Cyber-Physical Energy Systems

Modern power systems are undergoing a paradigm shift with the integration of distributed renewable energy sources, electrification across diverse infrastructures (such as buildings and transportation hubs), and the deployment of intelligent grid-edge technologies. In this context, cyber-physical energy systems like multi-zone buildings and microgrids are evolving from passive consumers into active agents that participate in demand-side flexibility, grid stabilization, energy arbitrage, and market optimization. Our research focuses on the control, coordination, and optimization of energy flows across hybrid infrastructures embedded within smart grid ecosystems, including microgrids with renewables, hybrid storage (e.g., batteries and supercapacitors), and regenerative sources.

This involves designing advanced energy management systems (EMS) capable of operating in uncertain, non-stationary environments by exploiting control theory, formal methods, contract-based design and machine learning. We investigate how system-level controllers can learn, adapt, and enforce temporal specifications to dynamically manage resources, maintain thermal/electrical/power quality constraints, respond to price/demand-response signals, and ensure grid-friendly behavior in real time while addressing logical constraints, energy losses, and multi-objective trade-offs (e.g., efficiency, safety, and occupant comfort). Our work focuses on modeling interactions between local dynamics (e.g., HVAC, loads, PV, regenerative braking) and the broader grid, treating these systems as flexible assets for peak shaving, demand response, and regenerative energy recovery, with certified safety guarantees and robust optimization frameworks.

• Temporal Logic for Power and Energy Systems

Our research initiates the use of temporal logic, particularly Signal Temporal Logic (STL), as a formal language for specifying, verifying, and enforcing complex operational rules in power and energy systems. Traditional power network control relies on informal, textual procedures that are difficult to verify and prone to ambiguity. We develop methods that translate these natural-language rules into precise temporal-logic specifications, enabling systematic verification, robust receding-horizon control, and automated checking of safety, performance, and operational constraints. This approach brings the rigor of formal methods to power-system operation, creating a foundation for scalable, correct-by-design control in modern, disturbance-rich electrical networks.

• Contract-based Power and Energy Systems

Our research aims to develop new approaches to the control of power systems. Outdated classical control methods for power systems necessitate compositional approaches due to the large number of interacting agents including for example renewable energy sources. Our work focuses on establishing analytical and design methodologies for power systems, emphasizing correct-by-design verification through scalable and modular control approaches. The proposed compositional methodology blends computer science and control theory techniques, addressing power system’s complexity.

• D. Zonetti, A. Saoud, A. Girard and L. Fribourg, “A Symbolic Approach to Voltage Stability and Power Sharing in Time-varying DC Microgrids,” European control conference (ECC), 2019, (pp. 903-909). 

• D. Zonetti, A. Saoud, A. Girard and L. Fribourg, “Decentralized Monotonicity-based Voltage Control of DC Microgrids with ZIP Loads,” IFAC Workshop on Distributed Estimation and Control in Networked Systems NECSYS, 2019,  IFAC-PapersOnLine vol. 52, no. 20, 139-144. 

• Y. Takayama, A. Saoud, and A. Iovine, “Iterative Optimization-based Control of a Class of Mixed Logical Dynamical Systems with STL Specifications: A Case Study on Microgrids,” IFAC Conference on Nonlinear Model Predictive Control, NMPC, IFAC-PapersOnLine. 2024 Jan 1. vol. 58, no. 18, pp. 15-20. 

• Y. Takayama, A. Saoud, and A. Iovine, “Power management via STL specifications of a DC microgrid integrating renewables and storage devices: A smart railway station case study,” IFAC Symposium on Control of Power and Energy Systems, CPES , IFAC-PapersOnLine. 2024 Jan 1. vol. 58, no. 13, pp. 502-8.