Simulation is an essential approach in transitioning to a sustainable energy system
Why simulation is important
In a rapidly changing world, especially in the field of sustainable energy, understanding complex systems and their interactions is essential. Simulation provides a powerful way to predict markets, behaviors, and policies without real-world risks.
We developed an open-source platform for simulating real-time electricity trading. It demonstrates that digital systems can integrate sustainable energy into existing markets.
Our simulation platform is called PowerTAC
Power TAC is an open-source simulation platform that replicates real-time electricity trading. It leverages AI and machine learning to predict market dynamics and enable profitable transitions to renewable energy. Designed for large-scale experimentation, it models the complex interactions between consumers, producers, and prosumers (who both consume and produce electricity).
PowerTAC has been used for simulating smart cities, smart energy ports and smart charging
Smart cities
PowerTAC was used in a project in which Rotterdam, Umeå and Glasgow generate exemplary districts In sustainable energy deployment. Results of the project are technologies to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emission and innovative business models for energy exchange, open-data platforms and advanced energy management systems.
Smart energy ports
To reduce the impact of the port of Rotterdam on the environment, parties are gathering in renewable energy cooperatives (REC) to join industry utilities instead of each company generating energy from fossil fuels. The Power TAC platform powers the research providing the insights on new business models and algorithms to sustain the electricity grid and power supplies.
Smart charging
Significant efficiencies in the operation of electric vehicles as virtual power plants were demonstrated using PowerTAC to simulate consumer response on a large scale to different demand response mechanisms such as price elasticity.
Where to find PowerTAC resources
The Power TAC server is a multi-module Spring application, built and run using Apache Maven. The code is open-source, licensed under the Apache license.
Released versions of the server are always available on github, as is the current development snapshot. See the participant’s wiki for detailed setup instructions.
Software development is hosted at github. There you will find a set of repositories for the server, the agent framework, the admin web application, the game visualizer, and other major components of the Power TAC simulation infrastructure. You will also find our issue-tracking system and the developer’s wiki with a wealth of information on the design of the server and its evolution.
Release artifacts are hosted on github. Server release packages are quite small, generally no more than about 5kb – just a README file, a sample configuration file, and a Maven pom.xml file. Maven will download the modules and all their dependencies when you first run it.