Pooyan Jahangiri

Multiphysics Test Bed for Renewable Energy Systems in Smart Homes

This work introduces a multiphysics test bed which supports the testing of renewable energy systems in the context of home energy systems (HESs). The test bed, based on power-hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) technology, allows for testing renewable energy systems and HESs in a holistic way. Homes, as the melting pot of different forms of energy, are one of the key enablers for the smart grid technology. The interface of different energy domains is the main propeller for innovation and development of new technologies. The test bed presented in this work comprises thermal, hydraulic, communication, and electrical interfaces, enabling a variety of testing scenarios. The modular structure of the test bed allows for a very flexible setup for analyzing different kinds of HESs.

GEYSER: Enabling Green Data Centres in Smart Cities

Information Technology is a dominant player of our modern societies; Data Centres, lying at the heart of the IT landscape, have attracted attention, with their increasing energy consumption being a constant topic of concern, especially when it comes to the negative impact on the quality of their surrounding environment. Nevertheless, recent technological and societal advances are paving the way for DCs to change their role from passive energy consumers into prosumers, thus, transforming themselves into leading players within their smart district surroundings. This paper describes the innovative GEYSER approach to enabling green networked DCs to monitor, control, reuse, and optimize both their energy consumption and production, and in particular from renewable resources, towards becoming active participants within Smart Grids and Smart Cities.

Next generation automation architecture for DC smart homes

DC nanogrids for residential use are gaining research interest as an effective solution to integrate several types of distributed renewable energy resources, energy storage, and DC loads. This paper proposes a novel three-layer automation architecture for the DC nanogrid of future DC “smart” homes. The bottom layer, i.e. the converter level control, is fully decentralized and allows plug&play functionality, without the need for horizontal communication. The middle layer optimizes the usage of energy resources and storage as well as thermal (heating/cooling) devices based on a Multi-Agent System. The top layer is the user interface and the communication port to the Energy Network Operator, to enable smart grid capabilities, such as demand side management, demand response, and grid support. This paper presents the draft architecture together with a preliminary analysis of standard protocols for building automation which can be used to identify the best solutions for the communication that supports the architecture.

Ancillary services from Data Center HVAC systems and back-up generator sets

In this paper, we address the challenges of Data Centers (DCs) as ancillary service providers in the Smart Grid context. A DC power management methodology has been defined for scheduling of electrical and thermal components. As a result, the power demand of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning) system and the power produced via back-up generators adapts to sudden changes in frequency of the grid. This methodology leverages on a detailed simulation of the DC, encompassing dynamic models of the thermal and electrical components. To demonstrate the viability of the proposed power management methodology, numerical simulation experiments have been carried out oriented to future application in real pilot DCs.