Rajiv K. Varma

Professor

Ph.D. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, India (1988)
B.Tech. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, India (1980)



Dr. Rajiv K. Varma is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at The University of Western Ontario (UWO). He held the position of “Hydro One Chair in Power Systems Engineering” established by Hydro One Networks Inc. - the largest transmission and distribution utility in Ontario, Canada, from 2012 until the culmination of the Chair program in 2015. He has over 35 years’ rich experience in academia.

KEY CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 

RESEARCH AWARDS:

  1. Varma was elevated to IEEE Fellow in 2025 for contributions in developing technology for static synchronous compensators (STATCOM).
    STATCOM is a key member of Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) technology.
  2. He became a “Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering (FCAE)”in June 2021 for his pioneering contributions including “…a major ground-breaking utility-implemented award-winning technology, PV-STATCOM, that enables solar PV plants to provide FACTS functionalities at one-tenth cost of FACTS themselves…”.
  3. He received the “IEEE PES Nari Hingorani FACTS Award”in 2021 “… for developing an innovative STATCOM technology utilizing PV solar farms”.

This is the most prestigious award in FACTS technology. He became the 2nd Canadian to receive this award in its 25-year history.

TEACHING AWARDS:

  • Varma has received 13 Teaching Excellence awards both at the University and Faculty level at the University of Western Ontario.

INNOVATION:

    1. Dr. Varma has developed an innovative technology of utilizing solar photovoltaic (PV) plants both in the night and day as a dynamic reactive power compensator STATCOM (a FACTS device) for providing multiple grid support functions in both power transmission and distribution systems.

      This technology, named by him as "PV-STATCOM", enables solar PV plants to provide all STATCOM functionalities at one-tenth the cost of new STATCOM installations.

      The PV-STATCOM technology i) can bring significant savings for utilities and, ii) initiate new potential revenue-making opportunities for solar farms for providing several grid support functions.

    2. Dr. Varma has also developed a novel technology of utilizing Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) as STATCOM on a 24/7 basis. He has named this technology BESS-STATCOM.

      The BESS-STATCOM technology implemented on existing BESS is ten times cheaper than the cost of installing a new STATCOM for performing various grid support functions.

      This technology also applies to Electric Vehicle Charging Stations.

    PATENTS:

    For the above technologies Dr. Varma holds:

    • 24 granted patents in US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, India and China; and
    • 4 pending patents in US and India. 

    FIRST-IN-CANADA FIELD-DEMONSTRATIONS IN POWER UTILITY NETWORKS:

    1. Dr. Varma and his team field-demonstrated for the first-time-in-Canada, in fact for the first-time-in-world, his innovative patented technology of utilizing an existing Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) as a STATCOM (BESS-STATCOM) for critical motor stabilization in the electrical distribution network of Elexicon Energy, Ajax, ON, Canada, on 25th Nov. 2024.

      In March 2025, the team received the Innovation Excellence Award from the Electricity Distributors Association (EDA), the umbrella group for all local hydro utilities in Ontario. The EDA described Dr. Varma’s technology as “a game-changer for power stability in critical industries” 

    2. Dr. Varma with his team also installed and demonstrated for the first time in Canadaand first-time-in-the-world, his ground-breaking PV-STATCOM technology both during NIGHTTIME and daytime on a solar PV plant in the utility network of Bluewater Power Distribution Corporation, in Sarnia, Ontario, on December 13, 2016.

      This event was reported as front page stories as below:

    BOOKS:

    1. Dr. Varma has recently authored a book on “Smart Solar PV Inverters with Advanced Grid Support Functionalities” published by Wiley - IEEE Press, USA, in Dec. 2021. This is the first book providing a comprehensive coverage of smart inverters for solar PV systems which are the most rapidly growing renewable energy systems, worldwide.

      The review of this book was featured on the cover page of the IEEE Power and Energy Magazine July/Aug 2022 in both English and Spanish editions. This book was covered in the University's "Western News" and by the Faculty of Engineering as New book presents Western innovation that helps solar power work at night

    2. Dr. Varma is the principal co-author of the highly successful IEEE Press/Wiley book on “Thyristor-Based FACTS Controllers for Electrical Transmission Systems”, published in 2002. This was the first book exclusively devoted to an in-depth presentation of theoretical concepts and practical applications pertaining to Thyristor-based FACTS technology.

      This book was subsequently published in both Chinese and Southeast Asian editions.

    LEADERSHIP ROLES: 

    • Dr. Varma was the Chair of the IEEE Power & Energy Society “HVDC and FACTS Subcommittee” from 2021-2022 after having served as Vice Chair from 2018-2021 and Secretary from 2015-2017.
    • He served as the Chair of the “IEEE Working Group on HVDC and FACTS Bibliography”during 2004-2019
    • He was the Editor of “IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery”during 2003-08

     

    TUTORIALS:

    • Dr. Varma was the team-lead for, the first everIEEE Tutorial on “Smart Inverters for Distributed Generators” in IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution (T&D) Conference in 2016 and in the IEEE PES General Meetings in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
    • He co-delivered the IEEE Substations Committee Tutorial on “Static Var Compensators (SVC)” six-times in different IEEE PES General Meetings and PES T&D Conferences.
    • He also co-delivered several Tutorials (IEEE sponsored), Courses and Workshops on Smart Inverters, FACTS, SVC, and High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) in different countries including Canada, US, Colombia, Nepal, and India.

     

    RESEARCH:


    With the escalating global climate crisis, there is a critical need for increasing the integration of renewable energy systems in power transmission and distribution systems to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. Varma’s research focuses on developing novel technologies to enhance the grid-integration of solar PV systems, wind power plants, battery energy storage systems, and electric vehicle charging stations. His research further aims to develop innovative cost-effective smart inverter functionalities on these inverter-based resources such that they can become key players in enhancing the overall stability of AC and DC power systems.

    • Dr. Varma is presently leading an NSERC Alliance – MITACS research grant in collaboration with Elexicon Energy, Ajax, ON, for developing novel multifunctional controls of solar PV systems and Battery Energy Storage Systems as STATCOM for providing grid support.
    • During 2009-2011, Dr. Varma was the UWO Project Lead in the $6.125 Million project on “Large-Scale Photovoltaic Solar Power Integration in Transmission and Distribution Networks”, together with the University of Waterloo, funded by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), Ontario Power Authority (OPA, now IESO), a transmission utility - Hydro One, two local distribution utilities - Bluewater Power Corporation and London Hydro, and a major solar farm developer - First Solar.
    • During 2012-2016, he led two multi-university (UWO - Waterloo - Ryerson) projects, amounting to $2 Million, on “Enhancing Grid Connectivity of Renewables through Innovative Controls of PV Solar Farms”and “Smart Management of Short Circuit Currents from Distributed Generators”.
      These projects were supported by the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the above industry partners, Testforce, German Solar and Kaco.

    PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:

    Rajiv Varma obtained his B.Tech. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, India, in 1980 and 1988, respectively. He started his academic career as Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, in 1989. He was awarded the Government of India BOYSCAST Young Scientist Fellowship in 1992-93 to conduct research on FACTS at UWO, London, ON, Canada. He continued as Visiting Assistant Professor at UWO until December 1994. He returned to IIT Kanpur and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997. He was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship of U.S. Educational Foundation in India (USEFI) to travel to United States in 1998 and perform research in HVDC Transmission and FACTS at Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, at  Portland, Oregon. He became Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2001 prior to joining UWO in December 2001. Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur has also hosted Dr. Varma's profile at their website.

    Dr. Varma has also held Adjunct Professor positions at University of Waterloo and Ryerson University (now renamed as Toronto Metropolitan University), Toronto.