Communications of the ACM
New Way to Manage Energy in the Smart Grid
Photo courtesy of University of Southampton
University of Southampton researchers have developed a decentralized control mechanism for managing micro-storage in the smart grid that can produce savings of up to 16 percent in energy costs for consumers.
The approach uses agent-based techniques to enable energy suppliers to manage the demand for their consumers, which allows them to reduce their wholesale purchasing costs. Smart computerized agents are used to control energy storage devices in the home.
The mechanism involves using a real-time pricing scheme that is broadcast to consumers ahead of each daily period, then computerized agents buy, sell, and store energy on their behalf to minimize their net electricity costs. By adjusting pricing to match the conditions on the wholesale market, the supplier is able to ensure that consumer agents converge to a stable and efficient equilibrium where costs and carbon emissions are minimized.
"We see this as an important step to showing that the adoption of widespread, supplier-managed home energy micro-storage is a practical desirable technology to develop for the benefit of both suppliers and consumers," says Southampton researcher Thomas Voice.
From University of Southampton (United Kingdom)
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