Principal Investigator Munther Dahleh
Since renewable power generation often produces unpredictable and time-varying electricity capacity, power grids employing these technologies must maintain large reserves of generation capacity to ensure that supply does not exceed demand. This reserve generation capacity is expensive to purchase, build, and maintain. Additionally, due to the unpredictable nature of renewable generation, reliance must sometimes be placed on more traditional energy sources that leave large carbon footprints. The cost of reserve generation capacity in Masdar City and other energy grids can be reduced or eliminated in several ways. First, more efficient and cost-effective power generation technologies can be developed. Second, technologies for effectively storing excess electricity within the power grid can be developed in order to offset the effects of time-varying generation capacity. Third, demand-side management strategies, or demand response, can be implemented to reduce energy demand during periods in which supply threatens to exceed demand. This research will focus on using demand response to reduce generation capacity requirements.
We will develop and analyze autonomous devices for distributing, acquiring, and managing electricity resources in networked power grids. This will involve developing artificial crandal diagramlearning and control algorithms and human-machine interaction technologies that allow users to effectively manage, distribute, and acquire energy resources.
Masdar City is designed to be a green and sustainable city that provides the highest quality of living to its inhabitants. A smart power grid powered by renewable energy sources is necessary to realize this ambitious goal. In particular, intelligent information technologies, such as the devices we will develop and analyze in this research, are essential to constructing a power grid that responds to fluctuations in supply and demand without inconveniencing inhabitants.
We will test and analyze the resulting intelligent information technologies via both simulation and user study. Ideally, this research will culminate in a user study and demonstration within Masdar City itself.