Dr.-Ing. Nils Hoffmann receives the VDE/ETG best paper award

The German VDE Power Engineering Society annually award outstanding publications as a recognition for excellent scientific work and publicistic contributions in the field of electronical power engineering. VDE selection criteria apply in particular to the scientific and economic significance of a work, creativity and originality. This year the VDE/ETG Literature Award goes to Nils Hoffmann of Ingenieurbüro Hoffmann GmbH in recognition of his outstanding scientific and journalistic achievements.

Renewable energies in general and the energy revolution in particular are often discussed and late-breaking topics in media, politics and society. Renewable energies accounted for almost 25 percent of Germany’s gross electricity consumption in 2013. Therefore, industry and science are investing in research to improve energy efficiency: “The increasing decentralisation of energy generation by renewable energy producers, such as wind turbines or photovoltaic systems, is leading to far-reaching changes in current and future grid structures. For this reason it is important to find out how, for example, wind turbines exist in the new grid environment and how they can also actively support the grids.” explains Nils Hoffmann. The article published in February 2014 in the journal IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (Vol. 28, No. 2) on the minimal invasive equivalent grid impedance estimation in inductive-resistive power-networks using extended kalman-filter provides information on this. For the first time, a closed approach for minimally invasive real-time identification of equivalent grid parameters by power converters already connected to the grid was presented in this research. But also the goal-oriented, clearly formulated and well-structured research methodology convinced the VDE jury.

It was Nils Hoffmann’s many years of research in the field of control of power electronic applications that led to these findings: As a research assistant at the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany, and through his cooperation with well-known companies such as Danfoss Drives A/S and Converteam GmbH, Nils Hoffmann has made power electronics the subject of numerous publications and awards, such as the IEEE ECCE 2012 Student Presentation Award. “However, the award of the VDE/ETG literature prize is something special for me, because it shows that the publication makes a significant scientific contribution to the problem of the required properties of decentralised power generation plants and is also highly relevant in an international environment.” says Nils Hoffmann. The VDE/ETG Literature Award 2014 will be presented to the winner at the award ceremony at the 12th CIGRE/CIRED information event on 1 October 2014 in the Congress Center Leipzig.

Under the leadership of development manager Nils Hoffmann, the fields of power electronics, electric drives and regenerative energy technology have been expanding the portfolio of Ingenieurbüro Hoffmann GmbH based in Halle (Saale) since January 2014. Here, consulting activities, predevelopments, simulative and metrological investigations as well as further system analyses are offered in order to solve given problems with the help of development-related research and the latest scientific findings.

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Author: Nadja Hoffmann, 07. August 2014