Barbara Rapp

Encoding distributed search spaces for virtual power plants

The optimization task in many virtual power plant (VPP) scenarios comprises the search for appropriate schedules in search spaces from distributed energy resources. In scenarios with a decoupling of plant modeling and plant control, these search spaces are distributed as well. If merely the controller unit of a plant knows about the subset of operable schedules that are allowed to be considered by the central scheduling unit, then these sets have to be effectively communicated. We discuss an approach of learning the envelope that separates operable from non-operable schedules inside the space of all schedules by means of support vector data description. Then, only the comparatively small set of support vectors has to be transmitted as a classifier for distinguishing schedules during optimization. We applied this approach to simulated VPP.

Support vector based encoding of distributed energy resources' feasible load spaces

The sets of feasible load schedules that distributed energy resources are able to operate, jointly define the search space within many virtual power plant optimization tasks. If a centralized approach is considered, a central, single scheduling unit needs to know for each energy resource what schedules comply with all given constraints, because only these are operable and might be taken into account for optimization. As many constraints depend on state or time, sets of currently operable alternatives have repeatedly to be communicated to the scheduler in order to avoid central modeling of each single resource. We here present a support vector based approach for learning a highly efficient geometric representation of the space of feasible alternatives for operable schedules. This description is communicated to the scheduler and the encoded information implicitly contains all constraints and therefore makes their modeling dispensable at scheduler side.

Including Environmental Performance Indicators into Kernel based Search Space Representations

Virtual power plants are considered a promising concept for the integration of decentralized energy resources into the future electricity grid. But such a plant must not only optimize load schedules merely according to given economic objectives and technical constraints, if it is to be considered as a green technology. Hence, environmental issues have to be incorporated into optimization objectives, too. Here, we show the possibility of integrating respective performance indicators into search space descriptions in a way that enables direct incorporation into optimization. A meta-model for constrained search spaces based on one-class support vector machines is enriched with information on individual environmental impacts.

IT Solutions for EPI Management

Measuring an organization’s impact on the environment with appropriate EPIs demands specific ICT solutions that support this task. At the same time, the realm of the upcoming, so called IT-for-Green approach, is to increase the environmental friendliness of companies and their processes by means of ICT. In this context, corporate environmental management information systems (CEMIS) have already become an indispensable tool in support of the environmental policies described in chapter “Environmental Performance”. However, conventional CEMIS alone are not sufficient for achieving this objective, as they serve mainly for ensuring legal compliance with relevant environmental laws and regulations in order to avoid financial sanctions from authorities. In this sense, these systems are not compliant with the results from the sustainability debate and with the required strong operational focus. Traditional systems fulfill the requirements entailed by the concept of sustainable development only to a very limited degree. For this reason, existing ICT tools will be reviewed and the benefit OEPI can append.

Ontologiebasierte Kaskadennutzung von Rohstoffen

ZusammenfassungDie Umsetzung einer funktionierenden Kreislaufwirtschaft, in der begrenzte Rohstoffe möglichst umfassend und mehrstufig genutzt werden, bedarf zur Koordination der sich ergebenden unternehmensübergreifenden Zusammenarbeitsstrukturen einer adäquaten Unterstützung durch Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (IKT). Um Materialströme automatisiert managen zu können, ist die Erfassung und Beschreibung sowohl der Materialien als auch der verarbeitenden Prozesse erforderlich. Nur so wird es möglich, diese Daten einer algorithmischen Verarbeitung zugänglich zu machen. Hier bieten sich die Entwicklung und der Einsatz neuer domänenspezifischer Ontologien an, um eine Wissensbasis für die Verknüpfung von Rohstoffen zu Nutzungskaskaden zu ermöglichen.

Sustainable, Multi-Criteria Biomass Procurement: A Game Theoretical Approach

Biomass exploitation asks for intelligent management strategies for linking multiple alternatives of exploitation as well as alternative paths in order to pro- duce (multiple) products and energy (directly used or stored) at the same time. By means of loose (and therefore flexibly alterable) coupling, a regional network of (basically) small players is formed, that offers an extensible portfolio of processes, which can be used in flexible combination.

Advances and New Trends in Environmental and Energy Informatics

This book presents the latest findings and ongoing research in the field of green information systems and green information and communication technology (ICT). It provides insights into a whole range of cross-cutting topics in ICT and environmental sciences as well as showcases how information and communication technologies allow environmental and energy efficiency issues to be handled effectively. The papers presented in this book are a selection of extended and improved contributions to the 28th International Conference on Informatics for Environmental Protection dedicated to ICT for energy efficiency. This book is essential and particularly worth reading for those who already gained basic knowledge and want to deepen and extend their expertise in the subjects mentioned above.

Green Web Services Integration and Workflow Execution within Next Generation CEMIS

This article presents a detailed implementation of the Corporate Environmental Management Information Systems CEMIS Next Generation platform of the IT-for-Green research project. The provided services within this platform are grouped based on the module to which they belong. These services will be the main realization of the workflows activities of the systems business processes. In the frame of this project, the Next Generation CEMIS will be developed, to integrate research concepts of current interest and investigate their feasibility through a prototypical implementation. In this paper the authors focus on two major components: the workflow engine implemented using State Chart XML SCXML and the Green Service Mall realized as a set of standardized Web Services.

Municipalities and Sustainable Tourism: Challenges, Requirements and Added Value

Municipalities as well as companies are currently addressed by their stakeholders to report their (environmental, social and economic) impacts. If municipalities are following the ideas of the Agenda 21, that are based on the results of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro (1992) when focusing on sustainable tourism, they are facing a gap due to missing indicators focusing on topics in the field of sustainable tourism and boundaries of the sustainability report. The analyzed sustainability reporting guidelines, such as the Global Reporting Initiative 3.1 or the United Nations Global Compact, lack to support municipalities due to missing indicators and support in defining the sustainability report’s boundaries. This chapter will indicate challenges, requirements and added value for municipalities with respect to sustainable tourism, by extending current sustainability guidelines based on a literature analysis and interviews done in the project “Next Generation CEMIS for Environmental, Energy and Resource Management” (IT-for-Green).