IES - Integrated Energy Systems

About the lab:

In the face of climate change and resource scarcity, energy supply systems are on the verge of a major transformation which mainly includes: the introduction of new components and their integration into the existing infrastructures, new network configurations and reliable topologies, optimal design and novel operation and control schemes, and new incentives and business models.

This revolution is affecting the current paradigm and demanding energy systems integration into Multi-Carrier Energy Hubs/Islands, while increasing the need for accommodating new platforms and devices.

Advanced Power Electronics (PE) systems and interfaces, Energy Storage Systems (ESS) as well as Power-to-X (P2X) units are among those key players that help not only to enhance energy reliability and flexibility, but also to support higher penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES).

This transformation is also accommodating active participation of end-users as responsive prosumers at different scales, which in turn help to reduce energy costs to all consumers and mitigate carbon footprints.

The INTEGRATED ENERGY SYSTEMS laboratory (IES-Lab) covers these promising and dynamic areas of research and development, and allow modeling and testing of different solutions and contributions in design, control and operation of IES through in-silico (e.g., different simulation platforms) and in-vitro (e.g., energy networks emulators and Real-Time Hardware-In-the-Loop) studies.

Activities supported in the lab:

• Simulation of complex energy networks in real-time
• Power Converter Simulation Demonstration
• Interface with power amplifiers for testing the influence of physical equipment (either power hardware or controller prototypes) on simulated infrastructure
• Design rapid control prototypes
• Full-scale emulation of integrated energy systems (such as power-heat and power-water networks)

Selected cases:

• Operational Planning Models for Green and Flexible Integrated Power and Heating/Cooling Systems
• Dispath Models for Integrated Electrical and Natural Gas Networks
• Optimal Operation of Interconnected Hydrogen-based Energy Hubs
• Strategies for Parallel Operated Inverters in Green Energy Applications
• Machine Learning Techniques in Heating and Cooling Loads Forecasting of Residential Buildings
• Micro-CCHPs Designs for Domestic Heating, Cooling and Power Networks
• Transavtive Energy Models for Multi-Energy Systems
• Bidding startegies for Hybrid Power Producers in Day-Ahead and Intraday Markets