A collaborative research project led by University of Arizona Systems and Industrial Engineering (SIE) associate professor Jianqiang Cheng, and involving University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Grainger College of Engineering industrial and enterprise systems associate professor Grani Adiwena Hanasusanto, represents a significant step toward addressing the challenges of renewable energy integration. The project has secured a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
The project aims to develop innovative optimization models to make power systems more resilient and cost-effective, even in the face of high uncertainty from renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
As the U.S. Department of Energy continues its push toward a cleaner energy future – targeting 20% wind power by 2030 – the need for better tools to manage fluctuating renewable energy production is becoming critical. Traditional energy management strategies, which assume a degree of certainty in generation, are struggling to keep up with the variability introduced by renewable sources.
Hanasusanto will collaborate with Cheng's team to develop new mathematical models using a framework known as distributionally robust optimization. DRO helps decision-makers account for worst-case scenarios in uncertain environments, ensuring that power grids can operate reliably even when energy production is unpredictable.
"Our goal is to create models that will seamlessly integrate renewable energy into power systems while ensuring reliability and affordability," Cheng said. "This research paves the way for a future where clean energy becomes a cornerstone of modern power grids, making a sustainable, dependable energy system a reality."
In addition to its technical goals, the project will have a broader impact by integrating research with education at both Illinois and Arizona. Undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on research, learning how advanced optimization techniques can be applied to real-world problems in renewable energy. The team hopes to inspire more students to pursue STEM careers through this interdisciplinary research, which will also benefit industries such as finance and transportation that face similar challenges in managing uncertainty.
For more details on the NSF awards, visit Award 2404412 and Award 2404413.
Grainger Engineering Affiliations
Grani Adiwena Hanasusanto is an Illinois Grainger Engineering associate professor of Industrial and Enterprise Systems. Hanasusanto is affiliated with the Coordinated Science Laboratory.