Optimization and Control Theory for Smart Grids Grand Challenge: Information Science and Technology

I. Research Goals and Objectives The basic structure of the electrical power grid has remained unchanged for a hundred years. It has become increasingly clear, however, that the hierarchical, centrally-controlled grid of the twentieth century is ill-suited to the needs of the twenty-first. A future grid, in which modern sensors, communication links, and computational power are used to improve efficiency, stability, and flexibility, has become known as the “smart grid.” Much of the hardware that will enable smart grids is in development or already exists: “smart” meters and appliances that respond to pricing signals, distributed wireless sensor networks, improved batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) that enable distributed storage, and so on.