Dr Furong Li

            Reader

            EPSRC Advanced Fellowship

            Email: eesfl@bath.ac.uk or f.li@bath.ac.uk

 

            Tel: +44 1225 386416

            Fax: +44 1225 386305

 

 

 

 

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

My research is concerned with developing fundamentally new economic concepts and theories in the field of electrical systems. The goal is to incentivise sustainability and promote efficiency in energy generation, transmission and consumption. By combining market economics with technical analyses, my interdisciplinary research generates new innovative solutions to encourage timely investment in energy generation and transmission and promote efficiencies in energy consumption. My research sits between two major disciplines - electrical power and energy systems and market economics. It is thus strongly interdisciplinary.  It has the following three main strands:

 

·      Assessment of how alternative energy generations (such as wind, solar, biomass energies) and storage devices can best complement existing and future generation and how they can best contribute to a sustainable energy mix for the future;

·      Evaluation of the dynamic interactions between the three parts of the energy supply chain -  energy generation, transportation and consumption. Evaluation of their interactions with market incentives, regulations and policies;

·      Development of alternative, efficient market and regulatory strategies to enable an efficient development of flexible transmission systems, so that they are better placed to cope with increasing penetration in renewable energy and responsive demand in the future.

 

KEY RESEARCH OUTPUTS

1.    Developed a novel long-run incremental cost (LRIC) pricing for the use of an energy network. The benefit of the LRIC pricing model is demonstrated through a study commissioned by Ofgem (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets). The study suggests that a cost saving of £200m could be achieved by moving to this economic pricing model.  Ofgem used this evidence to urge the UK’s 14 distribution companies to move to a more economic pricing model for the use of their networks.  The local distribution company – Western Power Distribution adopted the pricing model for its EHV networks, other key distribution network operators such as EDF and CE Electric are to follow.

 

2.    Quantified the magnitudes of benefits of introducing autonomous regional active management system (AuRA-NMS) to distribution networks as part of EPSRC strategic partnership with ABB, Scottish Power (SP) and EDF.  The benefits were quantified in terms of reduction in network losses and generation curtailment on the SP’s Aberystwyth 33KV network, when it expects to connect 44MW of new wind capacity by 2020. The study highlights that combined investment in network primary assets and increased distribution automation can offer much improved performance with significantly reduced investment in the network.

RECENT GRANTS

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

CURRENT PHD STUDENTS AND RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

PAST PHD STUDENTS

 

[Electrical Power & Energy Systems]