SIMUTools2012

Abstract: When renewable energy is used either as a primary source, or as the main back-up source to meet excess demand, energy storage becomes very useful. Examples of energy storage devices include electric car batteries and uninterruptible power supplies in data centres. More sophisticated examples include dams into which water may be pumped when renewable sources of electricity such as wind or photovoltaic are plentiful. Drawing an analogy between computer networks which store and forward and download data, and networks that furnish energy both from direct production and from storage, we suggest a model of Energy Packet Networks (EPNs). A formal framework under which EPNs can be modeled and simulated is suggested. We then discuss some examples of EPNs that can be analysed using a probability model. This talk suggests that a new field of modeling and simulation regarding smart energy management requires the attention of our research community.

Bio: Erol Gelenbe has held senior academic positions in Belgium, France, the US and the UK. His current work at Imperial College explores the interface between information technology and the physical and economical systems that ICT observes, operates and manages. His current research is funded by the UK Technology Strategy Board and the EU FP7 Programme. He is also the Editor in Chief of The Computer Journal. Erol has recently served as a consultant for MBDA, BAE Systems, Microsoft Research and General Dynamics UK Ltd. He has received awards in the countries where he has worked, for pioneering research and applications in computer system performance evaluation and smart adaptive networks. The UK's Institution for Engineering and Technology awarded him the Oliver Lodge Medal in 2010, while ACM gave him the SIGMETRICS Life-Time Achievement Award in 2008. Other prizes include the Grand Prix France Telecom from the French Academy of Sciences in 1996, the Parlar Science Award from Turkey in 1994, and honoris causa doctorates from Belgium, Italy and Turkey. He was elected a Fellow of ACM and of IEEE and is a Member of the Science Academy of Turkey, the French National Academy of Engineering, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Academia Europaea.