finished the session by describing how their Power Systems Team focuses on utility-scale renewables integration.
Closing and Next Meeting
The workshop adjourned after announcing the next General Meeting will be hosted by UNC Charlotte at the Harris Alumni Center on March 25th-26th, 2026.
Presentations and Project Updates can be found by visiting www.caper-usa.com on the Members Only section of the website.
