Giovanni De Carne

Giovanni De Carne is head of the junior research group Real Time System for Energy Technologies at the Institute of Technical Physics at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) since 2020. One month ago, Giovanni De Carne received a tenure-track W1 professorship. We extend our warmest congratulations here and wish him continued success.

Giovanni De Carne's work focuses on the development, modeling and experimental verification of new energy systems solutions. These enable better integration of renewables into the energy system and increase grid stability. We spoke with him in an interview about his research.

Interview:

What are you working on right now?

Giovanni De Carne: I am developing solutions that provide more flexibility in the utility grid. My focus is modeling complex power systems mainly with real-time digital simulators, so-called digital twins, and developing new control strategies based on the developed models. With these strategies, we can better control the utility grid and thereby increase flexibility in the power system. I am also working on experimental verification of the developed models and strategies using the "Power Hardware in the Loop" (PHIL) approach. This approach can be used to experimentally test new hardware under simulated and realistic grid conditions.

What drives you personally?

Giovanni De Carne: Exploring the unknown. I am motivated by looking for solutions that no one has considered yet and that can only be found by "thinking out of the box". It is not my goal (or drive) to follow the mainstream, achieve high citation counts, or get lots of awards. On the contrary, I want to make a long-term difference in my field.

What challenges do you see for yourself in the near future?

Giovanni de Carne: Many ideas and projects have emerged. As a result, my research group has grown from a few members in 2020 to 20 members now. Of these, 11 are PhD students, 5 are Master students and 4 are technicians. I am currently facing the challenge of managing this group: how can I optimize the work of the group to make it more productive while reducing the workload of each individual? How can I encourage my graduate students in their personal development so that they will one day become outstanding scientists and scholars? And how can I manage my own time and energy to fulfill my roles as manager, mentor, and scientist?

What would you like to see for your research in the future?

Giovanni De Carne: I would like to see my research results applied and finding practical use in daily life.

Where do you see your discipline in 5-10 years?

Giovanni De Carne: My research field has been growing exponentially for the last few years, both in the scientific field and in industry. Some of my early work is now getting attention after a few years. I believe in 5-10 years we will see the solutions we are working on today integrated in the energy grid as well as in the market.

ORCID: 0000-0002-3700-2902