Yufan Zhang
UC San Diego
yuz254@ucsd.edu
Bio
Yufan Zhang is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California San Diego. She received her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2022, and a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Chongqing University in 2017. Her research lies in machine learning and optimization, with applications in sustainable energy and power systems. She is a recipient of multiple rewards, including the Rising Stars in Cyber-Physical Systems in 2024 and the PES General Meeting Best Paper Award in 2020.
Areas of Research
- Electromagnetics and Energy
Redesigning Forecasting Products for Renewable Integration by Decision-focused Learning
To achieve carbon neutrality, energy systems are transiting toward a more sustainable future, by replacing fossil-fuel-driven power plants with weather-dependent renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Introducing renewable energy sources requires rethinking forecasts that inform the uncertainty, and how forecasts impact the system operation. My research aims to understand how improved forecasts can be used to operate the system under uncertainty to reduce operating costs and improve decision-making robustness. Accordingly, my research agenda is centered around developing decision-focused forecasting tools. Thrust 1 emphasizes the role of forecasts in reducing expected operating costs of sequential energy dispatch. It seeks to improve renewable energy forecasts toward minimizing expected operating costs of the entire operation. Thrust 1 primarily deals with normal operations, and contributes theoretically by characterizing the impact of forecasts on sequential operating goals through the establishment of an analytical function. To immune systems against all potential realizations of uncertain renewable energy, Thrust 2 enhances forecasts to enable robust system operation while preserving cost efficiency.