In this paper a novel model is being proposed and considered by ENEL—the largest electric utility in Chile—and analyzed thoroughly, whereby electric power control and energy management for a 60-apartments’ residential building is presented as an example of the utility’s green energy program, part of its Smart Grid Transformation plan to install grid-tied distributed generation (DG) systems, namely microgrids, with solar generation and energy storage in Santiago, Chile. The particular tariffs scheme analysis shown is part of the overall projected tentative benefits of adopting the new scheme, which will require the utility’s customers to adapt their consumption behavior to the limited supply of renewable energy by changing energy consumption habits and schedules in a way that maximizes the capacity and efficiency of the grid-tied microgrid with energy storage. The change in behavior entails rescheduling power consumption to hours where the energy supply capacity in the DG system is higher and price is lower as well as curtailing their power needs in certain hourly blocks so as to maximize DG system’s efficiency and supply capacity. Nevertheless, the latter presents a problem under the perspective of ENEL’s renewable energy sources (RES) integration plan with the electric utility’s grid supply, which, up until now and due to current electric tariffs law, has not had a clear solution. Under said scenario, a set of strategies based on energy homeostasis principles for the coordination and control of the electricity supply versus customers’ demand has been devised and tested. These strategies which consider various scenarios to conform to grid flexibility requirements by ENEL, have been adapted for the specific needs of these types of customers while considering the particular infrastructure of the network. Thus, the microgrid adjusts itself to the grid in order to complement the grid supply while seeking to maximize green supply capacity and operational efficiency, wherein the different energy users and their energy consumption profiles play a crucial role as “active loads”, being able to respond and adapt to the needs of the grid-connected microgrid while enjoying economic benefits. Simulation results are presented under different tariff options, system’s capacity and energy storage alternatives, in order to compare the proposed strategies with the actual case of traditional grid’s electricity distribution service, where no green energy is present. The results show the advantage of the proposed tariffs scheme, along with power control and energy management strategies for the integration of distributed power generation within ENEL’s Smart Grid Transformation in Chile.

Homeostaticity of energy systems: how to engineer grid flexibility and why should electric utilities care

OLAP and multidimensional database technology have contributed significantly to speed up and build confidence in the effectiveness of methodologies based on the use of management indicators in decision-making, industry, production, and services. Although there are a wide variety of tools related to the OLAP approach, many implementations are performed in relational database systems (R-OLAP). So, all interrogation actions are performed through queries that must be reinterpreted in the SQL language. This translation has several consequences because SQL language is based on a mixture of relational algebra and tuple relational calculus, which conceptually responds to the logic of the relational data model, very different from the needs of the multidimensional databases. This paper presents a multidimensional query language that allows expressing multidimensional queries directly over ROLAP databases. The implementation of the multidimensional query language will be done through a middleware that is responsible for mapping the queries, hiding the translation to a layer of software not noticeable to the end-user. Currently, progress has been made in the definition of a language where through a key statement, called aggregate, it is possible to execute the typical multidimensional operators which represent an important part of the most frequent operations in this type of database.

Port organizations have focused their efforts on physical or tangible assets, generating profitability and value. However, it is recognized that the greatest sustainable competitive advantage is the creation of knowledge using the intangible assets of the organization. The Balanced ScoreCard, as a performance tool, has incorporated intangible assets such as intellectual, structural and social capital into management. In this way, the port community can count on new forms of managing innovation, strengthening organizational practices, and increasing collaborative work teams. In this study, the concepts from analysis of the cognitive SWOT are applied to diagnose the port activity and its community. In workshops with experts and from the vision, mission, cognitive SWOT and strategies, a cognitive strategic map considering strategic objectives and indicators is designed in the customer, processes, and learning and growth axis for the port and port community. Causal relationships between objectives, associated indicators and incidence factors are established in a forward way from learning and growth axis to customer axis. Then, the incidence matrix is developed and the direct and indirect effects between factors are analyzed, which allows recommending the future course of the port and its community.