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Publications

Publications by José Villar

2023

A reinforcement learning approach to explore the role of social expectations in altruistic behavior

Authors
Castanon, R; Campos, FA; Villar, J; Sanchez, A;

Publication
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS

Abstract
While altruism has been studied from a variety of standpoints, none of them has proven sufficient to explain the richness of nuances detected in experimentally observed altruistic behavior. On the other hand, the recent success of behavioral economics in linking expectation formation to key behaviors in complex societies hints to social expectations having a key role in the emergence of altruism. This paper proposes an agent-based model based upon the Bush-Mosteller reinforcement learning algorithm in which agents, subject to stimuli derived from empirical and normative expectations, update their aspirations (and, consequently, their future cooperative behavior) after playing successive rounds of the Dictator Game. The results of the model are compared with experimental results. Such comparison suggests that a stimuli model based on empirical and normative expectations, such as the one presented in this work, has considerable potential for capturing the cognitive-behavioral processes that shape decision-making in contexts where cooperative behavior is relevant.

2023

Pricing and Simulating Energy Transactions in Energy Communities

Authors
Mello, J; de Lorenzo, C; Campos, FA; Villar, J;

Publication
ENERGIES

Abstract
Extensive literature is available for modeling and simulating local electricity markets, often called P2P electricity markets, and for pricing local energy transactions in energy communities. Market models and pricing mechanisms provide simulation tools to better understand how these new markets behave, helping to design their main rules for real applications, and assessing the financial compensations of the internal energy transactions. As such, pricing mechanisms are often needed in energy management systems when centralized management approaches are preferred to market-based ones. First, this paper highlights the links between local electricity markets, pricing mechanisms for local electricity transactions, and other approaches to sharing the collective benefits of participating in transactive energy communities. Then, a standard nomenclature is defined to review some of the main pricing mechanisms for local energy transactions, an innovative pricing mechanism based on the economic principles of a post-delivery pool market is proposed, and other relevant approaches for local electricity market simulation such as Nash equilibrium or agent-based simulation are also revisited. The revision was based on systematic searches in common research databases and on the authors' experience in European and national projects, including local industrial applications for the past five years. A qualitative assessment of the reviewed methods is also provided, and the research challenges are highlighted. This review is intended to serve as a practical guide to pricing mechanisms and market simulation procedures for practical designs of internal financial compensation to share the collective benefits of energy communities.

2023

5. Coordenação com o sistema energético

Authors
José Villar; João Mello; João Peças Lopes;

Publication
Comunidades de Energia Renovável

Abstract

2023

A Three-Stage Model to Manage Energy Communities, Share Benefits and Provide Local Grid Services

Authors
Rocha, R; Silva, R; Mello, J; Faria, S; Retorta, F; Gouveia, C; Villar, J;

Publication
ENERGIES

Abstract
This paper proposes a three-stage model for managing energy communities for local energy sharing and providing grid flexibility services to tackle local distribution grid constraints. The first stage addresses the minimization of each prosumer's individual energy bill by optimizing the schedules of their flexible resources. The second stage optimizes the energy bill of the whole energy community by sharing the prosumers' energy surplus internally and re-dispatching their batteries, while guaranteeing that each prosumer's new energy bill is always be equal to or less than the bill that results for this prosumer from stage one. This collective optimization is designed to ensure an additional collective benefit, without loss for any community member. The third stage, which can be performed by the distribution system operator (DSO), aims to solve the local grid constraints by re-dispatching the flexible resources and, if still necessary, by curtailing local generation or consumption. Stage three minimizes the impact on the schedule obtained at previous stages by minimizing the loss of profit or utility for all prosumers, which are furthermore financially compensated accordingly. This paper describes how the settlement should be performed, including the allocation coefficients to be sent to the DSO to determine the self-consumed and supplied energies of each peer. Finally, some case studies allow an assessment of the performance of the proposed methodology. Results show, among other things, the potential benefits of allowing the allocation coefficients to take negative values to increase the retail market competition; the importance of stage one or, alternatively, the need for a fair internal price to avoid unfair collective benefit sharing among the community members; or how stage three can effectively contribute to grid constraint solving, profiting first from the existing flexible resources.

2022

Maximizing Green Hydrogen Production with Power Flow Tracing

Authors
Dudkina, E; Villar, J; Bessa, RJ;

Publication
International Conference on the European Energy Market, EEM

Abstract
Decarbonization of energy systems is one of the main tracks in the energy sector, and in this transition, green hydrogen assumes an important role. Considering the variability of renewable energy sources (RES), the flexibility of the hydrogen production could help dealing with imbalances. However, to truly contribute to a greener energy mix, a principle of additivity must be obeyed. In other words, to produce green hydrogen, the energy supplied to the electrolyzers must be renewable and must not entail a decrease in the RES consumed by other loads according to the energy strategic plans. This study integrates power flow tracing (PFT) technique within an optimal power flow (OPF) to determine and maximize the physical flow between the energy from RES generators and the electrolyzer through the existing grid. The proposed method was tested on both radial and meshed IEEE test grids. Simulation results showed that the electrolyzer green supply can be increased by controlling the dispatch of the distributed generators (e.g., CHP) according to the location of the electrolyzer. In addition, installing storage systems nearby load buses allows increasing the amount of green supply by using the RES-based electricity stored. © 2022 IEEE.

2026

Assessing Green Hydrogen Support Mechanisms in Coupled Electricity and Hydrogen Markets

Authors
Herrero Rozas, LA; Campos, FA; Villar, J;

Publication

Abstract
Green hydrogen is expected to play an important role for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors but faces regulatory, economic, and operational barriers. In the EU, strict renewable energy usages requirements and temporal and geographical criteria constrain green hydrogen production and complicate integration with electricity markets. Support mechanisms (SMs), such as premiums and quotas, aim to boost hydrogen production, yet their impacts on coupled electricity-hydrogen systems remain underexplored. This paper extends a previous joint electricity-hydrogen Cournot equilibrium model to represent and analyze the impact of different green hydrogen production SMs. Different SMs lead to different equilibrium models that were solved using equivalent quadratic optimization problems and applied to real-size Iberian case studies. Results reveal how different SMs influence hydrogen and electricity prices, production and emissions, highlighting trade-offs among stakeholders. The findings provide guidance for designing balanced policies that stimulate green hydrogen while minimizing unintended consequences and offer flexible tools to assess regulatory and economic interactions in emerging hydrogen markets

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