Distributed Energy Systems

The future electric power grid will be based on a robust infrastructure combining renewable energy sources and a networked and interactive energy market connecting the consumer and energy producer. The advantages of a smart-grid range from a decreased environmental impact, economic benefits, and a more robust service. One of the challenges associated with developing a smart-grid is its physical scale. Current energy needs require large-scale generation of power from centralized plants. One vision for smart-grids is to supplement this energy production with renewable sources of energy, including wind and solar power, energy storage elements, and an interactive energy market where end-users can modulate their demand according to energy prices and personal utility.

Our research primarily focuses on distributed algorithms for solving the economic dispatch and unit commitment problem for networks of heterogeneous energy generation and storage devices. In collaboration with the Turbomachinery and Heat Transfer Laboratory , we have been working with detailed dynamic models of micro-gas turbines to design robust optimization algorithms for these problems.

Robust scheduling State Transition HIL Environment

Related Publications:

  1. M. Sharf, I. Romm, M. Palman, D. Zelazo, and B. Cukurel, “Economic Dispatch of a Single Micro-Gas Turbine Under CHP Operation with Uncertain Demands,” Applied Energy, 309:118391, 2022.
    Sharf2021b_J.pdf DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.118391
  2. N. Peleg, “Economic Dispatch for a Network of Micro-Gas Turbines,” mastersthesis, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Aerospace Engineering Department, 2022.
    Peleg2022.pdf
  3. F. Ulmer, “Smart Sensors for Monitoring for the Electric Power Network,” mastersthesis, ETH, 2021.
    Ulmer2021.pdf
  4. J. F. Rist, M. F. Dias, M. Palman, D. Zelazo, and B. Cukurel, “Economic Dispatch of a Single Micro-Gas Turbine Under CHP Operation,” Applied Energy, 200:1–18, 2017.
    Rist2016_J.pdf DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.05.064
  5. J. F. Rist, M. F. Dias, D. Zelazo, B. Cukurel, and M. Palman, “Optimal Combined Heat and Power Integration of a Micro-Gas Turbine Unit in Distributed Energy Generation,” in 57th Israel Annual Conference on Aerospace Sciences , Tel-Aviv, Israel, Feb. 2017.
  6. D. Zelazo, R. Dai, and M. Mesbahi, “An energy management system for off-grid power systems,” Energy Systems, 3(2):153–179, 2012.
    Zelazo2011a_J.pdf DOI: 10.1007/s12667-012-0050-4