๐ Upcoming Panel at IEEE PES GM 2025
Iโm co-chairing a panel with Ben Kroposki (NREL) at the IEEE PES General Meeting. We'll explore how energy communities and microgrids are reshaping the future of clean energy โ focusing on optimization, control, market design, and human factors.
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July 27โ31, 2025 | ๐ Austin, TX
Can Profit-Seeking DER Aggregators Compete with Conventional Utilities?
I co-authored a preprint on โWholesale Market Participation of DERA: Competitive DER Aggregation.โ
The manuscript explores a profit-seeking distributed energy resource aggregator (DERA) model that participates in wholesale markets under distribution network constraints. It proposes a competitive framework maximizing DERA profit while ensuring customers retain at least the same surplus and energy costs as under regulated retail tariffs. The DERA operates as virtual storage, optimizing generation offers and consumption bids, and derives bid curves for network access, assessing profitability against retail tariffs. The study demonstrates that this model achieves welfare-maximizing outcomes comparable to direct customer market participation. Numerical analyses compare the DERA with existing methods, evaluating customer surplus and DERA profit, while empirically assessing the long-run equilibrium viability of DERAs and the short-run impacts of DER adoption and network access.
๐ข New Preprint on DER Scheduling under DER Charges
Weโve just posted a new preprint on arXiv: "Joint Scheduling of DER under Demand Charges: Structure and Approximation".
This paper addresses the joint scheduling of behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs)โflexible loads, renewable generation, and batteriesโunder net metering with demand charges. The problem is formulated as a stochastic dynamic program to maximize expected operational surplus while accounting for uncertainty in renewable output. The optimal control policy exhibits a threshold-based structure, but strong temporal coupling from storage dynamics and demand charge constraints leads to combinatorial policy complexity. To mitigate such complexity, we propose a scalable approximation algorithm that relaxes the problem and searches for peak demand efficiently, with linear complexity in the time horizon. Simulation results on real-world datasets demonstrate the algorithm's superior performance and near-optimality relative to benchmark strategies, including reinforcement learning.
Presentation at the 2nd Northeastern Systems and Control Workshop (NESCW)
Our paper, "Co-Optimizing Distributed Energy Resources under Demand Charges and Bi-Directional Power Flow," will be presented at the 2nd Northeastern Systems and Control Workshop (NESCW) on May 3, 2025, at Columbia University in New York City.
For posterโs PDF, click here.
For paperโs arXiv, click here.
Published journal article at IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems
Our paper entitled โA Decentralized Market Mechanism for Energy Communities under Operating Envelopesโ has been published in the IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems. The work was funded NSF, NREL, and PSERC.
This paper generalizes the Dynamic Net Energy Metering (D-NEM) pricing, first presented here, to communities that are subject to operating envelopes. Interestingly, we found that D-NEM becomes two-part, consisting of: (i) a dynamic threshold-based price, and (ii) a fixed charge.
The abstract of the paper is given below:
We propose an operating envelopes (OEs) aware energy community market mechanism that dynamically charges/rewards its members based on two-part pricing. The OEs are imposed exogenously by a regulated distribution system operator (DSO) on the energy community's revenue meter and is subject to a generalized net energy metering (NEM) tariff design. By formulating the interaction of the community operator and its members as a Stackelberg game, we show that the proposed two-part pricing achieves a Nash equilibrium and maximizes the community's social welfare in a decentralized fashion while ensuring that the community's operation abides by the OEs. The market mechanism conforms with the cost-causation principle and guarantees community members a surplus level no less than their maximum surplus when they autonomously face the DSO. The dynamic and uniform community price is a monotonically decreasing function of the community's aggregate renewable generation. We also analyze the impact of exogenous parameters such as NEM rates and OEs on the value of joining the community. Lastly, through numerical studies, we showcase the community's welfare, and pricing, and compare its members' surplus to customers under the DSO's regime.
Gave a Talk at KAPSARC Econ Talks - KAPSARC
I had the pleasure of giving a talk today at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center on โActive Prosumerism in Distribution Networks: Decisions, Impacts, and Policy Considerationsโ
Many thanks to Ales Marsal for the kind invitation. Truly enjoyed the discussions and engaging questions from the audience.
Paper Accepted at IEEE PES General Meeting 2025, Austin, TX
Our paper, "Co-Optimizing Distributed Energy Resources under Demand Charges and Bi-Directional Power Flow," has been accepted at IEEE PES General Meeting 2025 in Austin, TX. This work is co-authored by Ruixiao Yang, Gulai Shen, and Chuchu Fan.
The abstract of the paper is given below:
We address the co-optimization of behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (BTM DER), including flexible demands, renewable distributed generation (DG), and battery energy storage systems (BESS) under net energy metering (NEM) frameworks with demand charges. We formulate the problem as a stochastic dynamic program that accounts for renewable generation uncertainty and operational surplus maximization. Our theoretical analysis reveals that the optimal policy follows a threshold structure, though the conditional cases grow exponentially with the number of flexible demands. Finally, we show that even a simple algorithm leveraging this threshold structure performs well in simulation, emphasizing its importance in developing near-optimal algorithms. These findings provide crucial insights for implementing prosumer energy management systems under complex tariff structures.
Gave a Talk at Jones Seminar - Dartmouth College
I had the pleasure of giving a talk today at Dartmouth Collegeโs Jones Seminar on โDistributed Energy Resources Under Net Energy MeteringโOptimal Decisions and Adoption Dynamics.โ
Organized by Dartmouth Engineering, the Jones Seminar series brings together leading researchers and industry experts to discuss cutting-edge advancements in engineering, science, and technology.
A big thank you to Cong Chen and Geoffrey Parker for the kind invitation and for hosting me. I truly enjoyed the discussions and engaging questions from the audience.
Here are some snapshots from the talk (featuring lots of snow! โ๏ธ) โgreat memories from a great day! ๐
Attended and Presented at the 2025 Grid Science Winter School and Conference
I recently attended the 2025 Grid Science Winter School and Conference, held from January 6โ10, 2025 in Santa Fe Historic Plaza in Santa Fe, NM. This event, organized by the Center for Nonlinear Studies as Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), brings together experts, students, and postdocs to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in modern energy systems.
The program combined three days of Winter School lectures with two days of a research conference, providing a deep dive into emerging topics such as AI in energy systems, optimization, and control, as well as interdependent network resilience. The lectures were invaluable for framing theoretical concepts.
As part of my participation, I presented my research on โResource Sharing in Energy Communities: A Cooperative Game Approachโ, which analyze the overall benefits of an energy community cooperative game under which distributed energy resources (DER) are shared behind a regulated distribution utility meter under a general tariff design. The feedback I received from peers and experts alike was insightful and has inspired new directions for my work.
The event was a perfect blend of learning, collaboration, and inspiration. Beyond the technical sessions, it was exciting to connect with some of the brightest minds in energy systems, operation research and control. Iโm grateful to the organizers for curating such an impactful program and fostering a strong research community around Grid Science.
Joined the SLS delegation to China
Honored to share highlights from my recent participation in the Saudi Leadership Societyโs (SLS) Transformational Experience Visit to Beijing, China, organized by the Saudi Leadership Society | ุงูู
ุฌูุณ ุงูุณุนูุฏู ูููุงุฏุฉ.
This amazing initiative brought together 24 talented Saudi leaders and offered a unique mix of activities, including visits and meetings with leading Chinese corporations such as Xiaomi Technology, Meituan, and JD.COM, as well as prestigious institutions like Tsinghua University and Peking University.
This transformative experience has provided valuable insights and perspectives that align with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. I am deeply grateful to the Saudi Leadership Society | ุงูู
ุฌูุณ ุงูุณุนูุฏู ูููุงุฏุฉ for curating this impactful program, and to the partners from China - Wendi Li, and his team for their exceptional leadership and execution.
News coverage
Al Arabiya:
https://shorturl.at/gShC3
Saudi Press Agency:
https://lnkd.in/eCFxTbde
Gave a Talk at Tsinghua University
Today, I gave a talk at Tsignhua Universityโs Electrical Engineering (EE) Department on network-cognizant autonomous energy systems. Many thanks to Hongye Guo for hosting me.
During the visit, I enjoyed listening to the recent research from Tsinghuaโs EE.
Concluded the 2024 ACM SIGEnergy Seminar Series
We wrapped up the 2024 #ACM #SIGEnergy Seminar Series with an incredible finale ๐!
John Sipple, from Google Research, delivered a great talk on an open-source, physics-based building simulator designed for rapid RL agent training.
A huge shoutout to Sanam Dabirian and Gargya Gokhale for their pivotal efforts in making this seminar series a success. Special thanks to Zoltan Nagy for his support and facilitation and to Noman Bashir for passing on the 2023 seminar series in excellent shape.
Looking ahead, the 2025 seminar series promises to feature cutting-edge research in energy systems and energy informatics. Stay tuned by joining our Google Group: https://sites.google.com/view/sigenergy-seminar/
Lastly, Iโd like to extend my gratitude to all our 16 outstanding speakers whose names are listed on the seminarโs website and affiliations are listed in the picture below. Their contributions have made this series truly exceptional!
Paper Presentation at CDC 2024, Milano
I had the privilege of presenting my paper titled โNetwork-aware and welfare maximizing dynamic pricing for energy sharingโ (arXiv) at the 63rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), held in Milano, Italy, from December 16 to December 19, 2024. My talk was part of a panel on โIncentives, Flexibility, and Human Factors in Large-Scale Distributed Energy Resources Controlโ.
I also was part of the CDCโs energy systems technical committee, which serves as the linkage between the Control Systems Society and the Power and Energy Systems Society.
ACM SIGEnergy Seminar Series: Special Session
๐ข Join Us for the Final Session of the 2024 ACM, Association for Computing Machinery SIGEnergy Seminar Series!
Weโre excited to wrap up this yearโs ACM SIGEnergy Seminar Series with a special session on Friday, December 13th, 2024, at 11:00 AM ET.
This final seminar will feature John Sipple from Google Research, who will present an open-source, physics-based building simulator designed for rapid reinforcement learning agent training.
๐ Session Details:
Title: Open-Source Simulation: Revolutionizing Building Energy Optimization
Date: Dec. 13, 2024
Time: 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Zoom Link: https://mit.zoom.us/j/93059047019
For more info about the talk, visit: https://sites.google.com/view/sigenergy-seminar/
Panel Talk at the 2024 INFORMS Annual Meeting
On October 22nd, I presented at the 2024 INFORMS Annual Meeting held in Seattle, WA. My presentation was part of an invited panel session on Data-Enabled Decision-Making in Energy Systems and Markets.
I had a great time connecting with so many people from academia and industry
Gave a Talk at Caltech (slides available)
Today, I presented our research on Network-Aware Mechanism Design for Energy Communities at Caltech for the Foundations of Algorithms, Learning, Control, and Optimization of Networks (FALCON) group and the Rigorous Systems Research Group (RSRG)!
This research focuses on optimizing resource sharing in decentralized energy communities. Our proposed two-part dynamic pricing encourages fair and efficient energy use while considering network constraints.
For more details, check out our papers:
A decentralized market mechanism for energy communities under operating envelopes (IEEE TCNS, 2024)
Operating-envelopes-aware decentralized welfare maximization for energy communities (IEEE Allerton, 2023)
Talk slides can be accessed here
#EnergyCommunities #MechanismDesign #Optimization #GameTheory #OptimalDecisions
Gave a Talk at LIDS MIT
Today, I gave a talk at the MITโs Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) on decentralized and equitable mechanism design for energy systems. The talk took place in 32-D677. Audience included researchers from MIT LIDS, MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), and MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI).
Presented at NREL's Autonomous Energy Systems Workshop, Golden, CO
I recently had the opportunity to attend NREL's 7th workshop on Autonomous Energy Systems, held from September 3rd to September 6th, 2024 in Golden, CO. During the workshop, I presented my recent research on "Resource sharing in energy communities: A cooperative game approach," where I explored innovative strategies for energy collaboration within communities. The event was a fantastic platform for exchanging ideas and advancing research in autonomous energy systems.
Celebrating My Ph.D. Defense! ๐
I successfully defended my dissertation, titled "Integration of Distributed Energy Resources: Optimal Decisions, Mechanism Design, and Aggregations," at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Cornell University.
This milestone would not have been possible without the incredible guidance and support of my advisor, Prof. Lang Tong, and my committee members, Prof. Eilyan Bitar and Prof. Timothy Mount. Their mentorship, expertise, and encouragement throughout this journey have been invaluable.
Excited for the next chapter ahead and grateful for all the support along the way! ๐
Manuscript accepted @IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems
Our paper entitled โA Decentralized Market Mechanism for Energy Communities under Operating Envelopesโ has been accepted for publication at the IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems.
This paper generalizes the Dynamic Net Energy Metering (D-NEM) pricing, first presented here, to communities that are subject to operating envelopes. Interestingly, we found that D-NEM becomes two-part, consisting of: (i) a dynamic threshold-based price, and (ii) a fixed charge.
The abstract of the paper is given below:
We propose an operating envelopes (OEs) aware energy community market mechanism that dynamically charges/rewards its members based on two-part pricing. The OEs are imposed exogenously by a regulated distribution system operator (DSO) on the energy community's revenue meter and is subject to a generalized net energy metering (NEM) tariff design. By formulating the interaction of the community operator and its members as a Stackelberg game, we show that the proposed two-part pricing achieves a Nash equilibrium and maximizes the community's social welfare in a decentralized fashion while ensuring that the community's operation abides by the OEs. The market mechanism conforms with the cost-causation principle and guarantees community members a surplus level no less than their maximum surplus when they autonomously face the DSO. The dynamic and uniform community price is a monotonically decreasing function of the community's aggregate renewable generation. We also analyze the impact of exogenous parameters such as NEM rates and OEs on the value of joining the community. Lastly, through numerical studies, we showcase the community's welfare, and pricing, and compare its members' surplus to customers under the DSO's regime.
