Pedro Rodriguez receives honorary doctorate from Aalborg University

In recognition of his exceptional research in the field of energy, Pedro Rodriguez, head of the Intelligent Clean Energy Systems unit of the Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) department at LIST, has been conferred an honorary doctorate by Aalborg University (AAU), Denmark.

Over the course of his 30-year career, Rodriguez has conducted ground-breaking research, development, and educational initiatives both in academia and industry. Between 2005 and 2011, during his tenure at the AAU, Rodriguez was part of a pioneering and visionary research programme on wind power systems co-conducted by the university and Vestas, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer. This programme allowed him to develop several solutions to improve the integration of wind energy into the electrical grid.

Following his time at the AAU, he continued to develop new solutions that have now become a worldwide standard in grid connection of power conversion systems, which are often used to connect wind turbines or photo-voltaic panels, but also electric vehicle chargers or high-voltage interconnection systems.

Rodriguez received the award in a ceremony that took place on 21 April at the Aalborg University premises in Denmark.

“Obviously, this recognition is a great honour for me,” said Rodriguez. “It’s an award that reinforces my motivation and my conviction that it is possible to bring conceptual ideas to practical application and to the market, as well as a confirmation that excellent research does not have to be at odds with its practical application. Actually, I believe that applied research, such as engineering research, should be oriented towards solving the needs of industry and society at large.”