Dr Ben Potter

Dr Ben Potter completed his MEng degree in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford in 2001 and his PhD research in the modelling of induction machines at the University of Reading in 2005.

Dr Potter subsequently managed research and development activity for several years in industry, including development work on wireless power transfer systems, before joining the University of Reading in 2009.

Ben is currently an Associate Professor of Energy Systems within the School of the Built Environment at the University, and his academic research has been largely focused on energy systems of various flavours, for over eighteen years, with applications including energy storage, network planning and modelling, and the integration of electric vehicles in the grid.

Ben founded the Energy Research Lab in 2010, now part of the Technologies for the Sustainable Built Environment Centre, and this lab focuses on the development of control methods and business models for the new generation of energy networks – the smart grid – to ensure that the integration of active elements such as renewable energy resources, electric vehicles and energy storage devices will have positive impacts for both network operators and end users.

Dr Potter has been a member of the DECC/Ofgem Smart Grid Forum Workstream 7, a member of the steering group of the Future Power Systems Architect (FPSA) project run by the IET and commissioned by DECC, and a Science Board member for the EPSRC-funded "Energy Superstore", the UK's energy storage research hub, and is presently part of the Reading Climate Change Strategy group.

Ben has also been working on V1G and V2G electric vehicle charging projects in recent years, and was actively involved with the Electric Nation smart EV charging project through collaboration with Crowd Charge Ltd.