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 one-hour timeslots, and so days are 24 slots long. Every simulated hour, 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). The Game Design page gives details of the simulation timing and message flows.

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.