2026 3rd International Symposium on New EnergyTechnologies and Power Systems (NETPS 2026)
Successfully Concluded in Hangzhou
From July 3 to 5, 2026, the 2026 3rd International Symposium on New Energy Technologies and Power Systems (NETPS 2026) was successfully held at the Science and Technology Museum of Hangzhou Dianzi University. The conference was jointly organized by IEEE, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Huanjiang Laboratory, and the Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab of Distributed Renewable Energy Integration and Consumption. It was hosted by the School of Automation (School of Artificial Intelligence), Hangzhou Dianzi University; Zhejiang Engineering Research Center of Regional Energy Internet Technology; and the Energy Internet Research Center, College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, with support from the Energy Internet Professional Committee of Zhejiang Society of Electric Power Engineering, IEEE PES Hangzhou Chapter, and IEEE PES PCCC Education Committee. Focusing on the theme of "Transmission-Distribution-Microgrid Coordination for Renewable Accommodation and Grid Security," this year’s conference received nearly 200 submissions, accepted 110 papers, and was held in a hybrid online-offline format.
Group Photo of Onsite Participants
In welcome address, Vice Dean Ping Luo of the School of Automation (School of Artificial Intelligence), Hangzhou Dianzi University, noted that the deep interdisciplinary integration of new energy, power systems, power electronics, artificial intelligence, communications, and control has long been one of the school’s distinctive strengths. She emphasized that the conference was of great significance for promoting collaborative innovation in related fields.
Vice Dean Ping Luo Delivers the Welcome Address
At the opening ceremony, Conference Chair Prof. Jianmin Zhang of Hangzhou Dianzi University reviewed the university’s pioneering work in microgrid research. In October 2008, Hangzhou Dianzi University collaborated with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) on the international demonstration project titled "Advanced and Stable Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Microgrid System." Based on this project, the university built on its Xiasha campus China’s first grid-connected microgrid demonstration system, which was also unique internationally for having a 50% photovoltaic generation share and a power capacity of 240 kW. The system made a pioneering contribution to microgrid technology research, application, and promotion in China. In 2024, the Action Plan for Accelerating the Construction of a New Power System (2024-2027), issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration, and the National Data Administration, for the first time proposed exploring a new active distribution-network dispatching model featuring transmission-distribution-microgrid coordination. In 2025, the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Power Grids (NDRC Energy [2025] No. 1710) further specified the need to "accelerate the construction of a new power-grid platform featuring transmission-distribution-microgrid coordination," elevating such coordinated development to the top-level architecture of the new power system. Against this background, the conference theme, "Transmission-Distribution-Microgrid Coordination for Renewable Accommodation and Grid Security," was both timely and academically valuable.
Conference Chair Prof. Jianmin Zhang Introduces the Agenda and Basic Information at the Opening Ceremony
The conference consisted of two sections: a technical forum and a market and policy forum. The morning technical forum featured five keynote speeches and one roundtable session. The afternoon market and policy forum featured two keynote speeches and one roundtable session. Oral presentations by young scholars and poster presentations were also arranged, with onsite expert reviews to select the Best Oral Presentation Awards and Best Poster Awards. The conference brought together renowned scholars and senior industry experts from China and abroad in power systems and energy for in-depth discussion and exchange around the conference theme.
During the keynote session, a number of renowned experts and scholars from China and abroad shared their latest research findings and insights. Tsinghua University is one of the first universities in China to establish an institute dedicated to microgrid research. Prof. Wenchuan Wu of Tsinghua University, an IEEE/CSEE Fellow, recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and Full Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, delivered a report titled "Active Support and Aggregated & Coordinated Control of Distributed Photovoltaics." He introduced the system architecture for aggregated dispatch and control of massive distributed photovoltaics, measurement-based trustworthy control technology for distribution networks, and adaptive grid-forming technology for distributed photovoltaics, and presented demonstration applications of 100% renewable energy microgrids in off-grid operation.
Prof. Wenchuan Wu Delivers His Report
The Electric Power Research Institute of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. is among the leading research institutions in microgrid industrial applications in China and abroad. Prof. Bo Zhao, Chief Expert at the Electric Power Research Institute of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd., professor and doctoral supervisor at North China Electric Power University, and Chief Expert of State Grid Corporation of China, delivered an online report titled "Mechanism Analysis and Engineering Practice of Long-Term Energy Storage Demand in Microgrids." He constructed a multi-scenario microgrid modeling framework, quantified the physical mechanism and economic crossover point of the system’s evolution from "short-term battery dominance" to "electricity-hydrogen long-term decoupling dominance," and further validated the feasibility and scalability of introducing a green hydrogen architecture into microgrids based on empirical data from the demonstration project in Cixi, China.
Prof. Bo Zhao Delivers His Report
Prof. Josep M. Guerrero, IEEE/CSEE Fellow, member of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences, Full Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark, and Director of the Center for Renewable Energy and Microgrids at Huanjiang Laboratory, Zhejiang University, is a renowned expert in the field of microgrids and renewable energy systems. At the conference, he delivered a report titled "Grid-forming Control: The Operating System of Power Systems — Twenty Years of Evolution from Earth to the Moon." He reviewed the two-decade development of grid-forming control, from early wireless load sharing and droop control to the standardization of hierarchical control architectures, and looked ahead to the expansion of the technology from terrestrial microgrids to energy systems for lunar bases.
Prof. Josep M. Guerrero Delivers His Report
Tianjin University is one of China’s leading universities in the development of microgrid and distribution-network technologies. Prof. Jun Xiao of Tianjin University delivered a report titled "A New Distribution System Configuration Featured with Normalized Secure and Efficient Bidirectional Power Flow." He proposed a normalized bidirectional power flow multi-level distribution system, whose core concept is to allow and encourage reverse power flows at all voltage levels during normal operation while ensuring system security. Under the same renewable penetration rate, the approach significantly reduces the required proportion of energy storage and effectively raises the upper limit of red-zone hosting capacity.
Prof. Jun Xiao Delivers His Report
Prof. Jianmin Zhang of Hangzhou Dianzi University and Prof. Qianzhi Zhang, a ZJU100 Young Professor and national young talent at Zhejiang University, jointly delivered a report titled "Active Virtual Microgrid Formation (AVMGF) for High-Penetration Distribution Networks." The report introduced the concept of Active Virtual Microgrid Formation (AVMGF) for the first time. Through exhaustive simulations, it verified the method’s significant effects in eliminating reverse power flow, resolving voltage violations, and reducing renewable energy curtailment. The report had previously won the Poster Gold Award at the 2026 Symposium on Microgrid in Finland.
IEEE PES Hangzhou Chapter Chair Yutao Qiu Presents Certificates for the Joint Report by Prof. Jianmin Zhang and Prof. Qianzhi Zhang
The morning technical roundtable was moderated by Prof. Jianmin Zhang. Prof. Wenchuan Wu of Tsinghua University, Prof. Jun Xiao of Tianjin University, Prof. Qianzhi Zhang of Zhejiang University, Xuesong Zhang, Director of the Distribution Department of the Electric Power Research Institute of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd., and Shaochun Wang, a distribution-network dispatching expert from the Customer Service Center of State Grid Shaoxing Power Supply Company, served as roundtable experts. They held in-depth discussions on key technical challenges and future research directions for transmission-distribution-microgrid coordination.
Morning Technical Roundtable
Prof. Fushuan Wen, IEEE Fellow and Professor at Zhejiang University, is one of China’s renowned scholars in power-market research and development. In the afternoon session, Prof. Wen delivered a report titled "Development History and Key Research Issues of Ancillary Services Markets in China." He systematically reviewed the development history of ancillary services markets in China’s power sector, the evolution of commodity value attributes, and recent developments in the "Two Detailed Rules," and offered forward-looking reflections on existing issues and possible solutions.
Prof. Fushuan Wen Delivers His Report
Prof. Jan Segerstam, Director of Research and Development at the University of Vaasa, Finland, is a renowned expert with more than 25 years of experience in European energy markets, flexibility, and data exchange. At this conference, he delivered an online report titled "Microgrid — From Island to Node: Turning the TSO–DSO–Flexible-Resource Chain into a Market." Drawing on practical experience from Finland’s FinFlex, the first joint TSO–DSO flexibility market in Europe, he explained how microgrids can transform from islanded operating systems into market-coupled nodes, providing an important reference for market-based operation of distribution networks with high penetration rates.
Prof. Jan Segerstam Delivers His Report
The afternoon market and policy roundtable was moderated by Prof. Fushuan Wen. Prof. Jan Segerstam of the University of Vaasa, Prof. Wenchuan Wu of Tsinghua University, Prof. Jianmin Zhang of Hangzhou Dianzi University, and other experts participated in lively discussions on the differences and characteristics of power markets in China, Finland, and Europe. In the field of power and energy markets with high penetration of renewable energy, Finland’s mechanism of coexistence, sharing, and collaboration rather than competition offers valuable lessons for further study.
Afternoon Market and Policy Roundtable
The conference specially established the Best Paper Awards, Best Oral Presentation Awards, and Best Poster Awards, all of which underwent rigorous review. The presentation of these awards not only recognized the academic achievements of the winners, but also encouraged and inspired the innovative spirit of all participating scholars.
Review Experts Present Certificates to Award Winners
The conference brought together experts, scholars, and researchers from China and abroad in the fields of new energy technologies and power systems. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on coordinated planning and operation of transmission, distribution and microgrids, as well as related key technologies, jointly promoting technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrading in new energy technologies and power systems. We look forward to NETPS 2027.