Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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Browsing Electrical Engineering and Computer Science by Subject "Blockchain"
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Item Open Access Distributed Communication and Control Frameworks for Smart Grids using the Internet of Things and Blockchain Technology(2021-11-15) Saxena, Shivam Kumar; Farag, Hany E. Z.Smart distribution grids (SDGs) are power systems that harness distributed energy resources (DERs) to increase their operational efficiency and sustainability. However, the uncontrolled operation of DERs lead to operational challenges, resulting in transformer overload and voltage violations. Distribution system operators (DSOs) are responsible for preventing such issues, however, DERs are typically owned by agents such as homeowners and private enterprises, whose motivations revolve around financial incentives and maximizing operational convenience, which do not always align with the DSO's objectives. Thus, new communication and control frameworks are required to coordinate the actions of agents and DSOs to deliver mutually beneficial results. The architectures of these frameworks should be distributed to avoid unilateral authority, and auditable to alleviate any trust issues between participants. Thus, this thesis develops distributed communication and control frameworks for SDGs that are built upon modern communication technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchains, both of which provide architectures that are distributed. The proposed control strategies of this thesis are inspired from principles related to transactive energy systems (TES), where distributed control techniques are combined with economically oriented decision making to improve overall energy efficiency. Accordingly, this thesis proposes three new frameworks, and validates their efficacy using both simulated and real-world experiments at a microgrid in Vaughan, Ontario. First, a fully distributed communication framework (DCF) is proposed for agent messaging, which is built upon the IoT-based framework known as Data Distribution Service (DDS). The DCF provides 1000 messages/second at 36 millisecond latency, and also enhances the efficacy of agents in resolving voltage violations in real-time at the microgrid. Second, a blockchain-based TES is proposed to enable agents to bid for voltage regulation services, where smart contracts enable multiple violations to be resolved in parallel, leading to less bidding cycles. Third, a blockchain-based residential energy trading system (RETS) is proposed , which enables residential communities and DSOs to participate in peer to peer energy trading and demand response. The RETS reduces the peak demand of the community by 48 kW (62%), which leads to an average savings of $1.02 M for the DSO by avoiding transformer upgrades.Item Open Access Novel Design and Energy Management Approaches for Seamless Integration and Adoption of Plug-In Electric Vehicles(2022-12-14) Al-Obaidi, Abdullah Azhar Abdullah; Farag, Hany E. Z.Electric vehicles (EVs) are witnessing increased utilization throughout the world as an alternative to fossil-fueled vehicles. However, the adoption of EVs and their integration into the power grid is yet to be fully materialized due to several issues, of which two are the most salient. First, the extensive deployment of EVs can bring challenges to the grid if not properly managed. Second, access to a variety of EV supply equipment (EVSE) in different areas is still lacking. To that end, the research in this thesis aims to address these issues through the development of adaptive approaches that enhance the management of EV energy and the development of a charging strategy and a design approach that help to expand the proliferation of EV charging infrastructure. Three approaches that are adaptive to their operator/user preferences are developed to enhance energy management in EVs. The first approach allows adaptive utilization of EV batteries' distributed energy resources in an EV fleet system for concurrent services to the transportation sector and ancillary services market. The second approach is a decentralized quality of service (QoS)-based scheme for peer-peer (P2P) energy trading among EV energy providers and consumers. The proposed mechanism is designed to match energy traders based on consumers' and providers' QoS requirements and offers, respectively. The third approach is a bidirectional smart charging algorithm for EVs considering P2P energy trade, provision of ancillary services to the grid, and utilization of low electricity prices for battery charging. The algorithm incorporates user preferences into the scheduling process enabling it to adapt to various conditions. Further, to expand the proliferation of EV charging infrastructure, this thesis introduces (i) a charging control strategy that does not require a communication network, which in turn reduces additional grid upgrades, and (ii) a design approach for EV parking lots that helps private investors to participate in the growth of charging facilities. The findings of this thesis highlight the efficacy of the proposed approaches in achieving their objectives. This would provide implementable and cost-effective solutions to facilitate EVs deployment and address imminent and timely concerns that limit the wide adoption of EVs into electric distribution infrastructure.