Santiago Grijalva

Santiago Grijalva is the Co-Founder and Chairman of ProsumerGrid, Inc., a company focused on developing innovative software solutions for distributed energy resource (DER) grid simulation and planning. His work primarily involves enhancing the capabilities of electric utilities to integrate renewable energy sources effectively, thereby supporting sustainability and net-zero initiatives.

Educational Background and Career

• Degrees: Grijalva holds an Electrical Engineering degree from EPN-Ecuador (1994), a Master's in Information Systems from ESPE-Ecuador (1997), and both an MS (1999) and PhD (2002) in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• Professional Experience: He has previously served as the Center Director at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and has held roles in various academic and research institutions, including Georgia Tech, where he has been an associate professor since 2009. His expertise encompasses decentralized power system architectures and renewable energy integration.124

Research Contributions

Dr. Grijalva is a prolific researcher with over 250 peer-reviewed publications. His research interests include:

• Optimization and control algorithms for electricity transmission and distribution.
• Integration of renewable energy sources like solar and wind into existing power systems.
• Cybersecurity in grid systems.
• Applications of machine learning to improve electricity systems.23

He has received numerous awards for his contributions to the field, including the Georgia Tech ECE Outstanding Faculty Award and the ARPA-E More Than Smart Grid Disruptor Award.2

Leadership at ProsumerGrid

Under his leadership, ProsumerGrid aims to address the growing need for sophisticated planning tools to meet sustainability goals set by utilities. The company is currently piloting its software with several electric utility companies to validate its effectiveness before broader deployment.14