Dr Ivana Kockar

Reader

Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Personal statement

I received my PhD degree from McGill University (Montreal, Canada), and currently am Reader within the Institute for Energy and Environment at the University of Strathclyde. In addition, worked in industry for several years.

Currently, with a team of PhD students and researchers, I lead a work that is looking at various aspect of developing new methodologies, approaches and tools to enable integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), including renewable resources, into power networks. This is a multidisciplinary work that includes development of new centralized and decentralised optimization tools for active network management of systems with distributed generation, demand participation and energy storage. Furthermore, my work includes development of new market designs and regulatory analyses of TSO-DSO coordination solutions brought on by significant increase in DERs and their participation in various electricity markets.

To evaluate behaviour of different market participants and evaluate their interactions, my team is also applying agent based modelling to evaluate new arrangements that can enable demand flexibility though market solutions and/or aggregators.

In addition, in collaboration with colleagues from Management science we are looking at applications of Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to look at evolvement of future power networks, and also in development of decision tools that can help find solutions to improve and accelerate connections of distributed generators to already constrained distribution networks.

I am actively involved in IEEE Power and Energy society and my past roles include

Chair of the IEEE PES Computing and Analytical Methods Subcommittee (CAMS)
Co-Organizer and Co-Chair of the IEEE PES Task Force: Agent-Based Modelling of Smart Grid Market Operations

Expertise

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Prize And Awards

Outstanding Engineer Award: Recipient; 2024
Best Innovation Project: Recipient; 12/2015
Work selected as one of best papers and included in Special Issues of International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, dedicated to: Recipient; 7/2008

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Publications

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Publications

DSO risk management strategies for reducing risk caused by actions in future flexibility markets: Howorth Gary, Kockar Ivana; IET Conference Proceedings Vol 2024, pp. 970-973 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1049/icp.2024.1976
Understanding the impact of human & corporate behaviours on DSO planning: Howorth Gary, Kockar Ivana; IET Conference Proceedings Vol 2024, pp. 966-969 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1049/icp.2024.1977
Enhanced virtual power plant design and implementation lessons: Howorth G, Kockar I, Tuohy P, Flett G, Bingham J; IET Conference Proceedings Vol 2023, pp. 3679-3683 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1049/icp.2023.0758
The impact of forecasting accuracy on the economic performance of flexibility provision: Howorth G, Kockar I, Tuohy P, Flett G, Bingham J; IET Conference Proceedings Vol 2023, pp. 4038-4042 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1049/icp.2023.0471
Business models for virtual power plants and their impact on economic operation: Howorth G, Kockar I, Tuohy P, Flett G, Bingham J; IET Conference Proceedings Vol 2023, pp. 3689-3693 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1049/icp.2023.0754
VPP implementations : different types of services developed, experiences and platforms: Howorth Gary, Kockar Ivana; Grid Services Market 2024 (2024)

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Teaching

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Teaching

My current teaching interests include:

Advanced Power System Analysis and Design
Power System Economics
Power Systems and Wind Integration (course for Doctoral Training Centre)
Supervision of undergraduate individual and group projects as well as MSc group and individual projects

My previous teaching at Strathclyde included:

Power System Analysis and Design
Power Systems Engineering
Wind Energy and Distributed Energy Resources
Management of MSc group and individual projects and case studies
Integrating Studies will Laboratory for Power Engineering
Software Engineering
Professional Studies

Research

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Research Interests

New approaches, models and tools for integration of DER resources
Operation of multi-vector energy systems, including heat, transport and hydrogen
TSO-DSO integration and coordination schemes, including transition towards a DSO
Aggregation of DER flexibility and local energy markets
Provision of reserve by different market participants both at transmission and distribution levels
Electricity market models, policy rules and pricing mechanisms
Application of agent-based modelling for analysis of aggregation and trading at different electricity markets
Power System operation, planning and economics
Application of HPC for power system analysis tools
Emissions trading and policies to achieve low carbon power systemsMulti Criteria Decision Analysis for policy decisions regarding network structures: centralized vs. decentralized power systems