1. What is original or novel about your work/thesis?

Ans: The technique (IPSO) used in tuning the PSS optimal parameters, PSS placement and
coordinated design of PSS and FACTS devices is novel. The methodology applied for the
modelling power system and its components is also original.

2. What are the main issues / debates in your subject area? What is the current state of the art in
your field?
Ans: Basically, Recent power systems are much more interconnected than before. The power
transfer capability within an interconnected power systems are constrained by low frequency
oscillations due to the complexity of the power system network. conventional power system
stabilizers (PSS) popularly known as the fixed parameter lead/lag PSS has been broadly used
in the past two decades as the most powerful damping controller for low frequency
oscillations.
The recent debate in the area is mostly on the parameter tuning, optimal placement
coordination control. In achieving these objectives optimization techniques are employed.
The current state of the art in this area is the coordination control by hybrid artificial
intelligence.

3. What were the crucial research decisions that you made? How did they impact what you did?
Ans: The crucial research decisions I made was to validate my outcomes with other researchers
in the area to see how is my research be useful to the real life in current trend.
I believe that there is a valuable impact on my research work.

4. How have you analysed/evaluated your work?

Ans: I believe that the most important thing in a research is to achieve the objectives of carrying
out a research. I have evaluated my work as successful with other researchers in the field.

5. Why have you tackled the problem in this way? What alternatives did you consider?
Ans: Yes, the way I used in tackling my problems is the current trend in my research area and
should not be completely different with the researchers in the same area; mostly the slight
variation is in the scope (power system model), depending on the objective of the research.
 Another difference also comes from technique used; basically everyone is trying to modify
the existing techniques to make the technique you used new (novel) to serve as ones
contribution to knowledge.

6. What do your results mean? Are there longer term implications for industry?
Ans: My results means that the methodologies and the techniques I used are robust enough to be
used in the real life power systems controls. Despite that since power system is dynamic in
nature, a lot need to be done especially in the area of optimization techniques to sustain the
power system controllers keep up to its task in maintaining the system steady at all times.

7. How could you improve your work/thesis?

Ans: There are so many ways to improve my thesis. Though extensive studies have been
undertaken to improve the performance of PSO as a type of brand new optimization
technique, yet it is still in its infancy stage and additional modification to the algorithm are
still welcome.

8. What had not been done on this topic/field before?

Ans: I think researchers in this field have done very well, but no one can claim that the technique
he/she used is the global best or has achieved the global best solution. There is no standard
technique to follow for optimal parameter tuning and placement of power system stabilizers
till date. Therefore, I believe that lot need to be done as I said earlier, particularly in the
artificial intelligence point of view.

9. What theories or models or analytical techniques did you use?

Ans: I have applied the Lyapunov linearized method to obtain the mathematical models of the
power systems and its components and I believed it has provided a very useful tool for power
system small-signal stability analysis. I used a new artificial intelligent technique to obtain the
optimal parameter settings for the PSS, placement and coordination.
10. Are the techniques you have used appropriate for this topic?
Ans: Yes, the techniques I used are appropriate for my topic since it has the capability to achieve
the stated objectives.

11. What are the theoretical basis/underpinnings to your work?

Ans: The theoretical basis/underpinning to this work is the instability due to low frequency
oscillations in power systems

12. How long do you expect your work to remain innovative? How do you expect the field to
develop in the next 5-10 years?
Ans: As long as there is researchers are working on the improvement in terms of power system
stability, my work will remain innovative until there is a breakthrough in the same topic.
Until now there is no standard benchmark to measure which technique is globally optimal,
then my work will continue to be innovative.
As I have said earlier, there have been a surge of interest in the development and the
application of damping controllers (PSS), especially in the field of power electronics,
FACTS devices have generated lots of opportunities for their applications as one of the most
reliable and available path for improving power system operations and power system
transfer capabilities, therefore the topic is fast developing due to this interest.

13. What sets your work apart from others? Who are the leading researchers in your field?
Ans: Actually the general purpose may be the same, the difference might come from the
objective and the scope of carrying out the research.
The leading researchers in my field are Kundur, P., Abido M., Wang, Xi-Fan, Eslami, M.,
Abd- Abdel-Magid, Y., Elazim, S., Ali, E., and many more.

14. What issues arose during this work? How did you resolve any issues which arose in the
course of your research?
Ans: Issues that use to arise comes from setting out of the objective function and developing the
algorithms to be able to comply with the data format to solve the objective of the research.
 It is obvious to seek the assistance of the supervisor whenever such issues came up. At times
colleagues, friends and well-wishers also assist in solving such issues.

15. What have you learned from the process of doing a PhD? How will you apply what you have
learnt in your future career?
Ans: I think I have learnt a lot during the process of PhD, I may also lack words to describe what
I learnt during the process. Apart from the research itself, I learnt so many things such as;
endurance, hard work, perseverance, immense patience, team work, collaborations and may
more.

16. How did you deal with the practical/fieldwork aspect of your study?
Ans: Alhamdulillah, I was fortunate so to speak that I have no field work in my area of research.

17. Do you think that your recommendations are appropriate or widely applicable?
Ans: Yes that is what I believe because they are the most areas that needed attention of engineers
especially in the countries that have no stable power supply like Nigeria.

18. Is there scope for further study on this topic? What would you recommend the next student
on this topic to do?
Ans: Yes, there is a scope on this topic; I have given a detailed scope of work in chapter 1 of my
Thesis.
I have not written the recommendation yet. I hope to suggest the current trend in this study
for the coming researchers.

19. Do your contributions have a limited timescale? When do you think your work will be
obsolete?
Ans: I don’t think my contribution have a time limit, it all depends on the ability of the
researchers to come up with an idea that will set a specified benchmark, then the benchmark
will now serve as a tolerance to measure when a research in this field will be obsolete.

20. What have you done that merits the award of a PhD?
Ans: I think the substance in my research objectives and my ability to achieve them will justify
that I merited the award of the PhD.