Murat Kuzlu

An Algorithm for Intelligent Home Energy Management and Demand Response Analysis

A home energy management (HEM) system is an integral part of a smart grid that can potentially enable demand response applications for residential customers. This paper presents an intelligent HEM algorithm for managing high power consumption household appliances with simulation for demand response (DR) analysis. The proposed algorithm manages household loads according to their preset priority and guarantees the total household power consumption below certain levels. A simulation tool is developed to showcase the applicability of the proposed algorithm in performing DR at an appliance level. This paper demonstrates that the tool can be used to analyze DR potentials for residential customers. Given the lack of understanding about DR potentials in this market, this work serves as an essential stepping-stone toward providing an insight into how much DR can be performed for residential customers.

Communication network requirements for major smart grid applications in HAN, NAN and WAN

Since the introduction of the smart grid, accelerated deployment of various smart grid technologies and applications have been experienced. This allows the traditional power grid to become more reliable, resilient, and efficient. Despite such a widespread deployment, it is still not clear which communication technology solutions are the best fit to support grid applications. This is because different smart grid applications have different network requirements – in terms of data payloads, sampling rates, latency and reliability. Based on a variety of smart grid use cases and selected standards, this paper compiles information about different communication network requirements for different smart grid applications, ranging from those used in a Home Area Network (HAN), Neighborhood Area Network (NAN) and Wide-Area Network (WAN). Communication technologies used to support implementation of selected smart grid projects are also discussed. This paper is expected to serve as a comprehensive database of technology requirements and best practices for use by communication engineers when designing a smart grid network.

Hardware Demonstration of a Home Energy Management System for Demand Response Applications

A Home Energy Management (HEM) system plays a crucial role in realizing residential Demand Response (DR) programs in the smart grid environment. It provides a homeowner the ability to automatically perform smart load controls based on utility signals, customers preference and load priority. This paper presents the hardware demonstration of the proposed HEM system for managing end-use appliances. The HEMs communication time delay to perform load control is analyzed, along with its residual energy consumption.

Load Profiles of Selected Major Household Appliances and Their Demand Response Opportunities

Electrical power consumption data and load profiles of major household appliances are crucial elements for demand response studies. This paper discusses load profiles of selected major household appliances in the U.S., including two clothes washers, two clothes dryers, two air conditioners, an electric water heater, an electric oven, a dishwasher, and two refrigerators. Their electrical power consumption data measured in one-second intervals, together with one-minute data (averaged over 60 one-second readings), are provided in an online data repository (URL: www.ari.vt.edu/research-data/). The data were gathered from two homes in Virginia and Maryland during July-October 2012. In this paper, demand response opportunities provided by these appliances are also discussed.

Assessment of communication technologies and network requirements for different smart grid applications

Our current electric power grid was built over 100 years ago based on simple demand and supply requirements. With emerging technologies, availability of small-scale distributed energy sources and higher customer expectations, two-way information flow, communication architecture, as well as smart sensing and metering technologies are being incorporated into the current power grid. The objective of this paper is to compare different communication technologies and assess their suitability for deployment to serve various smart grid applications. Both wired and wireless communication technologies are compared in terms of their data rates and coverage ranges. Comprehensive assessment is performed to evaluate suitability of different communication technologies for use to enable different smart grid applications based on specific network requirements.

Demonstration of a home energy management system with smart thermostat control

A home energy management (HEM) system has the potential to enable demand response (DR) implementation for residential customers. This paper presents a detailed hardware architecture that allows control of an air conditioning (AC) unit by varying the thermostat set point. This can be accomplished by controlling a Wi-Fi enabled thermostat via an HEM system. The hardware demonstration of the proposed architecture is also discussed. This work showcases the applicability of the HEM system in managing an AC unit through a smart thermostat control. This approach can serve as an alternative to allowing an electric utility to perform remote disconnect to AC units. Controlling an AC unit by adjusting the thermostat set point can ensure lower average power consumption of the AC unit during a demand response period, along with better temperature control and improved equipment lifetime.

Real-time co-simulation platform using OPAL-RT and OPNET for analyzing smart grid performance

The objective of this paper is to present a real-time co-simulation platform for analyzing electric power grid operation, taking into account integrated communication systems. This paper discusses how a co-simulation platform can be set up using OPNET and OPAL-RT as communication and power system simulators, respectively. A simplified distribution automation case study is demonstrated to show how the co-simulation platform can be used to analyze performance of the smart grid operation in real-time.

Analysis of communication schemes for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)

With the introduction of the smart grid, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) has become an important element in the modern power system. The successful implementation of AMI is dependent on its communication scheme that provides reliable two-way communications. The objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of possible AMI communication network infrastructures based on real-world smart grid projects, and analyze their advantages and disadvantages. The most promising AMI communication scheme is then recommended, which is a hybrid version of WiMAX and fiber optic. The recommended solution is simulated in OPNET using the case study of a small-scale AMI network. Network performance is then evaluated based on smart metering system requirements specified in IEEE Std 2030-2011.

A smart distribution transformer management with multi-agent technologies

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate an approach to perform distribution transformer management with multi-agent technologies. With the proposed approach, the distribution transformers loading level is kept below a certain value by dynamically allocating the transformers demand limit (DL) among the homes served by the transformer during a demand response event. The DL assignment takes into account, for each home, its load profile (kW), electrical panel size (A), expected instantaneous demand (kW), and homeowners preferences. The proposed set of algorithms is developed in a multi-agent system (MAS). In this paper, the MAS is designed, developed and implemented in JAVA Agent Development Framework (JADE). A distribution network is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink integrated with the developed stand-alone HEM software. These platforms are linked together via MACSimJX middleware and TCPIIP communications.

Assessment of communication technologies for a home energy management system

Design of an effective home energy management (HEM) system requires selection of an appropriate communication technology. The objective of this paper is to compare commonly used communication technologies for HEM implementation in a premises area network, in terms of their latency, throughput, reliability, power consumption and implementation costs. Communication technologies of interest include ZigBee, Wi-Fi and Ethernet. These technologies are simulated in OPNET. This paper compares the performance of selected communication technologies using two communication schemes, i.e., Always-on and Turn-on-in-loop. It also analyzes the impact of the number of devices being controlled by the HEM on the technology performance.