Incentive Design for Direct Load Control Programs

We study the problem of optimal incentive design for voluntary participation of electricity customers in a Direct Load Scheduling (DLS) program, a new form of Direct Load Control (DLC) based on a three way communication protocol between customers, embedded controls in flexible appliances, and the central entity in charge of the program. Participation decisions are made in real-time on an event-based basis, with every customer that needs to use a flexible appliance considering whether to join the program given current incentives. Customers have different interpretations of the level of risk associated with committing to pass over the control over the consumption schedule of their devices to an operator, and these risk levels are only privately known. The operator maximizes his expected profit of operating the DLS program by posting the right participation incentives for different appliance types, in a publicly available and dynamically updated table. Customers are then faced with the dynamic decision making problem of whether to take the incentives and participate or not. We define an optimization framework to determine the profit-maximizing incentives for the operator. In doing so, we also investigate the utility that the operator expects to gain from recruiting different types of devices. These utilities also provide an upper-bound on the benefits that can be attained from any type of demand response program.Comment: 51st Annual Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing, 201

Capturing Aggregate Flexibility in Demand Response

Flexibility in electric power consumption can be leveraged by Demand Response (DR) programs. The goal of this paper is to systematically capture the inherent aggregate flexibility of a population of appliances. We do so by clustering individual loads based on their characteristics and service constraints. We highlight the challenges associated with learning the customer response to economic incentives while applying demand side management to heterogeneous appliances. We also develop a framework to quantify customer privacy in direct load scheduling programs.Comment: Submitted to IEEE CDC 201

Examining Direct Load Control Within Demand Response Programs

The power system is a complex entity with unique plant designs, control systems, and market strategies. For many years, engineers have developed advanced technology to keep the grid efficient and balanced. With the rise of renewable sources, some new technology and programs must be developed to keep the quality of the power system. Unlike traditional power plants, renewable energy is highly dependent on environmental factors, such as sunlight and wind, meaning the generation depends on an unpredictable source of fuel. As the grid moves to more sustainable sources, the power market faces a growing challenge of less control over the forecasted supply offered by each renewable plant. This uncertainty creates a high need to develop alternative methods to ensure the power supply always meets demand. With diminishing control over our generation, one potential solution has been to explore demand response initiatives. Demand response focuses on the engagement of consumers to reduce the electricity demand, facilitating sub-hourly efforts on the supply side. This paper will analyze the effect of demand response efforts on the participants and provide insights into potential benefits and challenges associated with implementing demand response strategies. The findings of the studies will contribute to a better understanding on the compensation structure of current Direct Load Control programs and the level of participation required for it to be effectively integrated into the power system, promoting a more reliable and sustainable future

Design and development of energy management system for smart homes and buildings

The smart grid, as the next generation of power grid, has redefined the positions of the homes and buildings in the contexts of a whole energy system. With the increasing installation of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and retention of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), the energy system of homes and buildings in power distribution network is becoming more and more complex. In order to find the efficient and effective way for managing the appliances and DERs in smart homes and buildings through the Energy Management System (EMS), the pathway of the thesis is to investigate the optimisation and control approaches of EMS from controlling the loads within home, to fully optimising the operation of both loads and DERs in smart home, and at last coordinating the EMSs in the buildings through the aggregator