The Optimal Control Problem in Smart Energy Grids

This chapter addresses the balancing problem that arises in smart energy grids. Because power generation from renewable energy resources is tied to environmental factors, supply is often fluctuating and decentralised. Minimising the imbalance between supply and demand is important for grid stability, as well as for economic considerations. Flexible appliances propose a means to achieve supply-demand matching by shifting their production or consumption in time. We take a distributed optimal control point of view: we formulate the problem as an optimal control problem and suggest solutions based on distributed model predictive control (MPC) methods. In particular, we aim to minimise the imbalance using demand response regulation and via Power-to-Gas facilities that offer energy storage. Furthermore, we discuss how demand response regulation can be embedded in the market structure of the Universal Smart Energy Framework. We present example simulations to demonstrate the viability of our approaches.