Distributed Hybrid Simulation of the Internet of Things and Smart Territories

This paper deals with the use of hybrid simulation to build and compose heterogeneous simulation scenarios that can be proficiently exploited to model and represent the Internet of Things (IoT). Hybrid simulation is a methodology that combines multiple modalities of modeling/simulation. Complex scenarios are decomposed into simpler ones, each one being simulated through a specific simulation strategy. All these simulation building blocks are then synchronized and coordinated. This simulation methodology is an ideal one to represent IoT setups, which are usually very demanding, due to the heterogeneity of possible scenarios arising from the massive deployment of an enormous amount of sensors and devices. We present a use case concerned with the distributed simulation of smart territories, a novel view of decentralized geographical spaces that, thanks to the use of IoT, builds ICT services to manage resources in a way that is sustainable and not harmful to the environment. Three different simulation models are combined together, namely, an adaptive agent-based parallel and distributed simulator, an OMNeT++ based discrete event simulator and a script-language simulator based on MATLAB. Results from a performance analysis confirm the viability of using hybrid simulation to model complex IoT scenarios.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1605.0487

An Agent Based Simulation of Smart Metering Technology Adoption

Based on the classic behavioural theory “the Theory of Planned Behaviour”, we develop an agent-based model to simulate the diffusion of smart metering technology in the electricity market. We simulate the emergent adoption of smart metering technology under different management strategies and economic regulations. Our research results show that in terms of boosting the take-off of smart meters in the electricity market, choosing the initial users on a random and geographically dispersed basis and encouraging meter competition between energy suppliers can be two very effective strategies. We also observe an “S-curve” diffusion of smart metering technology and a “lock-in” effect in the model. The research results provide us with insights as to effective policies and strategies for the roll-out of smart metering technology in the electricity market

Distributed multi-agent algorithm for residential energy management in smart grids

Distributed renewable power generators, such as solar cells and wind turbines are difficult to predict, making the demand-supply problem more complex than in the traditional energy production scenario. They also introduce bidirectional energy flows in the low-voltage power grid, possibly causing voltage violations and grid instabilities. In this article we describe a distributed algorithm for residential energy management in smart power grids. This algorithm consists of a market-oriented multi-agent system using virtual energy prices, levels of renewable energy in the real-time production mix, and historical price information, to achieve a shifting of loads to periods with a high production of renewable energy. Evaluations in our smart grid simulator for three scenarios show that the designed algorithm is capable of improving the self consumption of renewable energy in a residential area and reducing the average and peak loads for externally supplied power

Special Session on Industry 4.0

No abstract available