One of the major challenges with increasing penetration of renewable energy sources (e.g., solar and wind) is to maintain grid stability. Grid-interactive efficient buildings are regarded as a promising approach to advance the role buildings can play in energy system operations and planning. This paper evaluates the demand flexibility in a residential building located in Karlsruhe, Germany, incorporating multiple distributed energy resources, including a photovoltaic and battery system, an electric vehicle, an electric water heater and a heat pump. A multi-criteria optimization problem is formulated with model predictive control (MPC) for five cases of demand flexibility. The simulation results of five winter days show that the peak power during the peak periods can be reduced by 92%, 69%, 100%, and 100% for real-time pricing, demand limiting, load shedding, and load shifting, respectively. For the power tracking scenario, the MPC tracked the reference power profile successfully for 70% of the simulation time. Achieving demand flexibility does not necessarily cause an increase in energy costs.

The present paper develops an Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC) framework to provide Demand-Response (DR) for supporting the power grid stability while also maintaining Occupants' Thermal Satisfaction (OTS) in buildings. Our controller combines economic and occupant-oriented aspects by simultaneously optimizing two conflicting control goals, namely grid stability and OTS in buildings. We represent grid stability with Grid Costs (GC) based on a real-world dynamic electricity price and OTS with a reference indoor temperature, respectively. In the literature, there exists no study about occupant-oriented DR where the Model Predictive Control (MPC) is based on Resistor-Capacitor (RC) models identified from real measurements that also includes an attendance schedule for DR. For this, the EMPC uses a grey-box thermal building model that is designed, identified, and validated with real-world measurement data. For evaluation, we compare the EMPC with a well-tuned conventional Proportional-Integral (PI) controller. The results show that the EMPC significantly outperforms the PI controller in terms of GC, while it respects OTS.

I've started working on making my home a bit smarter, and I've opted for the reliable Raspberry Pi as my tech tool. My initial project involves delving into home automation by enabling control of one of my lamps through my phone and a custom website hosted on the Raspberry Pi. Picture not just flipping a switch on my lamp, but being able to do it with a simple tap on my phone or a click on a website I've created. More than just a cool feature, this is my way of smoothly incorporating technology into my daily routine. Working on the code for my smart lamp project feels like a series of small wins, and each new connection teaches me a thing or two. While having a lamp I can control from my phone is handy, the real satisfaction comes from the learning process — understanding how things operate, tackling problems, and feeling accomplished. Sure, having a smart lamp makes daily life a bit more high-tech, but it's not only about illuminating a room. It's an opportunity to dive into the world of home automation, pick up some insights, and see how things work in the real world.

For my next home project I'm aiming to make sure my plants stay happy and well-watered. It's a simple water system that keeps an eye on their hydration levels and adds water when needed. The idea came from wanting to mix a bit of technology with some greenery. Using sensors, my Raspberry Pi setup checks the water levels in each plant pot and waters them when they're thirsty. This project is more than just about keeping my plants healthy; it's a chance to learn about sensors and irrigation systems. I'm stepping into unfamiliar territory and enjoying the process. Turns out, combining soil and code can be quite interesting. While my plants benefit, I'm exploring a new side of DIY smart home projects - one step at a time. Even the plants are getting in on the smart home action in my place!