Managing Next Generation Energy Systems

Background

Stakeholders working with energy systems have to make complex decisions formulated from risk-based assessments about the future. The move towards more renewables in our energy systems complicates matters even further, requiring the development of an integrated power grid and continuous and steady transformation of the UK power system. Network flows must be managed reliably under uncertain demands, uncertain supply, emerging network technologies and possible failures and, further, prices in related markets can be highly volatile.

Mathematicians working with engineers and economists, can make significant contributions to address such issues, by helping to develop fit-for-purpose models for next generation energy systems. These interdisciplinary approaches are looking to address a range of associated problems, including modelling, prediction, simulation, control, market and mechanism design and optimisation.

This knowledge exchange workshop was part of the four months Research Programme at the Isaac Newton Institute (INI) on The Mathematics of Energy Systems. Participants on this programme are highly interdisciplinary and key aims are to develop methodology which is urgent for the next several years and to sow the seeds of a lasting mathematical research agenda. This event focused on disseminating the key research outputs from the programme and highlighted aspects relevant to energy sector stakeholders and the future research agenda.

Aims and Objectives This knowledge exchange event featured a number of talks from academic researchers, as well as some from end users including transmission and distribution network operators. It provided an opportunity for those from industry and the public sector, to access state-of-the-art theory and methods for energy systems modeling, as well as to help foster links between the various communities. A number of research tracks from the INI research programme were featured in the academic talks and these included:

Budgeting and scheduling of maintenance and replacement of power system components Planning under uncertainty Moving energy through time: storage and demand side response Pricing and optimisation of intraday/day-ahead electricity and futures contracts Computation in markets with risk Transmission and distribution network operators perspectives

This event was of interest to academics involved in energy systems research, as well as stakeholders from across the energy sector supply chain – including transmission, network distribution, generation, retail and regulation.