Scalable local energy management systems

Commercial buildings have been identified as a major contributor of total global energy consumption. Mechanisms for collecting data about energy consumption patterns within buildings, and their subsequent analysis to support demand estimation (and reduction) remain important research challenges, which have already attracted considerable work. We propose a cloud based energy management system that enables such analysis to scale to both increasing data volumes and number of buildings. We consider both energy consumption and storage to support: (i) flattening the peak demand of commercial building(s); (ii) enable a “cost reduction” mode where the demand of a commercial building is reduced for those hours when a “triad peak” is expected; and (iii) enables a building manager to participate in grid balancing services market by means of demand response. The energy management system is deployed on a cloud infrastructure that adapts the number of computational resources needed to estimate potential demand, and to adaptively run multiple what-if scenarios to choose the most optimum configuration to reduce building energy demand

A coordinated optimal programming scheme for an electric vehicle fleet in the residential sector

The development of intelligent strategies to manage electric vehicle charging process is the key for fostering a proper diffusion of electric vehicles at customer premises. The presence of renewable generation and the exploitation of vehicle-to-grid can enhance this process. In this paper, two procedures are proposed for optimizing electric vehicle charging strategies, for an aggregation of consumers, with the objectives of load profile levelling and total cost minimization, in the presence of possible realistic diffusion of photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles. Moreover, the best compromise between the two objectives is evaluated by determining techno-economic merit indicators. The procedures are applied to a realistic case study in the UK, considering an aggregator managing a group of residential customers in a low-voltage distribution network, where multiple tariff schemes are assessed

Molecular-scale remnants of the liquid-gas transition in supercritical polar fluids

An electronically coarse-grained model for water reveals a persistent vestige of the liquid-gas transition deep into the supercritical region. A crossover in the density dependence of the molecular dipole arises from the onset of non-percolating hydrogen bonds. The crossover points coincide with the Widom line in the scaling region but extend further, tracking the heat capacity maxima, offering evidence for liquid- and gas-like state points in a "one-phase" fluid. The effect is present even in dipole-limit models suggesting that it is common for all molecular liquids exhibiting dipole enhancement in the liquid phase.Comment: A Letter with Supp. Materia

Switching Cytolytic Nanopores into Antimicrobial Fractal Ruptures by a Single Side Chain Mutation

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Chemical Society via the DOI in this recordDisruption of cell membranes is a fundamental host defense response found in virtually all forms of life. The molecular mechanisms vary but generally lead to energetically favored circular nanopores. Here, we report an elaborate fractal rupture pattern induced by a single side-chain mutation in ultrashort (8–11-mers) helical peptides, which otherwise form transmembrane pores. In contrast to known mechanisms, this mode of membrane disruption is restricted to the upper leaflet of the bilayer where it exhibits propagating fronts of peptide-lipid interfaces that are strikingly similar to viscous instabilities in fluid flow. The two distinct disruption modes, pores and fractal patterns, are both strongly antimicrobial, but only the fractal rupture is nonhemolytic. The results offer wide implications for elucidating differential membrane targeting phenomena defined at the nanoscale.UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial StrategyWellcome TrustEuropean Research Council (ERC)Cambridge-NPL case studentshipWinton Programme for the Physics of SustainabilityTrinity-Henry Barlow ScholarshipMedical Research Council (MRC)Royal SocietyEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

Switching cytolytic nanopores into antimicrobial fractal ruptures by a single side chain mutation

Disruption of cell membranes is a fundamental host defense response found in virtually all forms of life. The molecular mechanisms vary but generally lead to energetically favored circular nanopores. Here, we report an elaborate fractal rupture pattern induced by a single side-chain mutation in ultrashort (8–11-mers) helical peptides, which otherwise form transmembrane pores. In contrast to known mechanisms, this mode of membrane disruption is restricted to the upper leaflet of the bilayer where it exhibits propagating fronts of peptide-lipid interfaces that are strikingly similar to viscous instabilities in fluid flow. The two distinct disruption modes, pores and fractal patterns, are both strongly antimicrobial, but only the fractal rupture is nonhemolytic. The results offer wide implications for elucidating differential membrane targeting phenomena defined at the nanoscale