Model Predictive Control of Commercial Office Plug-Loads and Battery Storage Systems Available to Purchase

Commercial demand response (DR) has traditionally relied on HVAC and lighting systems as load-shed resources in buildings. However, improvements in technologies such as Energy Information Gateways and smart power strips are making it possible to incorporate distributed plug-loads as an actionable resource. In this paper we explore the addition of a battery storage system (BSS) as a load-shed resource to supplement plug-loads in an office setting. Furthermore we investigate the value of control of BSS battery charging. We develop a model predictive control (MPC) framework for office plug-loads and a BSS. An experimentally derived model of a BSS is presented along with numerical methods for solving the MPC optimization program. Simulations demonstrate the efficacy of a BSS as a load-shed resource. Simulation results also quantify the benefit of BSS controllable charging for DR and load-following scenarios.