Abstract
Electricity markets are complex and dynamic environments, mostly due to the large scale integration of renewable energy sources in the system. Negotiation in these markets is a significant challenge, especially when considering negotiations at the local level (e.g. between buildings and distributed energy resources). It is essential for a negotiator to he able to identify the negotiation profile of the players with whom he is negotiating. If a negotiator knows these profiles, it is possible to adapt the negotiation strategy and get better results in a negotiation. In order to identify and define such negotiation profiles, a clustering process is proposed in this paper. The clustering process is performed using the kml-k-means algorithm, in which several negotiation approaches are evaluated in order to identify and define players' negotiation profiles. A case study is presented, using as input data, information from proposals made during a set of negotiations. Results show that the proposed approach is able to identify players' negotiation profiles used in bilateral negotiations in electricity markets.

Abstract
The use of metaheuristics to solve real-life problems has increased in recent years since they are easy to implement, and the problems become easy to model when applying metaheuristic approaches. However, arguably the most important aspect is the simulation time since results can be obtained from metaheuristic methods in a much smaller time, and with a good approximation to the results obtained with exact methods. In this work, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) metaheuristic is adapted and applied to solve the optimization of electricity markets participation portfolios. This work considers a multiobjective model that incorporates the calculation of the profit and the risk incurred in the electricity negotiations. Results of the proposed approach are compared to those achieved with an exact method, and it can be concluded that the proposed GA model can achieve very close results to those of the deterministic approach, in much quicker simulation time.

Abstract
This paper presents a Support Vector Machine (SVM) based approach for energy consumption forecasting. The proposed approach includes the combination of both the historic log of past consumption data and the history of contextual information. By combining variables that influence the electrical energy consumption, such as the temperature, luminosity, seasonality, with the log of consumption data, it is possible for the proposed method by find patterns and correlations between the different sources of data and therefore improves the forecasting performance. A case study based on real data from a pilot microgrid located at the GECAD campus in the Polytechnic of Porto is presented. Data from the pilot buildings are used, and the results are compared to those achieved by several states of the art forecasting approaches. Results show that the proposed method can reach lower forecasting errors than the other considered methods.

Abstract
Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are creating new market opportunities and business models for all kind of European Industries. CPS-based platforms are increasing in their size and target application areas in a steady manner. However, even if progress is made every day supported by continuous technological advancements, CPS application and deployment is still challenging. Many solutions have been made available or is currently under development in several research projects/initiatives. Typically, these solutions show no interoperability between each other and are tailored to a specific application context. Thus, there is an urgent need for a clear definition of what a CPS-populated system actually is. This will provide a common ground for designing and building interoperable CPS-populated systems. Interoperability represents one of the most challenging problems for such systems essentially due to their intrinsic characteristics: heterogeneity, distribution and networked. These must be addressed to allow the cooperation and collaboration between all the actors of the system. In this landscape, the MANTIS project is aimed to provide a reference model for interoperable and interconnected CPS-populated systems for maintenance-related ecosystems, which is the focus of this paper.

Abstract
Energy management in buildings can provide massive benefits in financial and energy saving terms. It is possible to optimize energy usage with smart grid techniques, where the benefits are enhanced when the energy consumer can trade the energy on energy markets, since it forces energy providers to compete with each other on the energy price. However, two hurdles oppose this approach: the devices providing control over appliances do not interoperate with each other; and energy markets limit trading activities to large quantities of energy, thus impeding access for small consumers. This work considers using the FlexOffer (FO) concept to allow the consumer to express its energy needs, and FO-related mechanisms to aggregate energy requests into quantities relevant for energy markets. Moreover, the presented system, named FlexHousing, is based on the Arrowhead Framework - a framework that simplifies design and implementation of distributed applications by means of normalizing communication via services - and exploits its Service Oriented mechanisms to provide device interoperability. The implemented FlexHousing system uses multi-level FO aggregation to empower either the final user, for example the owner of an apartment, to manage its own energy by defining their flexibilities, or to offload this responsibility to an energy manager who takes care of all the apartments in a building or set of buildings.

Abstract
Nowadays, collecting complex information regarding a machine status is the enabler for advanced maintenance activities, and one of the main players in this process is the sensor. This paper describes modern maintenance strategies that lead to Proactive Maintenance (PM), which is the most advanced one. The paper discusses the sensors that can be used to support maintenance, as pertaining to different categories, spanning from common off-the-shelf sensors, to specialized sensors monitoring very specific characteristics, and to virtual sensors. The paper proceeds then to detail three different real world examples of project pilots that make use of the described sensors, and draws a comparison between them. In particular, each scenario has got unique characteristics and prefers different families of sensors, but on the other hand provides similar characteristics on other aspects. In fact, the paper concludes with a discussion regarding how each scenario can benefit from PM and from advanced sensing.