Simulation Environment

Description
In this page, the general notions and concepts on which the environment of the simulation will be based upon are presented in detail. There will be constant update of this page, as there are still many dynamic factors that must be considered to reach the final form of the TAC Energy Competition environment.

Time
In TAC Energy, time is counted in quarters (of an hour). Days are consisted of 96 quarters. Every quarter, the state of our environment and of all its entities (households, persons etc.) is refreshed according to the implemented models, as well as the the tariff for electricity consumption in Real-Time Pricing (RTP) (The later is used in shifting of intelligent appliances utilized inside houses or industrial buildings)

Up to this point, it is calculated that the simulation will run for a year (365 days). Each simulation day in real time is estimated in ??? seconds.

Consumers
In order to create simulation scenarios as plausible as possible, statistical data and testbeds from Smart Grid field testing projects (such as MeRegio Project in Germany) and other real-life energy related projects were used. With this information in hand, different consumer profiles were calibrated and implemented for the TAC Energy Competition, each one having his own distinctive characteristics and dynamics. The brokers in competition must take into consideration every aspect of these consumer types to maximize their clientele (and their revenue).

The simulation environment is consisted of a number of households, public services, businesses and industrial complexes (specified in number by the TAC Energy Competition Specifications later on). These entities are functioning independently, as real-life buildings would, having their own power load needs for each quarter of an hour. Each consumer entity is implemented by intelligent agents (AI is mostly visible in the negotiation phase of the Competition) trying to minimize their consumption cost, without losing their convenience over profit.