Title:

Decarbonization of the power sector with human-in-the-loop

Abstract:

The variability of renewable generation is a barrier to the decarbonization of the power sector. Existing methods for coping with uncertainty in power systems focus on the supply side (e.g using energy storage, power imports, or supplementing with controllable fossil generation). However, many of the emerging technologies which consumer power have inherent flexibility, meaning control of the demand-side will be possible. This talk will cover the integration of residential demand flexibility into power systems, with the objective of offsetting variability from renewable generation. The focus will largely be on domestic electric vehicle charging. The first part of the talk will focus on building decision models to quantify the aggregated flexibility of charging. A data-driven approach will be introduced that is based on clustering of conventional vehicle usage data. The second part will focus on control strategies for large numbers of distributed flexible resources. An optimization scheme will be introduced which preserves consumer privacy and equity, while protecting local network components.

Bio:

Constance received both M.Eng and PhD degrees from the University of Oxford. Her PhD focused on understanding the impact that electric vehicle charging will have on power systems. She is currently a postdoc at CU Boulder, where she has been working on the ARPA-E Grid Optimization Competition. Her broader research interests are in realizing the potential of demand flexibility in power systems.