The Power Plant Monitoring and Control Research Group was established in 2010 following the dissolution of the Electrical Engineering Group and its consolidation with parts of the Power Plant Operation Group. The group was established with the aim of conducting applied research projects and providing laboratory services in the field of control and instrumentation for the power industry, particularly power plants.
The group has carried out numerous projects in various areas of power plant measurement, monitoring, and control systems. These activities cover a wide range of topics, including identification and modeling of power plant processes, process control methods, performance and condition monitoring, thermal power plant control, hydropower plant control, distributed generation control, power plant simulators, protection, and safety levels in power plant control systems. In addition, the group operates three laboratories: a Calibration Laboratory, a Performance Testing Laboratory, and an Industrial Automation Laboratory.
Subsequently, as the group shifted its focus from conducting applied projects addressing the current needs of the power industry toward anticipating and addressing the future requirements of Iran’s electricity sector, its research activities and projects have increasingly focused on key issues and emerging needs in the areas of systems and control. These studies, largely influenced by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, place particular emphasis on the application of embedded systems and the Internet, networking of control systems, the role of control systems in higher-level decision-making, data technologies, automation, and intelligent systems.
The Monitoring and Control Research Group seeks to leverage emerging technologies and advanced tools in the field of systems and control worldwide, together with the capabilities of universities and research institutions across the country, to lead the development and application of state-of-the-art knowledge in systems and control within the electricity industry and facilitate the modernization of related technologies at the national level.
Given the pivotal role of control systems in the ongoing industrial revolution, the outcomes of these efforts will have a significant impact on the future knowledge base and technological development of the electricity industry. Achieving these objectives requires the continued attention, contribution, and collaboration of researchers and decision-makers interested in this field.