This project provides for collaboration by an Indian scientist, Dr. P.K. Dash of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Regional Engineering College (REC), Rourkela, and a U.S. scientist, Dr. Saifur Rahman of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) in Blacksburg. The scientists plan to study the complex relationships between the time and intensity of an electric utility's peak load, and the potential for cost reduction strategies by the utilities and consumers. The study also seeks to develop means for two-way exchange of information to be used for decisions such as production scheduling and load control. The development of solutions will combine the capabilities of both expert systems approach and statistical techniques. Scope: This collaboration will build on existing research being done by Dr. Rahman under an NSF/ECS grant. This collaboration will benefit both sides by combining the abilities of the Indian group to collect data from unique conditions in India and the advanced modelling and computational techniques at VPI. The project meets the objectives of the U.S.-India Program.
