2021
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Why did you choose to do graduate education at NUS? If you received offers from other universities, why did you pick NUS?
I wanted to pursue research on something that is practical and can be applied in real life relatively soon, not 10-20 years later. Singapore in general, and NUS in particular, are known for the generous funding in applied research. Moreover, after finishing my integrated Masters degree in the UK, I wanted to be closer to my family in Indonesia, and as the top university in Asia, NUS is an obvious choice.
How does graduate school compare to your undergraduate experience?
Graduate school gives me much more freedom than undergraduate course did. I was totally free to pursue my research interest and there are not as many structured or compulsory sessions to attend, which fits me better.
Briefly share about your research or thesis (i.e. dissertation topic for Masters by Coursework students).
With the widespread adoption of photovoltaic (PV) systems across the world, many researchers, industry players, and regulators have been exploring the use of reactive power from PV to support the grid. My thesis is the first to comprehensively quantify and analyse the techno-economic cost and benefits of reactive power support using PV. On top of formulating the cost of PV reactive power and identifying the feasible range of its monetary incentives, my thesis has also proposed practical methods to implement the reactive power dispatch effectively and efficiently, with and without communication infrastructure. The findings and approaches in my work can therefore help power system planners and operators towards better integration of PV into the electrical grid, both in terms of regulation and implementation.