Energy management system and method with mitigation of information asymmetry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Energy management systems with a hierarchical structure face information asymmetry between different layers, leading to suboptimal energy budgets and performance in systems with widely varying technical characteristics, such as HVAC and electric vehicle charging systems, due to the aggregator neglecting detailed information at the subsystem level.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that introduces communication between the aggregator and energy distributor modules to negotiate energy budgets and performance losses, allowing for improved control performance by addressing information asymmetry through a one-iteration negotiation process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the aggregator layer determines energy budgets based on aggregated information only, then the system complexity is reduced and computation is simplified, but information asymmetry arises and control performance deteriorates due to neglect of detailed subsystem information
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments information handling between two layers: the aggregator layer processes aggregated information for overall energy budget determination, while the distributor layer processes specific subsystem information for detailed control. This segmentation allows each layer to operate with appropriate information granularity, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining control performance through distributed intelligence.
Solution Approach 2:
The distributor layer provides feedback to the aggregator layer about actual subsystem performance and information asymmetry. This feedback mechanism enables the aggregator to adjust energy budgets based on real-world subsystem behavior, bridging the gap between aggregated planning and detailed execution without requiring the aggregator to process all subsystem details directly.
2Loss of time
If the aggregator neglects detailed subsystem information to simplify processing, then computation time is reduced, but energy budget optimality deteriorates due to information asymmetry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts detailed subsystem information processing from the aggregator layer and places it in the distributor layer. The aggregator only handles aggregated information and high-level energy budget determination, while the distributor extracts and processes specific subsystem details locally. This extraction eliminates unnecessary computation at the aggregator while maintaining optimality through distributed processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The distributor layer performs preliminary processing of subsystem-specific information before presenting it to the aggregator. By pre-processing and summarizing detailed subsystem data at the distributor level, the system reduces the computation burden on the aggregator while ensuring that relevant information is available for optimal energy budget determination.
3Adaptability or versatility
If hierarchical structure is used with aggregator and distributor layers, then system scalability is improved, but information asymmetry between layers increases leading to suboptimal energy management
Solution Approach 1:
The distributor layer acts as an intermediary between the aggregator and individual subsystems. It receives aggregated energy budgets from the aggregator, processes them with detailed subsystem information, and executes optimized control. This intermediary role bridges the information gap created by the hierarchical structure, allowing scalability while maintaining information flow and reducing asymmetry.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-implemented method for an energy management system comprising at least one subsystems, the method comprises determining, by an aggregator module based on aggregated information for the energy management system, an energy budget and at least one setpoint for each subsystem. The method further comprises determining, by energy distributor modules associated with each subsystem based on specific information for the associated subsystem, a desired additional energy budget based on the respective determined energy budgets and the at least one setpoint, wherein each subsystem is associated with an individual energy distributor module. The energy distributer modules further predict a performance loss of each subsystem based on the energy budget compared to a sum of the energy budget and the desired additional energy budget for the at least one setpoint. Each energy distributor module communicates the desired additional energy budget and performance loss to the aggregator module. The aggregator module determines a granted additional energy budget for each subsystem based on the desired additional energy budget and the predicted performance loss for each subsystem, and generates an energy budget plan based on the determined granted additional energy budget for each subsystem. The method includes controlling the energy management system based on the energy budget plan for each subsystem.