Agent‐based system to control the air‐conditioner and EV charging for residents in smart cities

Abstract

Air-conditioner (AC) accounts for a significant share of residential energy consumption. Considering the widespread rise in electric vehicle (EV) usage, its charging would also contribute a considerable percentage of consumer's total energy consumption. Consequently, the concurrent operation of AC and EV charging would result in peaky load curves. Hence, this study proposes a system of agents for AC and EV charging applications, which incorporates load-management strategies to flatten the load curve. Thereby, the presented system includes two agents, namely: a smart load node for a thermostatically controlled load (SLN-TCL) and a smart battery charge controller. Subsequently, a subagent, namely micro-node, has been introduced to support SLN-TCL and to implement the concept of distributed temperature sensing (DTS). The implementation of DTS subdues the conventional temperature sensing mechanism of AC and ensures a more flexible operation. This study includes the design, development, and features of agents and subagents for AC and EV applications. Furthermore, this study also demonstrates the agent-based control actions for peak-shaving under real conditions to showcase the performance of this system.