Project Grant 2139781

This National Science Foundation project grant of $335,000 supports research at the University of California Irvine to develop an automated synthesis framework for trustworthy autonomous utility services (ASTRA). Under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070), the three-year award beginning April 1, 2022 will fund the design of scalable methods, algorithms and computational tools to model large-scale distributed decision-making infrastructures for strategic energy distribution systems. Specifically, the university researchers will use population game models to simulate the effects of different infrastructure designs on large consumer groups and evaluate dedicated network architectures and hybrid hardware algorithms. ASTRA introduces a layered methodology to systematically automate the design, verification and validation of distribution management infrastructures from requirements specifications. Cutting-edge computational tools will also facilitate modeling interactions between discrete and continuous system components. Project outcomes will be applied to a real testbed for zero-net-energy applications and used in STEM education efforts.