Hanane Global

I’ve partnered with the Engineering College of Technology (ECT), UK, for a 5-part webinar series exploring the future of the power grid. I’m kicking it off with a question that matters more than ever: What happens when renewable energy is growing fast while AI data centers demand enormous amounts of power? My first session: Grid Integration Challenges: Renewable Penetration, Inertia Reduction, and the Rise of AI Data Center Load. We’re seeing two major shifts happening at the same time. Renewables are transforming how electricity is generated. AI data centers are transforming how electricity is consumed. And the power grid has to adapt to both while maintaining reliability, stability, and resilience. In this first session, we’ll look at: → Why increasing renewable penetration is creating new grid integration challenges → Why declining system inertia matters for frequency stability → How rapidly growing AI data center loads are changing grid planning → What these changes mean for power system engineers and grid operators → How engineers use simulation to study these challenges before they reach the real grid And this is only Part 1. Over the next four sessions, I’ll take you deeper into some of the technologies and engineering challenges shaping the next generation of the grid: BESS. Protection. EMT simulation. Digital substations. Grid-forming BESS. And eventually, we’ll get to a question I’m especially interested in: Can grid-forming BESS help build a more resilient power system for the age of AI? Because the future grid won’t simply need more energy. It will need more flexibility. More stability. Better controls. And engineers who understand how all of these pieces interact. If you work in power systems, energy, BESS, renewables, grid modernization, or AI infrastructure, save this series and follow along. August 19 | 3:00 PM UTC | Online Register here: https://lnkd.in/gMzwfXNB Hanane Oudli Hanane Global #ElectricalEngineering #PowerSystems #EnergyTransition #GridStability #BESS #AIDataCenters

Your converter can be stable. Your controls can be stable. Your microgrid can still be unstable. Why? Because microgrid stability is no longer just a component-level problem. It emerges from the interaction between: • Grid-forming and grid-following converters • Fast inner loops and slower outer controls • Network impedance and short-circuit strength • Rapidly changing operating conditions A converter can perform perfectly on its own. A control loop can be properly tuned. Every component can meet its specifications. But once everything is connected… the system can behave very differently. This is where hidden control interactions, unexpected oscillations, and instability can appear. And that is the fundamental shift. Traditional power systems inherited much of their stability from synchronous machines. Microgrids have to create stability through control. That makes microgrids more than smaller power systems. They are a preview of the future grid. As inverter-based resources continue to grow, the challenge will not simply be designing stable components. It will be understanding how those components behave together. So I’ll leave you with one question: Are we designing stable components, or are we designing stable systems? Hanane Oudli Hanane Global #ElectricalEngineering #PowerSystems #Microgrids #BESS #EnergyTransition #EngineeringLeadership

Nobody tells you the truth about engineering before you choose it. I don't always recommend pursuing an engineering degree. Especially electrical engineering. And it's difficult for me to say that because I've spent almost my entire life in this field. I started this journey when I was 17 years old, and I was the only female in the entire engineering department. Engineering is not just a degree. It is years of studying. Pressure. Sacrifice. Failure. Constant learning. And proving yourself over and over again. The reality is that engineering is a demanding profession. It requires patience, resilience, discipline, persistence, and a willingness to keep going when most people would quit. What hurts me the most isn't the difficulty. It's seeing brilliant engineers and talented graduates struggle to find opportunities after investing so much of their lives into this profession. Almost every day, an engineer reaches out asking if I can help them find a job. And every single message stays with me. Because I know what it took to earn that degree. I know the sleepless nights. The exams. The stress. The sacrifices. The years that people never see. For women in engineering, the journey can be even more demanding as we balance our careers with many other responsibilities. So before choosing this path, ask yourself: Are you ready to commit to the long journey and pay the price? Because engineering can be one of the most rewarding careers you will ever have. But it asks a lot from you before it gives back. And to every engineer, student, and aspiring engineer reading this: I see you. I respect your journey. And I am rooting for you. The world needs great engineers. But we also need to be honest about what it takes to become one. ♻️ Repost for others Hanane Oudli Hanane Global #ElectricalEngineering #Engineering #Resilience #EngineeringLeadership

The future of Europe's clean energy may begin under the Moroccan sun. Not with oil. Not with gas. But with electrons. Morocco is proving that Africa is not just participating in the energy transition. It is helping lead it. The Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex showed the world what is possible when vision, engineering, and long-term investment come together. But the next revolution is not only about generating renewable energy. It is about moving it. The proposed Xlinks Morocco–UK project could connect Morocco's solar and wind resources to the United Kingdom through approximately 3,800 km of HVDC submarine cables. A power connection between continents. A glimpse of what the future grid could become. Morocco has already demonstrated what is possible. The future power plants will not just generate electricity. They will export stability. They will export resilience. They will export opportunity. Because tomorrow's energy systems will not only need more generation. They will need: • HVDC transmission • Grid stability solutions • Advanced protection systems • Engineering innovation The countries that build these networks today will shape the energy landscape of tomorrow. The future grid will not recognize borders. It will follow the path of clean energy. What role do you think HVDC interconnections will play in creating a truly interconnected renewable energy system? Hanane Oudli Hanane Global #HVDC #ElectricalEngineering #EnergyTransition #GridModernization #PowerSystems

AI data centers are not the biggest challenge facing the grid. The real challenge is that our grid was never designed for this level of complexity. The world is racing to build more data centers. More AI. More computing power. But behind every AI breakthrough is a power system challenge most people don't see. A data center is not just a load. It is a dynamic system that can impact: • Grid stability • Protection coordination • Voltage performance • Frequency response • Power quality And this is where Battery Energy Storage Systems are changing the conversation. But adding batteries alone is not the solution. The future is not about having more megawatts of storage. It is about having smarter control. Grid-forming technology is becoming one of the most important pieces of the puzzle because it allows inverter-based resources to behave more like the traditional grid support we have relied on for decades. After years working across power systems, from transmission and substations to advanced simulations and research, one lesson keeps becoming clearer: The future grid will not be built only with more generation. It will be built with intelligence, stability, and the ability to adapt. This is the belief behind Hanane Global: the next generation of power systems needs a new way of thinking about integration, protection, and control. The question is no longer: "Can we connect more renewable energy and AI infrastructure?" The real question is: "Can we integrate them while keeping the grid secure?" What is the biggest challenge you see in integrating AI data centers into the power grid? #PowerSystems #BESS #GridForming #AI #DataCenters #ElectricalEngineering #EnergyTransition

Most people see Mr. Bean. I see an electrical engineering student. Long before the laughter... Long before the fame... He was sitting in an engineering lab, solving circuits like every engineering student. That stopped me in my tracks. Because engineering doesn't just teach you equations. It teaches discipline. Resilience. Patience. The ability to solve problems when the answer isn't obvious. As an electrical engineer, I've learned that the biggest transformations happen long before anyone notices. In the classroom. In the lab. In the quiet moments when you choose not to give up. Every engineer has those moments. That's why I love this photo. It reminds us that extraordinary careers don't begin with recognition. They begin with curiosity, hard work, and countless hours that no one ever sees. The world would later know him as Mr. Bean. But before all of that, he was simply an engineering student building the mindset that would serve him for the rest of his life. Never underestimate where an engineering degree can take you. What's one lesson engineering has taught you that you'll carry forever? Hanane Oudli Hanane Global #ElectricalEngineering #PowerSystems #Engineering #EnergyTransition #EngineeringLeadership #Leadership

Over 2.17 Million Impressions. Not because I tried to go viral. Because I stopped keeping my knowledge in my head and started documenting my process. After years of working on protection studies, grid stability, and BESS integration, many things became second nature. I forgot that what felt obvious to me was still a learning opportunity for someone else. Then I changed one habit. I started documenting. Every project. Every lesson. Every mistake. Every insight. What once lived as experience became frameworks. Frameworks became content. Content built trust. Trust created opportunities. The biggest lesson? Your expertise has limited impact if it only exists in your head. You don't need to wait until you feel ready to teach. Start documenting what you are learning, building, and solving today. Your knowledge is not just your advantage. It is your legacy. What is one skill you do naturally that you have never thought about documenting? If this resonated with you, share it with another engineer who needs the reminder that their knowledge deserves to be shared. Hanane Oudli Hanane Global #Engineering #ElectricalEngineering #PowerSystems #Leadership #KnowledgeSharing #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment

Most engineers entering the industry today will never hear the sound that built modern grid protection. That unmistakable click of an electromechanical relay. But I did. It wasn't just a sound. It was the heartbeat of the power grid. I feel incredibly fortunate to have started my career during one of the biggest transformations in protection engineering. At ONEE - Branche Electricité Morocco, I worked with the legendary Brown Boveri LZ31. Back then, protection engineering felt physical. Relays clicked. Targets dropped. You didn't just configure a relay. You understood the physics behind every movement. Then the industry evolved. I transitioned to digital protection using GE Multilin D60, ABB REL316, and Schneider Electric (AREVA) MiCOM relays. The technology became faster. Smarter. More connected. But one thing never changed. Our mission. • Protect the grid. • Protect the equipment. • Protect people's lives. That journey taught me three lessons: • Physics never changes. Only the technology does. • Engineers who master the fundamentals become stronger protection engineers. • Today, as AI data centers, inverter-based resources, and BESS reshape our power systems, protective relays are becoming some of the smartest and most critical devices on the grid. A special thank you to my former manager, Said Najm, for believing in me from day one and teaching me the fundamentals of protection engineering. Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my career. Technology evolves. Responsibility doesn't. I'm grateful my career began at the intersection of electromechanical protection and the digital era. What was the first protection relay that shaped your engineering journey? I'd love to hear your story. P.S. I shared a photo of the exact Brown Boveri LZ31 relay from my early days at ONEE - Branche Electricité Morocco in the first comment. Hanane Oudli Hanane Global #ElectricalEngineering #PowerSystems #ProtectionEngineering #RelayProtection #BESS #GridModernization #EngineeringCareer

I am excited to share that my technical paper, "BESS Grid Integration in the Age of AI Data Centers," has been published in Switchgear Magazine . AI is reshaping electricity demand at an unprecedented pace. Massive AI data centers are bringing new challenges to power systems: rapidly changing loads, declining synchronous inertia, and the increasing complexity of integrating inverter-based resources. The question is no longer only: "How much energy can a battery store?" The bigger question is: "How intelligently can that battery support the stability and resilience of the grid?" In this paper, I explore why Battery Energy Storage Systems are becoming far more than energy storage solutions. They are evolving into critical grid assets that can help enable the reliable integration of AI-driven infrastructure. The paper covers: • The impact of AI data centers on grid stability • Grid-Following versus Grid-Forming BESS technologies • Why control philosophy is becoming as important as battery capacity • Protection coordination challenges in inverter-dominated power systems • The role of AI-enabled monitoring in real-time grid resilience One key takeaway from this research: The future of grid reliability will not be determined only by how much storage we deploy, but by how intelligently we control and integrate it. My sincere thanks to the team at Switchgear Magazine for the opportunity to contribute to this special issue and share insights on one of the most important challenges facing modern power systems. Link to the full paper in the first comment. I would love to hear your perspective: As AI data centers continue to scale, what will become more critical for grid resilience: additional battery capacity or smarter Grid-Forming control? Hanane Oudli Hanane Global #PowerSystems #BESS #GridForming #AI #DataCenters #GridStability #EnergyStorage #PowerEngineering #ElectricalEngineering #EnergyTransition

Two years ago, I almost didn't hit "Post." I thought my ideas weren't good enough. I thought nobody would care. I thought there were already people who knew more than me. I was wrong. Today, 28,000 professionals follow this journey. Not because I know everything. But because I chose to share what I was learning. That one decision changed my career. It led to friendships, collaborations, speaking opportunities, research, partnerships, and clients I never imagined. To everyone who has read a post, left a comment, shared my work, or simply followed along... Thank you. You are the reason I keep showing up. And if you're still waiting for the perfect time to share your expertise... This is your sign. Someone is waiting to learn from what you already know. What's stopping you from hitting "Post"? Hanane Oudli Hanane Global #Engineering #Leadership #PowerSystems #LinkedIn #WomenInEngineering