Flexible Demand Side Management in Smart Cities: Integrating Diverse User Profiles and Multiple Objectives
Demand Side Management (DSM) plays a crucial role in modern energy systems, enabling more efficient use of energy resources and contributing to the sustainability of the power grid. This study examines DSM strategies within a multi-environment context encompassing residential, commercial, and indust...
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| author | Nuno Souza e Silva Paulo Ferrão |
| author_facet | Nuno Souza e Silva Paulo Ferrão |
| author_sort | Nuno Souza e Silva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Demand Side Management (DSM) plays a crucial role in modern energy systems, enabling more efficient use of energy resources and contributing to the sustainability of the power grid. This study examines DSM strategies within a multi-environment context encompassing residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, with a focus on diverse appliance types that exhibit distinct operational characteristics and user preferences. Initially, a single-objective optimization approach using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) is employed to minimize the total energy cost under a real Time-of-Use (ToU) pricing scheme. This heuristic method allows for the effective scheduling of appliance operations while factoring in their unique characteristics such as power consumption, usage duration, and user-defined operational flexibility. This study extends the optimization problem to a multi-objective framework that incorporates the minimization of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions under a real annual energy mix while also accounting for user discomfort. The Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is utilized for this purpose, providing a Pareto-optimal set of solutions that balances these competing objectives. The inclusion of multiple objectives ensures a comprehensive assessment of DSM strategies, aiming to reduce environmental impact and enhance user satisfaction. Additionally, this study monitors the Peak-to-Average Ratio (PAR) to evaluate the impact of DSM strategies on load balancing and grid stability. It also analyzes the impact of considering different periods of the year with the associated ToU hourly schedule and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions hourly profile. A key innovation of this research is the integration of detailed, category-specific metrics that enable the disaggregation of costs, emissions, and user discomfort across residential, commercial, and industrial appliances. This granularity enables stakeholders to implement tailored strategies that align with specific operational goals and regulatory compliance. Also, the emphasis on a user discomfort indicator allows us to explore the flexibility available in such DSM mechanisms. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-objective optimization approach in achieving significant cost savings that may reach 20% for industrial applications, while the order of magnitude of the trade-offs involved in terms of emissions reduction, improvement in discomfort, and PAR reduction is quantified for different frameworks. The outcomes not only underscore the efficacy of applying advanced optimization frameworks to real-world problems but also point to pathways for future research in smart energy management. This comprehensive analysis highlights the potential of advanced DSM techniques to enhance the sustainability and resilience of energy systems while also offering valuable policy implications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3f3cd1f8fec448618e702a160ef64230 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj-art-3f3cd1f8fec448618e702a160ef642302025-08-20T03:36:34ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-08-011815410710.3390/en18154107Flexible Demand Side Management in Smart Cities: Integrating Diverse User Profiles and Multiple ObjectivesNuno Souza e Silva0Paulo Ferrão1Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalCenter for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research (IN+/LARSyS), Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisbon, PortugalDemand Side Management (DSM) plays a crucial role in modern energy systems, enabling more efficient use of energy resources and contributing to the sustainability of the power grid. This study examines DSM strategies within a multi-environment context encompassing residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, with a focus on diverse appliance types that exhibit distinct operational characteristics and user preferences. Initially, a single-objective optimization approach using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) is employed to minimize the total energy cost under a real Time-of-Use (ToU) pricing scheme. This heuristic method allows for the effective scheduling of appliance operations while factoring in their unique characteristics such as power consumption, usage duration, and user-defined operational flexibility. This study extends the optimization problem to a multi-objective framework that incorporates the minimization of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions under a real annual energy mix while also accounting for user discomfort. The Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is utilized for this purpose, providing a Pareto-optimal set of solutions that balances these competing objectives. The inclusion of multiple objectives ensures a comprehensive assessment of DSM strategies, aiming to reduce environmental impact and enhance user satisfaction. Additionally, this study monitors the Peak-to-Average Ratio (PAR) to evaluate the impact of DSM strategies on load balancing and grid stability. It also analyzes the impact of considering different periods of the year with the associated ToU hourly schedule and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions hourly profile. A key innovation of this research is the integration of detailed, category-specific metrics that enable the disaggregation of costs, emissions, and user discomfort across residential, commercial, and industrial appliances. This granularity enables stakeholders to implement tailored strategies that align with specific operational goals and regulatory compliance. Also, the emphasis on a user discomfort indicator allows us to explore the flexibility available in such DSM mechanisms. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-objective optimization approach in achieving significant cost savings that may reach 20% for industrial applications, while the order of magnitude of the trade-offs involved in terms of emissions reduction, improvement in discomfort, and PAR reduction is quantified for different frameworks. The outcomes not only underscore the efficacy of applying advanced optimization frameworks to real-world problems but also point to pathways for future research in smart energy management. This comprehensive analysis highlights the potential of advanced DSM techniques to enhance the sustainability and resilience of energy systems while also offering valuable policy implications.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/15/4107demand side managementenergy managementload-shiftingmulti-objective optimizationgenetic algorithmsmart electric grids |
| spellingShingle | Nuno Souza e Silva Paulo Ferrão Flexible Demand Side Management in Smart Cities: Integrating Diverse User Profiles and Multiple Objectives Energies demand side management energy management load-shifting multi-objective optimization genetic algorithm smart electric grids |
| title | Flexible Demand Side Management in Smart Cities: Integrating Diverse User Profiles and Multiple Objectives |
| title_full | Flexible Demand Side Management in Smart Cities: Integrating Diverse User Profiles and Multiple Objectives |
| title_fullStr | Flexible Demand Side Management in Smart Cities: Integrating Diverse User Profiles and Multiple Objectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Flexible Demand Side Management in Smart Cities: Integrating Diverse User Profiles and Multiple Objectives |
| title_short | Flexible Demand Side Management in Smart Cities: Integrating Diverse User Profiles and Multiple Objectives |
| title_sort | flexible demand side management in smart cities integrating diverse user profiles and multiple objectives |
| topic | demand side management energy management load-shifting multi-objective optimization genetic algorithm smart electric grids |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/15/4107 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nunosouzaesilva flexibledemandsidemanagementinsmartcitiesintegratingdiverseuserprofilesandmultipleobjectives AT pauloferrao flexibledemandsidemanagementinsmartcitiesintegratingdiverseuserprofilesandmultipleobjectives |