Distributed Intelligence for a Consumer-Centric Electricity Grid

Australia has the largest uptake of residential rooftop solar per capita, and within the next few decades, a large fraction of its electricity will be produced by consumers. Achieving this in a cost-effective and reliable way requires the ability to coordinate the actions of these consumer-owned energy systems so that they benefit not only their owners but also the electricity network. AI, optimisation, and computational intelligence are all essential in tackling this problem. In this talk I'll focus on the CONSORT project, a multi-disciplinary collaboration between academia and industry which developed and trialled this coordination capability on Bruny Island in Tasmania. I will explain the crucial role played by planning, scheduling, optimisation, forecasting, and game theory, in coordinating consumer-owned batteries to manage network constraints, doubling the value of these batteries for the network, and providing a new source of revenue for consumers.