Multi-level Reconfigurable Self-organization in Overlay Services

Large-scale decentralized systems organized in overlay networks are complex to manage. Such systems integrate organizational complexity in the application-level resulting in low abstraction and modularity in their services. This thesis introduces a multi-level conceptual architecture for overlay services. An overlay service is a large-scale decentralized system organized in overlay networks that provides generic application capabilities. Two overlay services introduced in this thesis provide a proof-of-concept for the higher abstraction and modularity that can be achieved with this architecture. The first overlay service builds and maintains overlay networks that are self-organized in different tree topologies according to different application criteria. The second overlay service performs a function-indepencent and routing-independent decentralized aggregation of values that are distributed in a network and continuously changing. Experimental evaluation studies the performance trade-offs imposed by this generic design. This thesis studies overlay services in the application domain of the Smart Power Grid. More specifically, overlay services are used in demand-side energy management to perform (i) load-shifting and (ii) demand-adjustment in a fully decentralized fashion. The evaluation of this approach is grounded in the current reality and practice of the Smart Power Grid.Multi Actor SystemsTechnology, Policy and Managemen

Towards Emergent Energy Synchronization using Agents

Synchronization of energy consumption is a key determinant for the stabilization of smart energy grids. This paper proposes software agents that locally synchronize the energy usage of appliances to minimize the oscillations in global energy consumption. Agents can manage demand-side devices with periodic operation and synchronize their consumption locally resulting in an emerging global stability of energy consumption. The benefits and challenges of such an approach are discussed in this paper.Multi Actor SystemsTechnology, Policy and Managemen

A Distributed Agent-based Approach to Stabilization of Global Resource Utilization (extended abstract)

Multi Actor SystemsTechnology, Policy and Managemen