SimApi, a smartgrid co-simulation software platform for benchmarking building control algorithms

This paper describes an open source smart grid software infrastructure for co-simulation between cloud-based energy management systems and a building energy model. The core component of the infrastructure is an API, which provides a protocol abstraction as a decoupling mechanism between the control algorithms and the building, thereby facilitating the development and testing of intelligent controllers. The open-source infrastructure can be utilised for the development and benchmarking of smart grid demand response algorithms aimed at reducing the energy consumption and the carbon footprint of buildings, while facilitating the integration of renewable energies into the power system.