Game Theoretic Bidding Strategies for Auctions in Green Electricity Markets

Electricity markets in the United States presently employ an auction mechanism to determine the dispatch of power generation units. In this market design, generators submit bid prices to a regulation agency for review, and the regulator conducts an auction selection in such a way that satisfies electricity demand. Most regulators currently use an auction selection method that minimizes total offer costs ["bid cost minimization" (BCM)] to determine electric dispatch. However, recent literature has shown that this method may not minimize consumer payments, and it has been shown that an alternative selection method that directly minimizes total consumer payments ["payment cost minimization" (PCM)] may benefit social welfare in the long term. The objective of this project is to further investigate the long term benefit of PCM implementation and determine whether it can provide lower costs to consumers. The two auction selection methods are expressed as linear constraint programs and are implemented in an optimization software package. Methodology for game theoretic bidding simulation is developed using EMCAS, a real-time market simulator. Results of a 30-day simulation showed that PCM reduced energy costs for consumers by 12%. However, this result will be cross-checked in the future with two other methods of bid simulation as proposed in this paper.

Adjustable Art Table Project

An adjustable art table was designed for the artists at Passion Works Studio to fulfill a need for a wheelchair-friendly art table. The client desired that the table be sturdy, not electronic and can be used by multiple users. In response, a mechanical approach was taken and various raising devices were explored. A mechanical height adjustment would make for a more stable table and would not require any electricity or motor to adjust. The table also was built with a large, smooth tabletop designed specifically for multiple users making art. The highlight feature is the height adjustment which allows the table to adjust between 29 and 42.5 inches. The table requires just one person to raise, and two people to lower. To raise the table, an individual only needs to unlock the legs and then press in a button to activate the gas springs, which raise the table. Once the table is set to the desired height, the table can lock into place securely. To lower the table, one person must activate the gas springs and push down simultaneously with another person pushing down on the other side of the table. There is enough room for three people, depending on the size of the wheelchairs. With no wheelchairs, as many as six people can use the table. Therefore, the specifications were met, since it raises and lowers within the desired range, and it provides a solid surface for multiple users to do art work.

Creating Useful Products From Connecticut's 2000 LIDAR Data Set JHR 08-314 Project 07-2

The State of Connecticut owns a LIght Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data set that was collected in 2000 as part of the State’s periodic aerial reconnaissance missions. Although collected eight years ago, these data are just now becoming ready to be made available to the public. These data constitute a massive “point cloud”, being a long list of east-north-up triplets in the State Plane Coordinate System Zone 0600 (SPCS83 0600), orthometric heights (NAVD 88) in US Survey feet. Unfortunately, point clouds have no structure or organization, and consequently they are not as useful as Triangulated Irregular Networks (TINs), digital elevation models (DEMs), contour maps, slope and aspect layers, curvature layers, among others. The goal of this project was to provide the computational infrastructure to create a first cut of these products and to serve them to the public via the World Wide Web. The products are available at http://clear.uconn.edu/data/ct_lidar/index.htm.