Increasing the share of electricity generated from renewable energy sources is essential for mitigating global warming. Achieving this goal requires not only advances in energy device technologies, such as renewable energy conversion technologies including solar cells and energy storage technologies including batteries and hydrogen-based energy storage systems, but also the development of energy system technologies that enable the large-scale, cost-effective deployment of variable renewable energy (VRE).

In this research area, we design and develop an advanced grid-cooperative and distributed real-time smart energy system that can accommodate diverse energy devices, data sources, and control methodologies, while evolving through the integration of a wide variety of system components. The system enables flexible control based on a wide range of performance metrics, including energy efficiency and user comfort, within distributed networks, while coordinating with the power grid to maintain a stable and reliable electricity supply.