Initiating Near REal time Demand response (INRED)

CENTA2 is a consortium of research intensive Universities and research institutes that are working together to provide excellence in doctoral research training. Cranfield University is proud to be working alongside these partners to create the next generation of scientific leaders in environmental science.

The aim of this PhD project is to develop a set of digital tools to create demand response for specific energy activities in near real time and test their effectiveness by collaborating with an energy supplier with actual households. Near real time interventions are used commonly in transport (e.g., taking an alternative route instead of a busy road) but the scope to create flexibility in energy domain is yet to be tested. The project will make use of artificial intelligence and big data analytic methods to design and test near real time demand response interventions. The student will be based at the Cranfield campus at Cranfield in Bedfordshire. https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/About/How-to-find-Cranfield

Project Highlights:

Create new insights for the design of near real time energy demand response interventions
Develop digital tools to implement in real world with active participation of end users
Test and validate the effectiveness of digital interventions

Overview:

Two days in 2017 were noteworthy towards the decarbonisation of UK grid: a coal-free day on 22nd April and a mostly renewable energy powered day on 8th June. However, the intermittency of renewable resources mean that gas generation (more specifically, combined cycle gas turbines, CCGT) accounts more than 40% of power generation on average (see Figure 1 for hourly generation profiles on a random day). In order to reduce the need for economic and environmentally costly gas generation, alternative approaches to shift demands to match the availability of renewable supply are needed. Currently, these so-called ‘demand response’ interventions mainly focus on developing tariffs that vary to reflect the actual delivery cost of electricity in a given time period. By concentrating on total demand and ignoring the purpose of energy use (e.g. heating vs running dishwasher), it is not surprising that the success of these tariffs, such as critical peak pricing or time of use, to shift demands for electricity has been limited.

The aim of this PhD project is to develop a set of digital tools to create demand response for specific energy activities in near real time and test their effectiveness by collaborating with an energy supplier with actual households. Near real time interventions are used commonly in transport (e.g., taking an alternative route instead of a busy road) but the scope to create flexibility in energy domain is yet to be tested. Focusing on the duration, frequency and types of energy activities, this PhD studentship will bring insights from behavioural science literature to design data-driven innovative interventions to shift demands for electricity in near real time. Specific objectives of the project are as follows:

1. To bring insights from environmental psychology and sociology to inform the design of innovative near real time demand response interventions in energy domain
2. To develop a predictive model of energy activities using diverse datasets and several machine learning techniques and assess their performance
3. To design and develop digital tools to create flexibility and test their effectiveness in field trials in collaboration with an energy supplier

For full project description please visit: http://www.centa.org.uk/themes/climate-environmental-sustainability/c7/

Key dates
• Application deadline – 21st January 2019
• Interviews (to be conducted via Skype) – w/c 11th February 2019
• Selection panel – 21st February 2019
• Universal acceptance date – 20th March 2019

How to apply -
To apply for one of the Cranfield University projects you will need to complete our online application form.

1. Please state the name of the project you will to apply for
2. When asked how you intend to fund your postgraduate studies please state that you wish to apply for a NERC CENTA2 studentship.
3. You will also be required to complete and submit the CENTA2 studentship application form and attach it to the application form.