Flexibility - a relaxation of an optimization problem

Luleå University of Technology is leading the work to identify challenges to the use of flexibility in district energy systems and to propose a systematic approach to realize a flexibility concept on a larger scale. Initially, the focus has been on the assessment of the state-of-the-art methods and to understand the challenges and barriers preventing the large-scale implementation of flexibility.

In the report ”Flexibility characterization and assessment methodologies” the most feasible approach for characterizing and assessing flexibility has been identified from literature and the approach has also been developed further. A method to characterize the flexibility is proposed where flexibility is introduced as a means to relax the operational optimization problem. The assessment of flexibility will then require a simulation-based approach to determine how flexibility spatially translates from consumption, distribution, storage, and production units to actuation points. Finally, the approach has been exemplified on a city-scale case with a seasonal thermal storage as the component providing flexibility.

The findings from the work so far were presented at Flexi-Sync Webinar #3 and the work has also resulted in a published article in Resources External link, opens in new window..