Groene ICT&Duurzaamheid 2013

Computer simulations in an interdisciplinary summer school initiative for the Energy Sector

Prof dr Frances Brazier, Systems Enginerring,TBM, TUDelft

Groene ICT&Duurzaamheid 2013

The challenge – designing participation for sustainability

Participation in social-technical systems, systems that adapt

In the energy system

Networks in which self-organization is based on local coördination

Traditional energy market

Energy flows one direction from a

few big producers to many small

consumers (and industries).

• The situation is changing

• Distributed (green) generation

wind turbines, solar panels, etc.

• Consumer becomes producer.

• Role power companies is

changing;

• Ability for consumers to sell

power to each other.

• Each entity is represented by a

software agent;

• Agents can operate semi-

autonomously to negotiate

agreements to buy and sell

energy.

• But the real market is more

complicated;

• More agents, more

communication.

• But the real market is more

complicated;

• More agents, more

communication.

• Single agents can’t compete on

the large market, smaller

dynamic organisations are

more effective.

• They acquire autonomy.

• Organisations negotiate with

each other.

• Organisations negotiate with

each other and change

Technological self organisation at the level of the prosumer, based on communication

But …. for citizens to be able

to take responsibility and to act,

to participate,

socio-techical self organisation is needed.

Distributed ICT

networks

• Multi-agent systems

• Virtual organisations -

clustering;

• Merging realities

Physical networks

• buildings,

• wind turbines;

• power lines: transmission,

distribution;

• solar panels;

Social networks

• Social structures;

• Governance

• Communities

Social networks • Social structures • Governance • Communities } Distributed ICT networks • Multi-agent systems; • Virtual organisations

-clustering; • Merging realities;

}

Physical networks • houses, wind turbines; • power lines; • solar panels;

}

Participation

Social networks Governance Social structures

Distributed ICT networks Communication Virtual organisation

Physical netwokrs Physical infrastructure

Distributed management Multiple players: traders/brokers, prosumers

Dynamic demand/supply at all levels

New market mechanisms

New regulations

Dynamic clustering/communities

Distributed ICT Distributed power generation

Urban design

The first smart grid city in the US: Boulder, Colorado

Boulder

• Boulder has a very highly educated population

• Environmental concern high on their agenda

• National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) leadership

• “Boulder is just one big technology magnet when it

comes to anything to do with alternative energy,

conservation and end use efficiency (Mauldin) ”

Well-regulated socio-techno eco system

The level of autonomy

is the city.

The level of autonomy in another case

is the community.

Requiring design based on

• Design for trust:

social acceptance, transparency, security

• Design for empowerment:

• Design for engagement:

Requires design based on

• Design for trust:

social acceptance, transparency, security

• Design for empowerment:

autonomy, self-management and self-regulation

• Design for engagement:

Requires design based on

• Design for trust:

social acceptance, transparency, security

• Design for empowerment:

autonomy, self-management and self-regulation

• Design for engagement:

interaction and collaboration

Design to engage, to trust, to relate… to participate

Taking responsibility, participating…

…requires trust, awareness and the ability to act.

The focus of Social Networks Understanding human participation in social technical ecological systems: social structures, governance, communities

The focus of participation at the level of Distributed ICT distributed social overlays/communities, load balancing distributed aggregation, distributed SLAs, distributed monitoring, distributed clustering Robustness, Resilience, Ability to Adapt, Security, Cascading effects

Studied in projects such as

Self-organisation of energy network on the basis of its

physical health, with agents representing physical

network – topology, distributed (RobuSmart)

Securing the European Electricity Supply Against

Malicious and accidental thrEats (SESAME, EU)

Self-Managed Dynamic Institutions in Power Grids:

Sharing the Cost of Reliability (NGI)

Focus of physical networks

Health of the physical network, design of robust topologies, resources and storage,

Modelling Prototyping Serious gaming System design

Multi-agent systems – the role of simulation

Design of distributed systems

Single machine simulation

agents

Design of distributed systems

Single machine simulation

Distributed simulation

AgentScape middleware platform supports both simulation and emulation of large-scale heterogeneous agent systems.

Distributed simulation?

Vermelding onderdeel organisatie

What are the steps in the development cycle? Program Time Network Application Application

Setting

Theoretical analysis modeled modeled modeled modeled modeled

1a Synchronized simulation

real modeled modeled modeled modeled

1b Asynchronous Simulation

real real modeled modeled modeled

2 Emulation real real real modeled modeled

3 Demonstrator real real real real modeled

Application deployment

real real real real real

January 31, 2013 43

Dynamic Adaptive Systems Group, Systems Engineering, TPM

AgentScape* is a platform designed

to this purpose… Framework for • scalable, • interactive, • secure, • robust, • interoperable • distributed autonomous systems/agents • supporting service agreement negotiation • and service agreement enforcement

*AgentScape development is currently a joint endeavour with Thales NL

AgentScape Conceptual Model

AgentScape

AgentScape kernel

host

manager

location

manager

agent

server

AgentScape

kernel interface

Web service

gateway

host

manager

agent

server

AgentScape middleware services

AgentScape location

AgentScape kernel

host

manager

location

manager

agent

server

AgentScape

kernel interface

web service

gateway

host

manager

agent

server

AgentScape middleware services

Agentscope Network/Environment

interface

January 31, 2013 47

Dynamic Adaptive Systems Group, Systems Engineering, TPM

PARTICIPATION

Thank you for your attention!

Design: Cok Francken

For more information: www.participatorysystems.org