The world’s energy and power systems are currently going through a period of rapid changes. This transformation process is characterized by the restructuring of energy and electricity markets, large-scale deployment of variable renewable energy resources (e.g., wind and solar PV), introduction and implementation of new communication technologies (e.g., smart grid), and greater interdependencies among various energy and communication infrastructures. With higher penetration of low-carbon energy resources, smart grid, distributed generation, electric vehicles, and other emerging technologies, energy and power systems of the twenty-first century will favor resources that provide greater system flexibility (e.g., energy storage), and contribute to system efficiency, reliability, and resiliency. Integration and optimization of various parts of the energy system will be needed to lower costs, improve system performance, and reduce environmental impacts.

The Energy and Power Systems and Energy Decision Analytics teams in the Center for Energy, Environmental and Economic System Analysis (CEEESA) at Argonne use advanced modeling, simulation, and optimization methods to gain insights into the complex dynamics of energy systems and address key challenges in their rapid transformation to energy systems of the twenty-first century.