Abstract
The environmental impact on the energy sector has become a significant concern, necessitating the implementation of Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings, reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure user comfort. This paper presents a novel approach to provide optimal day-ahead energy management plans in smart homes with Photovoltaic/Thermal (PVT) systems, aiming to achieve a balance between energy cost and user comfort. This multi-objective problem employs the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm III as the optimization algorithm and the Nonlinear Auto-regressive with External Input to forecast the day-ahead meteorological variables, which serve as inputs to predict the PVT electrical and heat production in the thermal resistance model. The HEMS benefits from the time-of-use tariff due to the flexibility provided by the energy storage from a battery bank and a boiler. Furthermore, it performs a load scheduling for 10 controllable loads based on three feature parameters to characterize occupant behavior. A study case analysis revealed a cost reduction of approximately 66% in the solution close to the knee of the Pareto curve (S3 solution). The environmental impact on the energy sector has become a The PVT heat production was sufficient to meet the thermal demand of the showers. The proposed hybrid battery management model effectively eliminated the export of electricity to the grid, reducing consumption during peak periods and the maximum peak demand.

Abstract
This paper investigates the stability of a converter-dominated islanded power system when the island’s battery energy storage converters are operated in different control modes (Grid Forming and Grid Following) and combined with different volumes of synchronous compensation. The study is conducted in a realistic simulation model of the future Madeira island, where no thermal generation is present, and the share of converter-based Renewable Energy Sources is large (75 to 80 % of instantaneous penetration). The impact of the different combinations of synchronous condensers and BESS converter control modes on the system stability is evaluated using a stability index-based approach that accounts for multiple operation scenarios. In this procedure, the system’s dynamic response to the reference disturbances (short-circuits in the Transmission and Distribution Network) is obtained via RMS dynamic simulation and is then analyzed to extract two stability indices (Nadir and Rocof). Such indices are computed for the synchronous generator speed and the grid electrical frequency (measured in different points using a PLL) and are later used as the basis for discussion and conclusion drawing.

Abstract
Traditionally, proportional-integral (PI) control has ensured the successful application of automatic generation control (AGC). Two design features of AGC-PI are the following: (1) it is merely a reactive system which does not take full advantage of existing knowledge about the system and (2) the control signal sent to all units is divided proportionally to their participation in the AGC. These two features ensure simplicity and, thus, reliability for the regular functioning of the power system. However, when the power system is recovering from a loss of generation, such features can become shortcomings. This paper proposes a model predictive control (MPC) to improve performance of AGC in such a scenario. The contrast with the traditional approach is as follows: instead of using merely two system measures which are also the control objectives (frequency and interconnection flow), the proposed controller relies on an internal model that takes advantage of further known variables of the power system, especifically the ramping capabilities of participating units. While still respecting the participation factors, it is shown that the proposed model allows to exhaust earlier the availability of faster units, such as some demand response, as the one to be provided by hydrogen electrolysers, and thus reestablishes the frequency and interconnection flows in a faster way than typical AGC-PI.

Abstract
This work compares six AC/DC power conversion chain topologies commonly employed by industrial companies for implementing electrolyzers. The main purpose is to help identify the eventual advantages of joining the traditional high-power rectifiers to an additional stage based on DC/DC conversion. The comparison is based on the current ripple, power factor, total harmonic distortion, scalability, and solution complexity. A Simulink model corresponding to each topology was developed to determine comparison criteria. The procedure consists of performing a steady-state analysis of each topology through simulations to obtain the main waveforms and the values of the established criteria and then calculating the scores for each technical solution. The findings indicated that the 24-pulse diode bridge rectifier plus DC-DC without interphase reactor exhibited the best performance. © 2024 IEEE.

Abstract
As one of the functions integrating energy management systems, state estimation (SE) is instrumental in monitoring power networks, allowing the best possible use of energy resources. It plays a decisive role in debugging if sufficient data are available, ruined if not. Criticality analysis (CA) integrates SE as a module in which elements of the estimation process-taken one-by-one or grouped (tuples of minimal multiple cardinality)-are designated essential. The combinatorial nature of extensive CA (ExtCA), derestricted from identifying only low-cardinality critical tuples, characterizes its computational complexity and imposes defiant limits in implementing it. This paper presents the methodology for ExtCA and compares algorithms to find an efficient solution for expanding the boundaries of this analysis problem. The algorithms used for comparison are one sequential Branch&Bound (a well-known paradigm for combinatorial optimization recently used in ExtCA) and two new parallels implemented on the central processing unit (CPU) and the graphics processing unit (GPU). The conceived parallel architecture favors evaluating massive combinations of diverse cardinality measuring unit (MU) tuples in ExtCA. The acronym MU refers to the aggregate of devices deployed at substations, such as a remote terminal unit, intelligent electronic device, and phasor measurement unit. The numerical results obtained in the paper show significant speed-ups with the novel parallel GPU algorithm, tested on different and real-scale power grids. Since, the visualization of the ExtCA results is still not a well-explored field, this work also presents a novel way of graphically depicting spots of weak observability using MU-oriented ExtCA.

Abstract
This article introduces BetaMemo models, a set of advanced probabilistic forecasting models aimed at predicting the hourly power output of photovoltaic plants. By employing a semiparametric approach based on beta distributions and deterministic models, BetaMemo offers detailed forecasts, including point forecasts, variance, quantiles, uncertainty measures, and probabilities of power generation falling within specific intervals or exceeding predefined thresholds. BetaMemo models rely on input data derived from weather forecasts generated by a Numerical Weather Prediction model coupled with variables pertaining to solar positioning in the forthcoming hours. Eleven BetaMemo models were created, each using a unique combination of explanatory variables. These variables include data related to the location of the plant and spatiotemporal variables from weather forecasts across a broad area surrounding the plant. The models were validated using a real-life case study of a photovoltaic plant in Portugal, including comparisons of their performance with benchmark forecasting models. The results demonstrate the superior performance of the BetaMemo models, surpassing those of benchmark models in terms of forecasting accuracy. The BetaMemo model that integrates the most extensive set of spatiotemporal explanatory variables provides notably better forecasting results than simpler versions of the model that rely exclusively on the local plant information. This model improves the continuous ranked probability score by 13.89% and the reliability index by 45.66% compared to those obtained from a quantile random forest model using the same explanatory variables. The findings highlight the potential of BetaMemo models to enhance decision-making processes related to photovoltaic power bidding in electricity markets.