Editing by Kate Yuan

Professor Alex Huang of the University of Texas at Austin won the Energy Internet Pioneer Award at the 5th IEEE International Conference on Energy Internet and Energy System Integration (IEEE EI²) in late October for his outstanding contributions in the Energy Internet concept and energy router technology.

Source: website of the University of Texas at Austin

Alex Huang is a well-known expert in power semiconductor devices, power electronics, and smart grid technology. He is now the Dula D. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering of the University of Texas at Austin, IEEE Fellow, NAI Fellow.

Dr. Huang received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Zhejiang University in 1983 and his M.S. degree from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in 1986. In 1992, he earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Cambridge.

He put forward to use Solid State Transformer (SST) to realize the functions of the Energy Internet. MIT Technology Review named his work on the SST as one of the world's ten most important emerging technologies in 2011, according to the website of the University of Texas at Austin. He also proposed using frequency signals as dynamic pricing signals for energy transactions and applying blockchain and game theory engines for fully distributed market clearing.

The IEEE EI² set up the Energy Internet Pioneer Award to commend scholars who have made pioneering contributions to the Energy Internet worldwide. The award goes to at most one person each year, and Alex Huang is the second award-winning scientist since the award's establishment.