The EMAC group addresses the engineering and techno-economic challenges to decarbonizing electric power systems. Our work ranges from applied to theoretical, with a focus on building new control and optimization frameworks to facilitate the operation of low-carbon grids.

Research Areas

Grid Flexibility and Control

How can future power systems be made sufficiently flexible to accommodate very large penetrations of wind and solar generation? We develop control and optimization frameworks for distributed resources — batteries, flexible loads, electric vehicles — that can provide grid services at scale.

Energy Systems Analysis

We develop and apply models for the electricity sector, from unit commitment and economic dispatch to capacity expansion and long-run planning. Recent work connects grid operations to air quality and health outcomes across California’s clean energy transition.

Environmental Justice and Electricity Access

We study how the energy transition affects communities differently, with a focus on equitable outcomes. This includes work on electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa and ensuring the benefits of clean energy reach disadvantaged communities in California.

Energy Storage

Analysis of the role of batteries and other storage technologies in decarbonized grids, including optimal sizing, dispatch, and valuation under uncertainty.

Software

The group develops and contributes to open-source power systems software. See the Energy-MAC GitHub for current projects.

Publications

See Google Scholar for a full and up-to-date list.