Dr. Renuka Loka is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Center for Microgrid Research at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her Ph.D. focused on “Frequency Regulation in Renewable and Storage integrated Systems”. She worked on optimization techniques for distributed frequency control, blockchain applications for power and energy systems, data-driven uncertainty modeling using Machine Learning, frequency regulation in renewable and storage-integrated power systems, and deep reinforcement learning. She has hands on experience in designing and validating optimized controllers for frequency control using dSPACE MicroLabBox hardware in loop testing. She has 5 journal publications, 7 conference publications, and 3 book chapters.
She received Ph.D. fellowship enhancement awards from BITS-Pilani, Hyderabad Campus. She was awarded gold medal for outstanding academic achievement amongst the students of M. Tech in Electrical Power Engineering, 2016-18, from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology.
Dr. Loka was nominated as the Ph.D. student senate representative and volunteered as a senator between December 2021 and April 2023. She is also a reviewer to journals including IEEE Systems Journal, Computer and Electrical Engineering, Energy Sources, Part A and Measurement and Control. As a dedicated researcher passionate about renewable energy integration, she is committed to driving innovation and solving real-world problems.
Renuka Loka
Postdoctoral Scholar
Center for Microgrid Research
- Education
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, 2023
M. Tech in Electrical Power Engineering, Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology, 2018
B. Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada, 2012
- Expertise
Microgrids, Optimization and Control, Renewable energy, Data-driven modeling, Reinforcement Learning