José Ricardo Andrade

Abstract
A fast response to faults in large-scale photovoltaic power plants (PVPPs), which can occur on hundreds of components like photovoltaic panels and inverters, is fundamental for maximizing energy generation and reliable system operation. This work proposes using a Graph Neural Network (GNN) combined with a digital twin for synthetic fault data scenario generation for fault location in PVPPs. It shows that GNN can adapt to system changes without requiring model retraining, thus offering a scalable solution for the real operating PVPPs, where some parts of the system may be disconnected for maintenance. The results for a real PVPP show the GNN outperforms baseline models, especially in larger topologies, achieving up to twice the accuracy in a fault location task. The GNN's adaptability to topology changes was tested on the simulated reconfigured systems. A decrease in performance was observed, and its value depends on the complexity of the original training topology. It can be mitigated by using several system reconfigurations in the training set.

Abstract
In the power system decarbonization roadmap, novel grid management tools and market mechanisms are fundamental to solving technical problems concerning renewable energy forecast uncertainty. This work proposes a predictive algorithm for procurement of grid flexibility by the system operator (SO), which combines the SO flexible assets with active and reactive power short-term flexibility markets. The goal is to reduce the cognitive load of the human operator when analyzing multiple flexibility options and trajectories for the forecasted load/RES and create a human-in-the-loop approach for balancing risk, stakes, and cost. This work also formulates the decision problem into several steps where the operator must decide to book flexibility now or wait for the next forecast update (time-to-decide method), considering that flexibility (availability) price may increase with a lower notification time. Numerical results obtained for a public MV grid (Oberrhein) show that the time-to-decide method improves up to 22% a performance indicator related to a cost-loss matrix, compared to the option of booking the flexibility now at a lower price and without waiting for a forecast update.

Abstract
Nowadays, human operators at control centers analyze a large volume of alarm information during outage events and must act fast to restore the service. To assist operator decisions this work proposes novel machine learning-based functions aiming to: (a) classify the complexity of a fault occurrence (Occurrences Classifier) and its cause (Fault Cause Classifier) based on its alarm events; (b) provide fast insights to the operator on how to solve it (Data2Actions). The Occurrences Classifier takes alarm information of an occurrence and classifies it as a simpleor complexoccurrence, while the Fault Cause Classifier predicts the cause class of MV lines faults. The Data2Actions takes a sequence of alarm information from the occurrence and suggests a more adequate sequence of switching actions to isolate the fault section. These algorithms were tested on real data from a Distribution System Operator and showed: (a) an accuracy of 86% for the Data2Actions, (b) an accuracy of 68% for the Occurrences Classifier, and (c) an accuracy of 74% for the Fault Cause Classifier. It also proposes a new representation for SCADA event log data using graphs, which can help human operators identify infrequent alarm events or create new features to improve model performance.

Abstract
The integration of electric vehicles is paramount to the electrification of the transport sector, supporting the energy transition. The charging process of electric vehicles can be perceived as a controllable load and targeted with price or incentive-based programs. Demand-side management can optimize charging station performance and integrate renewable energy generation through electrical energy storage. Data flowing through charging stations can be used in computational approaches to solve open challenges and create new services, such as a dynamic pricing strategy, where the charging tariff depends on operating conditions. This work presents a data-driven service that optimizes day-ahead charging tariffs with a bilevel optimization problem and develops a case study around a large-scale pilot. The impact of photovoltaics and battery storage on the dynamic pricing scheme was assessed. A dynamic pricing strategy was found to benefit self-consumption and self-sufficiency of the charging station, increasing over 4 percentage points in some cases.

Abstract
Climate change, geopolitical tensions, and decarbonization targets are bringing the resilience of the European electric power system to the forefront of discussion. Among various regulatory and technological solutions, voluntary demand response can help balance generation and demand during periods of energy scarcity or renewable energy generation surplus. This work presents an open data service called Interoperable Recommender that leverages publicly accessible data to calculate a country-specific operational balancing risk, providing actionable recommendations to empower citizens toward adaptive energy consumption, considering interconnections and local grid constraints. Using semantic interoperability, it enables third- party services to enhance energy management and customize applications to consumers. Real-world pilots in Portugal, Greece, and Croatia with over 300 consumers demonstrated the effectiveness of providing signals across diverse contexts. For instance, in Portugal, 7% of the hours included actionable recommendations, and metering data revealed a consumption decrease of 4% during periods when consumers were requested to lower consumption.