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Associate Professor Rahul Sharma
Associate Professor

Rahul Sharma

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 57240

Overview

Background

I work on control systems and AI for renewable energy, with applications in solar farms, smart grids, and inverter-dominated power systems. My research combines theory, simulation, and field validation, with active collaborations across industry and translational research. I completed my PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2008, focusing on fault diagnosis in power systems, and have been engaged continuously in research and teaching since 2005. Following my PhD, I joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Melbourne as a research fellow to work on the control system design for a hydrogen fuelled internal combustion engine. I joined UQ in late 2011 and currently hold a Associate Professor role with responsibilities in teaching, research and service. My research spans solar farms, grid-connected inverters, distributed energy resources, and battery storage systems, combining theory, simulation, and real-world experimentation. I have led translational research efforts, most notably SolarisAI, a start-up commercialising solar farm monitoring and underperformance diagnosis.

Prospective PhD Students

I welcome motivated students interested in control systems, renewable energy, and AI-based optimisation. I am interested in projects with both theoretical and practical impact, including:

  • Solar farm reliability enhancement and fault detection- AI-driven monitoring of utility-scale solar systems.

  • Grid-connected inverter and battery control- advanced control strategies for stable integration of distributed energy resources.

  • Demand-side management and smart grid optimisation- algorithms for efficient load and storage coordination.

  • Digital twins and hybrid modelling- simulating and predicting energy system behaviour.

  • End-of-life PV system management- sustainable logistics and circular economy strategies for solar panels.

Interested applicants with strong academic credentials and evidence of research experience are welcome to contact me directly via email with your CV, academic transcripts, and a short statement of research interest to me.

Availability

Associate Professor Rahul Sharma is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Research interests

  • Under-performance diagnosis and predictive maintenance for utility-scale solar farms

  • Demand-side management and optimisation in power systems

  • Solar end-of-life logistics analysis management

  • Management of Distributed Energy Resources including battery storage systems in LV distribution networks

Works

Search Professor Rahul Sharma’s works on UQ eSpace

107 works between 2004 and 2025

1 - 20 of 107 works

2025

Journal Article

Stage-wise modelling of energy, emissions, and economic trade-offs in recycling end-of-life photovoltaic panels for circular economy decision-making

Almaghrbi, Fadi, Tushar, Wayes and Sharma, Rahul (2025). Stage-wise modelling of energy, emissions, and economic trade-offs in recycling end-of-life photovoltaic panels for circular economy decision-making. Energy, 336 138210, 138210. doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.138210

Stage-wise modelling of energy, emissions, and economic trade-offs in recycling end-of-life photovoltaic panels for circular economy decision-making

2025

Journal Article

A review on network-aware control of distributed energy resources under the dynamic operating envelopes framework

Lankeshwara, Gayan, Sharma, Rahul, Yan, Ruifeng, Tushar, Wayes and Saha, Tapan K. (2025). A review on network-aware control of distributed energy resources under the dynamic operating envelopes framework. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 217 115696, 115696-217. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2025.115696

A review on network-aware control of distributed energy resources under the dynamic operating envelopes framework

2025

Journal Article

Development and validation of a dynamic operating envelopes-enabled demand response scheme in low-voltage distribution networks

Lankeshwara, Gayan, Sharma, Rahul, Alam, M.R., Yan, Ruifeng and Saha, Tapan K. (2025). Development and validation of a dynamic operating envelopes-enabled demand response scheme in low-voltage distribution networks. Applied Energy, 382 125150, 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.125150

Development and validation of a dynamic operating envelopes-enabled demand response scheme in low-voltage distribution networks

2024

Journal Article

Advanced condition monitoring for active front end converter LCL filter AC capacitors

Matijevic, Edi, Sharma, Rahul, Hemanth, Ajay, Zare, Firuz and Kumar, Dinesh (2024). Advanced condition monitoring for active front end converter LCL filter AC capacitors. IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, 12 (6), 5591-5601. doi: 10.1109/jestpe.2024.3400454

Advanced condition monitoring for active front end converter LCL filter AC capacitors

2024

Conference Publication

Assessing the environmental impact of recycling end-of-life solar panels: a case study of the Sunshine Coast solar farm

Almaghrbi, Fadi, Tushar, Wayes and Sharma, Rahul (2024). Assessing the environmental impact of recycling end-of-life solar panels: a case study of the Sunshine Coast solar farm. 2024 IEEE 34th Australasian Universities Power Engineering Conference, AUPEC 2024, Sydney, Australia, 20-22 November 2024. Piscataway, NJ, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/aupec62273.2024.10807636

Assessing the environmental impact of recycling end-of-life solar panels: a case study of the Sunshine Coast solar farm

2024

Journal Article

Dynamic operating envelope-enabled P2P trading to maximise financial returns of prosumers

Azim, M. Imran, Lankeshwara, Gayan, Tushar, Wayes, Sharma, Rahul, Alam, Mollah R., Saha, Tapan K., Khorasany, Mohsen and Razzaghi, Reza (2024). Dynamic operating envelope-enabled P2P trading to maximise financial returns of prosumers. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, 15 (2), 1978-1990. doi: 10.1109/tsg.2023.3297366

Dynamic operating envelope-enabled P2P trading to maximise financial returns of prosumers

2024

Journal Article

Time-varying operating regions of end-users and feeders in low-voltage distribution networks

Lankeshwara, Gayan, Sharma, Rahul, Yan, Ruifeng, Saha, Tapan K. and Milanović, Jovica V. (2024). Time-varying operating regions of end-users and feeders in low-voltage distribution networks. IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, 39 (2), 4600-4611. doi: 10.1109/tpwrs.2023.3302421

Time-varying operating regions of end-users and feeders in low-voltage distribution networks

2024

Journal Article

Robust provision of demand response from thermostatically controllable loads using Lagrangian relaxation

Lankeshwara, Gayan and Sharma, Rahul (2024). Robust provision of demand response from thermostatically controllable loads using Lagrangian relaxation. International Journal of Control, 97 (8), 1918-1933. doi: 10.1080/00207179.2023.2241579

Robust provision of demand response from thermostatically controllable loads using Lagrangian relaxation

2024

Journal Article

Enhancing active power dispatchability of WTG-BESS through integrated control considering wind forecast error

Suboh, S. M., Sharma, R., Tushar, W. and Ahamad, N. B. (2024). Enhancing active power dispatchability of WTG-BESS through integrated control considering wind forecast error. IEEE Access, 12, 2778-2792. doi: 10.1109/access.2023.3348820

Enhancing active power dispatchability of WTG-BESS through integrated control considering wind forecast error

2023

Journal Article

Waveform abnormality detection method for distribution system equipment condition monitoring

Luo, Junya, Yan, Ruifeng, Saha, Tapan and Sharma, Rahul (2023). Waveform abnormality detection method for distribution system equipment condition monitoring. International Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, 152 109267, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijepes.2023.109267

Waveform abnormality detection method for distribution system equipment condition monitoring

2023

Journal Article

Detailed estimation of grid-side current and its oscillations caused by adjustable speed drive systems

Moradi, Arash, Farajizadeh, Farzad, Zare, Firuz, Kumar, Dinesh, Rathnayake, Hansika, Sharma, Rahul and Kroese, Dirk (2023). Detailed estimation of grid-side current and its oscillations caused by adjustable speed drive systems. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, PP (99), 1-10. doi: 10.1109/tie.2022.3206695

Detailed estimation of grid-side current and its oscillations caused by adjustable speed drive systems

2023

Journal Article

Achieving the UN’s sustainable energy targets through dynamic operating limits

Tushar, Wayes, Azim, M. Imran, Alam, Mollah Rezaul, Yuen, Chau, Sharma, Rahul, Saha, Tapan and Poor, H. Vincent (2023). Achieving the UN’s sustainable energy targets through dynamic operating limits. iScience, 26 (7) 107194, 107194. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107194

Achieving the UN’s sustainable energy targets through dynamic operating limits

2023

Book

SM Bay City - Sustainability Framework: pathways for achieving sustainability outcomes in Manila Bay

Maher, Ray, Ahmad, Mubeen, Fidelman, Pedro, Franks, Daniel, Fuller, Richard, Hyland, Peter, Junior, Patrick, Kenway, Steven, Ly, Leo, Molyneaux, Lynette, Sharma, Rahul, Sipe, Neil, Sochacka, Beata, Sockhill, Nicola and Webster-Mannison, Marci (2023). SM Bay City - Sustainability Framework: pathways for achieving sustainability outcomes in Manila Bay. Manila, The Phillipines: SM Prime.

SM Bay City - Sustainability Framework: pathways for achieving sustainability outcomes in Manila Bay

2023

Journal Article

A comprehensive review of harmonic issues and estimation techniques in power system networks based on traditional and artificial intelligence/machine learning

Taghvaie, A., Warnakulasuriya, T., Kumar, D., Zare, F., Sharma, R. and Vilathgamuwa, M. (2023). A comprehensive review of harmonic issues and estimation techniques in power system networks based on traditional and artificial intelligence/machine learning. IEEE Access, 11, 31417-31442. doi: 10.1109/access.2023.3260768

A comprehensive review of harmonic issues and estimation techniques in power system networks based on traditional and artificial intelligence/machine learning

2023

Journal Article

A Comprehensive Steady-State Analysis for Modular Multi-Parallel Rectifiers (MMR) with Shared DC-Link

Sunbul, Ali, Zare, Firuz, Sharma, Rahul and Ghosh, Arindam (2023). A Comprehensive Steady-State Analysis for Modular Multi-Parallel Rectifiers (MMR) with Shared DC-Link. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 59 (2), 1969-1981. doi: 10.1109/tia.2022.3231578

A Comprehensive Steady-State Analysis for Modular Multi-Parallel Rectifiers (MMR) with Shared DC-Link

2023

Journal Article

Predicting student performance using educational data mining and learning analytics technique

Sharma, Rahul, Shrivastava, Shiv Shakti and Sharma, Aditi (2023). Predicting student performance using educational data mining and learning analytics technique. Journal of Intelligent Systems and Internet of Things, 10 (2), 24-37. doi: 10.54216/JISIoT.100203

Predicting student performance using educational data mining and learning analytics technique

2023

Journal Article

Analyzing the performance of different classifier for detecting polarity of customer reviews

Sharma, Rahul Kumar and Dagur, Arvind (2023). Analyzing the performance of different classifier for detecting polarity of customer reviews. International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication, 11 (7), 142-148. doi: 10.17762/ijritcc.v11i7.7839

Analyzing the performance of different classifier for detecting polarity of customer reviews

2023

Conference Publication

An approach to enhance the performance of hybrid solar dryer

Sharma, Rahul, Ashish Kumar, Aviral Mathur and Dadhish Kumar (2023). An approach to enhance the performance of hybrid solar dryer. International Conference on Mechanical Engineering (INCOME 2021), New Delhi, India/Virtual, 25-26 November 2021. Singapore, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-3498-8_6

An approach to enhance the performance of hybrid solar dryer

2023

Conference Publication

Crime analysis and prediction in 7 states of India using statistical software RStudio

Sharma, Aditi, Sharma, Chandani, Sharma, Rahul and Panchal, K. D. (2023). Crime analysis and prediction in 7 states of India using statistical software RStudio. 4th International Conference on Advances in Information Communication Technology and Computing (AICTC-2022), Rajasthan, India, 17-18 December 2022. Singapore, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-9888-1_8

Crime analysis and prediction in 7 states of India using statistical software RStudio

2022

Conference Publication

Mathematical analysis of grid impedance effects on grid harmonics and commutations in a distribution network with a three-phase diode-rectifier

Taghvaie, Amir, Zare, Firuz, Sharma, Rahul and Kumar, Dinesh (2022). Mathematical analysis of grid impedance effects on grid harmonics and commutations in a distribution network with a three-phase diode-rectifier. 10th IEEE International Conference on Power Electronics, Drives and Energy Systems (IEEE PEDES), Jaipur, India, 14-17 December 2022. Piscataway, NJ, United States: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. doi: 10.1109/pedes56012.2022.10080367

Mathematical analysis of grid impedance effects on grid harmonics and commutations in a distribution network with a three-phase diode-rectifier

Funding

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2027
    AI Driven Diagnostics and Predictive Maintenance of solar farms using Solaris AI Platform
    Australia's Economic Accelerator Innovate Grants
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2028
    Energy Queensland Community Batteries Project [ARENA project led by Energy Queensland]
    Energy Queensland Limited
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Development of an Advanced Flexible Chain-die Forming Process
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2026
    Solar PV Based Hybrid Microgrid System for Efficient Building Energy Management (SPARC grant administered by Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur)
    Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022 - 2023
    Solar Photovoltaics forecasting for efficient power management
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    Development of algorithms to support the commercial roll-out of Solar F2D2
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2022
    Performance Enhancement of PV Based Solar Generation Systems Using PV-Next Combiner Box
    Weidmuller Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2024
    An emerging pulsed power technology for dewatering mineral tailings
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2020
    Development of an experimental PV condition monitoring setup
    Ausroad Plant Services
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    Power Quality of Future Electricity Networks (GIL project led by Uni Wollongong)
    University of Wollongong
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2021
    Pilot project to trial Solar F2D2
    Australian Renewable Energy Agency
    Open grant
  • 2019
    Optical Equipment for Advanced Thermofluid Measurements
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    High Quality and Robust Energy Conversion Systems for Distribution Networks
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2017
    Advanced Pulsed Power: an emerging technology for science and engineering systems
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Model-based control as a tool for advanced management of battery storage in electricity distribution grid and vehicle applications
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Development of advanced model-based controllers for wind-turbines in weak grids
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Associate Professor Rahul Sharma is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Control algorithms for the grid forming inverters to enhance stability and performance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Tapan Saha

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Developing Advanced Non-Thermal Processing Technique for Sustainable Food Production

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Negareh Ghasemi, Professor Nidhi Bansal

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Evaluation and Management of Photovoltaic (PV) Waste for Renewable Energy Sustainability

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Wayes Tushar

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Implementing digital -twin technology for power system asset management

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chandima Ekanayake

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring Electric Vehicle to Grid Support Services and Energy Arbitrage Benefits via an Aggregator

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Md Mejbaul Haque, Professor Mithulan Nadarajah

  • Doctor Philosophy

    New Electricity Market Mechanism for Electric Vehicles to Address Emerging Distribution Network Operational Challenges

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Tapan Saha, Dr Wayes Tushar

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Non-equilibrium atmospheric plasma for sterilisation and wound healing

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Nidhi Bansal, Dr Abbas Shafiee, Dr Negareh Ghasemi, Dr Carolyn Jacobs

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor Rahul Sharma directly for media enquiries about:

  • Automotive modelling and control
  • Fault diagnosis
  • Model predictive control
  • Systems and control theory

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au