Astrid Nieße

Market-based self-organized provision of active power and ancillary services: An agent-based approach for Smart Distribution Grids

Transforming the existing power generation to renewable, distributed generation implicates an increase in complexity for the control of the overall system. We propose a distributed control method to launch products of self-organized coalitions of small active units in a power grid at markets for trading active power as well as ancillary services. Our concept combines the integration of grid restrictions into proactive scheduling of active power with provision of ancillary services, and additionally provides reactive scheduling of active power, e.g. in the case of ancillary service activation.

Designing dependable and sustainable Smart Grids – How to apply Algorithm Engineering to distributed control in power systems ☆

Abstract In this work, we present the Smart Grid Algorithm Engineering (SGAE) process model for application-oriented research and development in information and communication technology (ICT) for power systems. The SGAE process model is motivated by the main objective of contributing application-oriented research results for distributed control concepts on a sound methodological background. With this process model, we strive for an engineering aspiration within the domain of Smart Grids. The process model is set up with an initial conceptualisation phase followed by an iterable cycle of five phases with both analytical and experimental parts, giving detailed information on inputs and results for each phase and identifying the needed actors for each phase. Simulation of large-scale Smart Grid scenarios is a core component of SGAE. We therefore elaborate on tooling and techniques needed in that context and illustrate the whole process model using an application example from a finished research and development project.

Supporting Renewable Power Supply Through Distributed Coordination of Energy Resources

Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are considered a solution for a sustainable power supply. But integrating these decentralized power sources into the current power grid designed for a centralized power supply is a challenging task. We suggest distributed, agent-based and self-organized control algorithms for distributed units in a “Smart Grid” as a promising but challenging solution. Dynamical Virtual Power Plants (DVPP) are introduced as a first prototype of distributed controlled components of a Smart Grid. Tools and methods for a comprehensive evaluation of such new Smart Grid control methods in terms of technological indicators as well as sustainability indicators will be the next challenge in research and development for computer scientists in this domain.

Towards an Integrated Sustainability Evaluation of Energy Scenarios with Automated Information Exchange.

To reshape energy systems towards renewable energy resources, decision makers need to decide today on how to make the transition. Energy scenarios are widely used to guide decision making in this context. While considerable effort has been put into developing energy scenarios, researchers have pointed out three requirements for energy scenarios that are not fulfilled satisfactorily yet: The development and evaluation of energy scenarios should (1) incorporate the concept of sustainability, (2) provide decision support in a transparent way and (3) be replicable for other researchers. To meet these requirements, we combine different methodological approaches: story-and-simulation (SAS) scenarios, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), information modeling and co-simulation. We show in this paper how the combination of these methods can lead to an integrated approach for sustainability evaluation of energy scenarios with automated information exchange. Our approach consists of a sustainability evaluation process (SEP) and an information model for modeling dependencies. The objectives are to guide decisions towards sustainable development of the energy sector and to make the scenario and decision support processes more transparent for both decision makers and researchers.

On local minima in distributed energy scheduling

Distributed energy scheduling constitutes a tough task for optimization algorithms, as the underlying problem structure is highdimensional, multimodal and non-linear. For this reason, metaheuristics and especially distributed algorithms have been in the focus of research for several years with promising results. The modeling of the distributed energy units’ flexibility is a specific research task, with different concepts like comfort-level based approaches, enumeration of possible schedules, and continuous schedule representation using machine learning and decoder techniques. Although a continuous representation of flexibility has shown better results regarding the global optimization goal, there have been hints that the susceptibility to local minima traps enlarges compared to the enumeration of distinct schedules. In this contribution, we present an exemplary system for predictive scheduling of distributed energy units consisting of a continuous flexibility modelling approach and a fully distributed planning heuristic. A prestudy is presented, where we analyze the problem structure regarding local minima and describe planned work to reduce the heuristic’s susceptibility to be kept in these.

Recent trends in energy informatics research

Dear reader, welcome to this special edition of the “it – information technology” journal. This issue collects papers from the 7th PhD-workshop “Energy Informatics (Energieinformatik)” – organized in cooperation with the 5th D-A-CH-Energieinformatik conference in Klagenfurt, Austria from September 27th–30th. For the second time, we are given the chance of presenting the 5 best papers in this journal and show current research trends in energy informatics within this special edition. The aim of this workshop for PhD-students is to discuss their research about the role of ICT and Computer Science in future energy systems. The energy transition (Energiewende) – a politically supervised and accelerated shift from nuclear and fossil fuels to sustainable sources of energy – yields drastic changes in the operation of existing energy systemsand requires a paradigmshift inboth their planningandoperation. The technological aspects as well as the involvement of consumers play a crucial role in the necessary transformation process. Hence, not only the development, evaluation and application of new technologies and methods have to be investigated, but also the general regulatory conditions and complex user interactions involved when transforming such systems. These challenges are not limited to the domain of electric power systems but rather need to be extended to integrate mobility, gas and heat supply systems. The annual workshop “Energy Informatics” – initiated by the OFFIS – Institute for Information Technology in Oldenburg, Germany, in 2009 – invites contributions from PhD students exploring the intersection of informatics, power engineering and energy economics. This workshop presents an opportunity for PhD students to present and discuss their current work – ranging from preliminary ideas to concrete project or thesis results – with researchers from within the same community.

Energiesysteme und das Paradigma des Agenten

Das Paradigma des Agenten findet zunehmend Anwendung in hochdynamischen und komplexen Bereichen, welche koordinierte oder koordinierende Prozesse erfordern. In diesem Beitrag werden neue Anforderungen an die Systeme der Energieversorgung und des Netzbetriebes vorgestellt und diskutiert, inwieweit das Agenten-Paradigma diesen gerecht werden kann.