A Novel Data-Driven NLMPC Strategy for Techno-Economic Microgrid Management with Battery Energy Storage Under Uncertainty

As renewable energy sources become more widespread and energy consumption continues to grow, there is an urgent requirement for smarter, more flexible control methods to manage microgrids (MGs) effectively. This study proposes a data-driven nonlinear model predictive control (NLMPC) framework for optimized MG operation, emphasizing energy storage system (ESS) integration. Effective MG management is crucial given increasing renewable penetration and energy demands. This framework coordinates distributed generation (DG) units, including rotating and non-rotating resources, with a battery ESS in a dynamic MG environment. Leveraging Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), the framework accurately models the complex dynamics of both DG units and …

Cross-Species Comparison of Ultramafic Rock Bio-Accelerated Weathering Performance

Carbon mineralization sequesters atmospheric CO2 by reacting it with cations from rock weathering to form carbonates. However, natural rates are too slow, and acceleration with chemical or mechanical methods is expensive. Microbial processes (acidolysis, redoxolysis, complexolysis) could speed weathering with less energy. However, no microorganisms have been employed at industrial scale to dissolve ultramafic rocks. Although some microbes dissolve ultramafic rocks), their performance remains poorly understood. Here, we compare the dissolution of dunite (> 90% olivine) by three mineral-dissolving microbes: Gluconobacter oxydansSphingomonas desiccabilis and Penicillium simplicissimum. G. oxydans outperformed the others, producing the most acidic biolixiviant (pH 2.15 at 1% …

Power Systems Transformation

Clean electrification, driven by the decarbonization of power systems and the substitution of electricity for fossil fuels in industry, transport, and buildings, is the foundation of the transition to a global net-zero economy. In many sectors, direct electrification will be the most cost-effective route to decarbonization; in others, hydrogen produced via electrolysis is likely to play a significant role. As a result, total electricity demand will grow dramatically. The ETC’s latest updates to the two net-zero scenarios, Accelerated by Clearly Feasible (ACF) and Possible but Stretching (PBS), initially published in December 2023, suggest that the share of direct electricity usage …

Demonstration of Utility Smart Charge Management for Multiple Benefit Streams

In the summer of 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded funding to Exelon’s Maryland utilities—Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), Delmarva Power & Light (DPL), and Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco)—to implement the Smart Charge Management (SCM) pilot. This initiative aimed to design and implement managed electric vehicle (EV) charging strategies, evaluate the grid impacts of EV charging, and assess the utilities’ ability to control EV load based on real-time grid conditions.…

Emerging Trends in Power Utility Asset Management

The landscape of asset management within electric utilities is rapidly advancing. In response, asset management teams continue to evolve to adopt and adhere to changing standards, shift team structures to support utility priorities, and optimize data collection and usage to drive better informed asset decisions. Through CEATI’s extensive, global network of power utility members, several key asset management trends have emerged across 2024 and 2025. This paper synthesizes insights from recent CEATI research and benchmarking activities, with the intent to assist utilities in identifying strategic opportunities and enhancing asset management practices to meet current and emerging industry demands.…

Photonics-Integrated Terahertz Transmission Lines

Modern communication and sensing technologies connect the optical domain with the microwave domain. Accessing the terahertz region from 100 GHz to 10 THz is critical for providing larger bandwidths capabilities. Despite progress in integrated electronics, they lack a direct link to the optical domain, and face challenges with increasing frequencies ( > 1 THz). Electro-optic effects offer promising capabilities but are currently limited to bulk nonlinear crystals, missing out miniaturization, or to sub-terahertz bandwidths. Here, we address these challenges by realizing photonic circuits that integrate terahertz transmission lines on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN). By providing terahertz field confinement and phase-matched …

Optimizing Modern Energy Programs for Financially Constrained Households

An overwhelming 78% of respondents reported at least one serious issue in their homes. From leaky roofs and broken stairs to mold and pest infestations, these conditions represent more than inconvenience—they’re safety risks and major obstacles to energy efficiency. Structural degradation makes it impossible to implement insulation, air sealing, or HVAC improvements. Compounding the issue is the nature of home heating systems. Over half of respondents reported using electricity as their primary heating source, and electricity was cited as the primary or secondary heating source for 92% of these households. This suggests that most are relying Heating Source on outdated …

Battery Energy Storage Impact and Benefits Assessments in MISO

MISO is expecting a significant increase in demand for electricity (peak load growing to~130GW by 2035), putting a strain on generation and transmission networks at a time of increasing renewables penetration. As new, diversified resources are added to the grid, battery capacity will be needed for MISO to maintain reliability and manage large ramping requirements in evenings, particularly considering the challenges in bringing new thermal generation online.…

Electricity Mid-Year Update 2025

Despite a slowdown in global economic growth prospects, the world’s electricity consumption increased strongly in the first half of 2025, driven by rising demand from industry, appliances, cooling, data centres and electrification. At the same time, electricity supply from renewables, natural gas and nuclear continues to grow, with all set to reach new milestones.

This mid-year update follows the extensive Electricity 2025 report released in February, examining the latest trends and the outlook for the remainder of the year. It includes updated data for 2024 along with new forecasts for 2025 and 2026 covering areas such as global electricity demand, …

The Scale of Contribution: Vehicles

The Trump Administration is expected to rescind the Environmental Protection Agency’s fifteen-year-old finding that greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles contribute to climate change and harm public health and welfare. For months EPA has been questioning the long-settled understanding that major U.S. sectors like motor vehicles make substantial contributions to climate change, arguing instead that U.S. vehicles contribute “some mysterious amount above zero to climate change and that climate change creates some mysterious amount of endangerment above zero to public health.”…