Abstract
This paper addresses the location of parking lots (PLs) to be used for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) by using a probabilistic traffic model and taking into account the PL participation in electricity markets. The PLs are used both for grid-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid. The system includes private or public charging stations only used for PEV charging. The traffic model considers the partitioning of the territory into areas. The case study is based on traffic and market data referring to Italy.

Abstract
This paper presents a Direct Lyapunov based control technique for active power filtering in electric grids. The proposed technique through the interfacing system is designed with the goal to compensate the harmonic current components and reactive power provoked by the nonlinear grid-connected loads. In the method, based on multilevel converter topologies, active power in fundamental frequency is injected from the main grid, which results in unity PF (power factor) between grid currents and load voltages. The performance of the proposed control technique in a SAPF (Shunt Active Power Filter) model is validated in both dynamic and steady-state operating conditions. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme can effectively compensate the system background harmonics and improve the performance of the line current harmonics. The main benefit of this approach is that it prevents current overshoot as the proposed model connects to the grid.

Abstract
This paper presents a review of short-term hydro scheduling tools reported by the scientific community, presenting different methodologies and models published over the last 20 years about operations, scheduling and optimization of hydro systems, in competitive electricity markets, considering the short-term horizon, i.e., between one day and one week, with the goal of maximizing profits and reducing losses, considering also different hydro configurations around the world. Hence, a comprehensive study is carried out in order to gather the maximum information possible to clarify and show the most recent advances in this field of research, contributing also for the appearance of future contributions.

Abstract
Smart grid solutions with enabling technologies such as energy management systems (EMSs) and smart meters promote the vision of smart households, which also allows for active demand side in the residential sector. These technologies enable the control of residential consumption, local small-scale generation, and energy storage systems to respond to time-varying prices. However, shifting loads simultaneously to lower price periods is likely to put extra stress on distribution system assets such as distribution transformers. Especially, additional new types of loads/appliances such as electric vehicles (EVs) can introduce even more burden on the operation of these assets, which is an issue that needs special attention. Such extra stress can cause accelerated aging of distribution system assets and significantly affect the reliability of the system. In this paper, the impact of a smart neighborhood load on distribution transformer aging is investigated. The EMS of each household is designed to respond to prices and other signals emitted by the responsive load serving entity within the relevant demand response strategy. An optimization framework based on mixed-integer linear programming is presented in order to define the EMS structure. Then, the equivalent aging of the distribution transformer is examined with a thermal model under different scenarios. The case studies that are presented indicate that the integration of EVs in residential premises may indeed cause accelerated aging of the distribution transformers, while the need to investigate the efficiency of dynamic pricing mechanisms is rendered evident.

Abstract
This paper proposes a control technique of an interfaced converter for the integration of Distributed Generation (DG) sources into the power grid. The proposed control technique provides compensation for the active, reactive, and harmonic current components of grid-connected loads. Proper switching functions of the interfaced converter have been defined based on passivity control theory by achieving space equations and suitable series damping injection. Comprehensive simulation results under steady-state and dynamic operating conditions are provided. The effectiveness of the proposed control technique is demonstrated and validated by injecting the maximum available power from DG sources to the power grid, correcting power factor (PF) between grid current and load voltage, generating a fixed voltage at the point of common coupling (PCC) and reducing total harmonic distortion (THD) of grid current.

Abstract
There is a remarkable potential for implementing demand response (DR) strategies for several purposes, such as peak load reduction, frequency regulation, etc., by using thermostatically controllable appliances. In this paper, an enduser comfort violation minimization oriented DR strategy for residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units is proposed. The proposed approach manipulates the temperature set-point of HVAC thermostats aiming to minimize the average discomfort among end-users enrolled in an DR program, while satisfying the DR event related requirements of the load serving entity. Besides, the fairness of the allocation of the comfort violation among the enrolled end-users is also taken into account. Moreover, maintaining the load factor during the contracted DR period compared to a base case in order to reduce the load rebound effect due to shifting the use of HVAC units is also considered within the proposed strategy. Last but not least, the heat index that considers the impact of humidity is utilized instead of using ambient dry-bulb temperature through a spatio-temporal forecasting approach.