Hanmin Cai

Jiarui Yu, Zhiyu He, Wenbin Wang et al.

The growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing peak demand in distribution systems, which can threaten grid stability and reduce operational efficiency. Dynamic electricity pricing is a promising means of mitigating these peaks by shifting flexible demand. However, most existing approaches rely on detailed user-level consumption data and behavioral models, which are often difficult to obtain in practice and may raise privacy concerns. This paper proposes an Online Feedback Optimization (OFO) algorithm for day-ahead price design with limited data, where only aggregate loads are observed. OFO updates prices iteratively using aggregate load measurements, enabling effective peak reduction without access to individual user data. The formulation also includes a term that penalizes deviations in total electricity cost relative to a reference tariff. Although relying only on aggregate load measurements, the OFO price updates efficiently converge to the optimal price. In finite-horizon simulations, OFO achieves peak reduction close to that of the Stackelberg benchmark with full model information. Meanwhile, its computational effort is substantially lower. Additional tests under multiple initial conditions and delayed charging-window mismatch further confirm the robustness of the proposed method. Overall, these results show that OFO is a scalable and computationally efficient approach for peak-demand management in distribution systems with limited observability.

Hanmin Cai, Federica Bellizio, Yi Guo et al.

Harnessing the demand-side flexibility in building and mobility sectors can help to better integrate renewable energy into power systems and reduce global CO2 emissions. Enabling this sector coupling can be achieved with advances in energy management, business models, control technologies, and power grids. The study of demand-side flexibility extends beyond engineering, spanning social science, economics, and power and control systems, which present both challenges and opportunities to researchers and engineers in these fields. This Review outlines recent trends and studies in social, economic, and technological advancements in power systems that leverage demand-side flexibility. We first provide a concept of a socio-techno-economic system with an abstraction of end-users, building and mobility sectors, control systems, electricity markets, and power grids. We discuss the interconnections between these elements, highlighting the importance of bidirectional flows of information and coordinated decision-making. We then emphasize that fully realizing demand-side flexibility necessitates deep integration across stakeholders and systems, moving beyond siloed approaches. Finally, we discuss the future directions in renewable-based power systems and control engineering to address key challenges from both research and practitioners' perspectives. A holistic approach for identifying, measuring, and utilizing demand-side flexibility is key to successfully maximizing its multi-stakeholder benefits but requires further transdisciplinary collaboration and commercially viable solutions for broader implementation.