This project advances modeling and computational frameworks to guarantee the sustainability of power distribution networks from environmental, economic, and social perspectives. Environmental sustainability is addressed by accounting for the increased uncertainty associated with the rapid and ad-hoc integration of renewable generation and elastic loads. With regard to economic sustainability, computational and inference foundations are put forth to ensure effective and secure market operations in the face of the imminent emergence of large-scale distribution-level electricity markets. Lastly, social sustainability is effected through cyber innovations focused on increasing economic utility and enhancing cyber security.
The proposed research aims for broad socio-technical advances in electricity distribution networks. Successful project completion will offer cyber innovations that enable the systematic integration of stochastic renewable generation while improving end-user satisfaction. Given the ubiquity of the suite of research tools and methodologies, the utility of the proposed research goes well beyond the envisioned application area to the broader fields of optimization, stochastic processes, control systems, machine learning, statistical signal processing, and cyber security. Broader transformative impact will result from pragmatic test cases proposed for validation, involvement of undergraduates in research, and outreach activities.
