Samuel Okhuegbe: Pioneering renewable energy development with artificial intelligence

The transition to renewable energy is essential for a sustainable future, but significant challenges must be addressed to achieve it. One such challenge lies in accurately modeling power grids to evaluate the impact of integrating renewable energy sources. Samuel Okhuegbe, an innovator at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and power systems, is tackling this issue head-on by developing advanced tools and algorithms.

Samuel’s groundbreaking work focuses on applying AI to enhance the reliability and efficiency of renewable energy systems. His recent breakthrough in using machine learning to create an accurate model of the Texas power grid marks a first-of-its-kind achievement. This research earned him the Third Best Paper Award at the IEEE Texas Power and Energy Conference in 2024. His contributions have been published in top-tier journals, where they have received widespread recognition and citations. Samuel was also a key contributor to a large-scale Department of Energy (DOE) project, collaborating with leading experts from national laboratories and universities to develop methods for ensuring reliable power through renewable energy integration.

Samuel’s career is marked by a series of accolades that highlight his expertise and dedication. In 2012, he was honored with the Etisalat Merit Award for academic excellence, and in 2015, he received the CODET/NCC Award for being the Best Engineering Graduating Student from Federal Universities in Nigeria. His research journey continued with the prestigious African Union’s Pan African University Scholarship in 2017, where he explored optimization algorithms for sizing renewable energy systems. Now a Bredesen Center Fellow at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Samuel is conducting doctoral research on using AI to optimize renewable energy systems in large power grids.

With his innovative solutions and relentless pursuit of excellence, Samuel Okhuegbe is making a tangible impact in advancing global renewable energy. His work not only addresses critical challenges in power systems but also paves the way for sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy solutions worldwide.