A Theory for Sustainable Smart Grids: Combining Communication Theory, Power Systems, Signal Processing and Economics from a Complexity Science Perspective (SUSTAIN)

Research summary

In this project, we aim at developing a new theory for the new generation of electric power systems, also known as smart grids. Such a technology uses the information and communication technologies to exchange data within the grid, allowing for interactions between its elements as well as the humans who also play an important role. These interactions form a network structure among the diverse system elements based on fixed rules (e.g. physical laws) and adaptive relation rules guided by the available (estimated, filtered and/or processed) information (e.g. human behavior). Therefore, we need to go further than the simple analysis of the technology and thus we should include the human interactions with the power grid to have a proper picture of its dynamics.

Description

In this context, economic incentives and the regulations induce the human behavior, affecting the grid’s network structure and hence its performance. The inclusion of distributed generation sources (e.g. solar panels) into the grid also changes its dynamics and open new possibilities of electric markets (e.g. anyone with a solar panel at home can sell energy to the grid). These facts will affect both locally and globally the load balance, creating then undesirable instabilities. In addition to these issues, the smart grids must drive to eco-friendly “sustainable” solutions that usually go against the “rational actor” desires, while maintain the robustness and the resilience of the system. In this context, we plan to develop a new theory to understand sustainable smart grids based on different disciplines following a complexity science approach. Roughly speaking, we divide our studies into four basic but interrelated pillars: (i) Power Systems to characterize the dynamics of the electric grid system and its subsystems, (ii) Communications to perform the information exchange within the grid, (iii) Signal Processing to propose solutions to identify, filter, estimate and analyze data from the grid, and (iv) Social-Economical Aspects to assess the human interactions (sometimes not rational) with the grid based on incentives and regulations.

A Joint call with the Brasilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Academy of Finland.

Research info

Research title
A Theory for Sustainable Smart Grids: Combining Communication Theory, Power Systems, Signal Processing and Economics from a Complexity Science Perspective (SUSTAIN)

Research timeline
1.1.2013 - 1.12.2016

Keywords
electric power systems smart grids sustainable smart grids

Region
Latin America

Countries
Brazil, Finland

Institution
University of Oulu
CWC

Funding instrument
Academy of Finland

Project budget
500,000 - 1 million euros

Head of research
Matti Latva-aho

Research team
Pedro Nardelli, Florian Kühnlenz

Partners
Brazilian Partner: University of Campinas

Contact information

Record last updated
27.8.2015