scholarly journals User-Related Issues in Design and Use of Smartgrids Seen as Complex Sociotechnical Systems: Example of the VERTPOM Project

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Emilie Loup-Escande ◽  
Sophie Capo ◽  
Helios Raharison

The impact of human activities on the environment is no longer to be demonstrated today and concerns many fields. With a view to environmental protection, applied to global warming limitation and fossil fuels preservation, Smartgrids are currently emerging, especially, under the impetus of European and French legislation. In emerging technologies, end-user-related issues, articulated with the design process, continue to raise conceptual, methodological and operational questions. The perspective of complex sociotechnical systems is useful for Smartgrids and to underline the necessary multidisciplinary approach to design. Yet raised for decades, the articulation of multidisciplinary approaches in the design of complex systems still questions fundamental problems today. These questions are all more unresolved in the context of innovative technologies such as Smartgrids. The objective of this paper is to propose 1) a conceptual reflection applied to the design of these Smartgrids seen as emerging sociotechnical systems, and 2) a case study by illustrating with the VERTPOM project. On the one hand, we discuss four fundamental points in user-centered design of Smartgrids: we describe the legislative impulses for the rollout of smart metters and the emergence of Smartgrids, we highlight the supplier/consumer synergy that is essential for efficient energy management, we explain the importance of adapting systems to the wide public in domestic, professional and public situations in the context of consumer control of energy demand, and we address the issue of the more traditional field of supervision and control of complex dynamic processes by operators. On the other hand, we present the VERTPOM project aiming at developing a set of digital tools for energy management and energy efficiency in order to make a positive energy territory that produces more energy than it consumes by introducing the project and its actors and explaining how design acceptable Smartgrids for consumers and operators of energy suppliers.

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Helios Raharison ◽  
Emilie Loup-Escande

Acting to preserve our planet as much as possible is no longer optional in today's world. To do so, Smart Grids within the framework of electrical networks - involving not only Distribution System Operators (DSOs), but also consumers in their Energy Demand Management (EDM) activity - represent an innovative and sustainable solution. However, the integration of Smart Grids into network management or into consumers' homes implies changes at several levels: organizational, social, psychological, etc. This is why it is essential to consider the human factor in the design of the technologies used in these Smart Grids. This paper proposes the integration of DSO operators and consumers within a user-centered evaluation approach in order to design Smart Grids that are sufficiently acceptable to users to enable Positive Energy Territories that produce more energy than they consume. This demonstration will be illustrated by the VERTPOM® project aiming at facilitating the use of renewable energies specific to each territory in order to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and make the territories less dependent on traditional energies, and thus make Picardy (in France) a Positive Energy Territory. This paper presents the user-centered evaluation approach applied to three technologies (i.e., the VERTPOM-BANK® supervision tool intended for DSO operators, the private web portal and the IBox smart meter intended for households) from the upstream design phase to the implementation of the technologies in real-life situations.


Energies ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 574
Author(s):  
Muhammad Hilal Khan ◽  
Azzam Ul Asar ◽  
Nasim Ullah ◽  
Fahad R. Albogamy ◽  
Muhammad Kashif Rafique

Energy consumption in buildings is expected to increase by 40% over the next 20 years. Electricity remains the largest source of energy used by buildings, and the demand for it is growing. Building energy improvement strategies is needed to mitigate the impact of growing energy demand. Introducing a smart energy management system in buildings is an ambitious yet increasingly achievable goal that is gaining momentum across geographic regions and corporate markets in the world due to its potential in saving energy costs consumed by the buildings. This paper presents a Smart Building Energy Management system (SBEMS), which is connected to a bidirectional power network. The smart building has both thermal and electrical power loops. Renewable energy from wind and photo-voltaic, battery storage system, auxiliary boiler, a fuel cell-based combined heat and power system, heat sharing from neighboring buildings, and heat storage tank are among the main components of the smart building. A constraint optimization model has been developed for the proposed SBEMS and the state-of-the-art real coded genetic algorithm is used to solve the optimization problem. The main characteristics of the proposed SBEMS are emphasized through eight simulation cases, taking into account the various configurations of the smart building components. In addition, EV charging is also scheduled and the outcomes are compared to the unscheduled mode of charging which shows that scheduling of Electric Vehicle charging further enhances the cost-effectiveness of smart building operation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 05006
Author(s):  
Umberto Previti ◽  
Sebastian Brusca ◽  
Antonio Galvagno

Nowadays the automotive market is oriented to the production of hybrid or electric propulsion vehicle equipped with Energy Management System that aims to minimize the consumption of fossil fuel. The EMS, generally, performs a local and not global optimization of energy management due to the impossibility of predicting the user’s energy demand and driving conditions. The aim of this research is to define a driving cycle (speed time) knowing only the starting and the arrival point defined by the driver, considering satellite data and previous experiences. To achieve this goal, the data relating to the energy expenditure of a car (e.g. speed, acceleration, road inclination) will be acquired, using on-board acquisition system, during road sections in the city of Messina. At the same time, the traffic level counterplot and others information provided, for these specific sections, from GPS acquisition software will be collected. On-board and GPS data will be compared and, after considering an adequate number of acquisitions, each value of the traffic level will be associated with a driving cycle obtained by processing the acquired data. After that, the numerical model of a car will be created which will be used to compare the energy demand of two driving cycles. The first one acquired on a section with a random starting and destination point inside the historic city centre of Messina. The second is the one assigned, for that same section, considering only the value of the traffic level counterplot.


Author(s):  
Kalogeraki Stefania ◽  
Papadaki Marina

The mobile phone has become an indispensable mean of communication in the world today, and for teenagers specifically has become de rigueur in everyday life. The eagerness of teenagers to embrace mobile devices can be associated with such devices' instrumental as well as social and expressive functions. However, these functions are intertwined with critical impacts on the interaction between teenagers and parental/peer groups. On the one hand, the mobile phone acts as a symbolic “umbilical cord” that provides a permanent channel of communication, intensifying parental surveillance. On the other hand, it creates a greater space for interaction with peers beyond parental monitoring and control. This article summarizes current research and presents an empirical example of the impact of teenagers' mobile phone communication on the dynamics of parental and peer group interactions during their socialization and emancipation from the familial sphere.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1092-1093 ◽  
pp. 409-413
Author(s):  
Xiao Ming Jin ◽  
Xue Lin Zhao ◽  
Kun Qi Jia ◽  
Guang Yu He

Demand Side Energy Management System (DSEMS) manages energy demand by controlling end-use appliances in a refined, energy-saving, cost-efficient and user-friendly way. The DSEMS runs on an Android tablet computer, which serves as energy gateway to communicate with two types of controllers via ZigBee network. Smart sockets connected to the ZigBee network will monitor and control plug-in loads and IR remote controller (IRRC) for air-conditioner temperature setting. The proposed system has been installed in an apartment with over 24 rooms as a paradigm, which proved that the DSEMS can realize the autonomous energy-saving via real-time surveillance and control on household appliances.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-34
Author(s):  
O. O. Ajayi ◽  
H. Koleoso ◽  
M. Ajayi ◽  
O. Faremi

Maintenance performance measurement aims to assess and improve the value created after maintenance efforts, as it determines the impact of maintenance on the performance of a system or facility and its business process. As objects of maintenance, prison facilities ought to provide a safe and decent environment for prison staff and prisoners to work and live in, as well as for all others who interact with the facilities. This study evaluates the satisfaction ratings of maintenance performance on prison facilities in Southwestern, Nigeria. A survey approach was adopted to collect data from the relevant Nigerian prison staff population of 2,187 prison workers, excluding staff in the maintenance unit within a specific period. Stratified sampling technique was used to generate a sample of 1,094, which is representative of the entire population across the prisons. Three hundred and eighty (35%) out of the one thousand and ninety-four copies of the questionnaire were completed and returned. Data collected were analysed using the SPSS package. The study found that prison staff showed satisfaction with the level of cleanliness in the prison environment, quality of water and control of ventilation employing a window, as well as partial satisfaction with the twenty-nine other criterion assessed. Overall, the study indicated partial satisfaction for performance on prison facilities and established a significant agreement among prison staff regarding the perception of the performance of prison facilities. The research, therefore, suggests continuous evaluation of maintained prison facilities to ascertain their condition and performance levels. Keywords: Maintenance Performance Criteria; Prison Facilities; Prison Staff; Satisfaction Ratings


2020 ◽  
Vol 330 ◽  
pp. 01011
Author(s):  
Labouda Ba ◽  
Ikram El Abbassi ◽  
Cheikh S.E Kane ◽  
A-M Darcherif ◽  
Mamoudou Ndongo

Developing countries are facing population growth, which leads, on the one hand, to increased requirements for buildings and, on the other hand, to the depletion of fossil fuels along with exposure, of people living in those areas, to some detrimental consequences of climate change. Because of these factors, we propose approaches to control energy consumption in buildings. In some countries, the architectures adopted are not adequate to the environment and climate, resulting in discomfort in those buildings, in such circumstances, residents resort to the use of energy systems, such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, which leads to exorbitant electricity bills. Housing consumes 40% of the world's energy and is responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions. Optimizing energy needs in buildings is a solution to overcome these problems. For this purpose, there are solutions such as: the design of the building characterized by its shape and envelope, while using less energy-consuming equipment. For several years, the building materials sector has been developing with a particular focus on bio-source materials, which are generally materials with good thermal performance. In order to highlight the thermal performance of bio-source materials, we will study the case of Typha Australis which is a plant of the Typhaceae family that grows abundantly in an aquatic environment mainly in the Senegal River valley.Recent studies showed that Typha Australis has good thermal insulation properties. In order to determine the impact of Typha Australis on a building, a dynamic thermal simulation was carried out using the Trnsys software according to specific scenarios, the Typha was mixed with other local materials and used as a wall insulation panel, the result of the study shows that this fiber has allowed us to optimize energy consumption in a building. Mixing Typha with other materials (e. g. clay) is a promising solution for energy efficiency in buildings.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Borowski ◽  
Piotr Mazur ◽  
Sławosz Kleszcz ◽  
Klaudia Zwolińska

The energy consumption of buildings is very important for both economic and environmental reasons. Newly built buildings are characterized by higher insulation and airtightness of the building envelope, and are additionally equipped with technologies that minimize energy consumption in order to meet legal requirements. In existing buildings, the modernization process should be properly planned, taking into account available technologies and implementation possibilities. Hotel buildings are characterized by a large variability of energy demand, both on a daily and a yearly basis. Monitoring systems, therefore, provide the necessary information needed for proper energy management in the building. This article presents an energy analysis of the Turówka hotel located in Wieliczka (southern Poland). The historical hotel facility is being modernized as part of the project to adapt the building to the requirements of a sustainable building. The modernization proposal includes a trigeneration system with a multifunctional reverse regenerator and control module using neural algorithms. The main purpose is to improve the energy efficiency of the building and adapt it to the requirements of low-energy buildings. The implementation of a monitoring system enables energy consumption to be reduced and improves the energy performance of the building, especially through using energy management systems and control modules. The proposed retrofit solution considers the high energy consumption, structure of the energy demand, and limits of retrofit intervention on façades.


2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 647
Author(s):  
Martin Wilkes

Since the turn of the century, gas has been highlighted as the transition fuel to a lower emissions world, and, in 2011, the International Energy Agency published a special report entitled ‘Are we entering the golden age of gas’, which indicated that gas use could rise by over 50% to provide more than 25% of world energy demand by 2035. Even though gas use has risen in tandem with the increase in renewable energy, over the past decade, coal has been the fastest growing fuel because developing countries choose cheap power to provide their growing energy needs. Gas has been, and continues to be, subject to a green, cheap squeeze; squeezed by cleaner renewables on the one hand, and cheaper coal on the other. This paper will look at the impact that increasing amounts of renewable energy has on existing power generation and supply systems, and provide insights into the potential range of outcomes in emission levels, and the need to not only discuss renewable energy target, but to also understand the total energy mix, and the need to reposition gas from a transition fuel to the natural long-term companion of renewables.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 5971
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hossein Fouladfar ◽  
Nagham Saeed ◽  
Mousa Marzband ◽  
Giuseppe Franchini

Electric vehicles (EVs) have a lot of potential to play an essential role in the smart power grid. EVs not only can reduce the amount of emission yielded from fossil fuels but also can be considered as an energy storage system (ES) and a backup system. EVs could support the demand response (DR) strategy that is considered as utmost importance to shift electricity demand in peak hours. This article aims to assess the impact of the presence of EV on DR strategy in a home-microgrid (H-MG). In order to reach the optimal set point, our energy management system (EMS) has been merged with differential evolution (DE) method. The results were auspicious and showed that the proposed method could decrease market clearing price (MCP) by 26% and increase the performance of DR by 17%.


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