Dynamic Pricing of Power in Smart-Grid Networks

In this paper we introduce the problem of dynamic pricing of power for smart-grid networks. This is studied within a network utility maximization (NUM) framework in a deterministic setting with a single provider, multiple users and a finite horizon. The provider produces power or buys power in a (deterministic) spot market, and determines a dynamic price to charge the users. The users then adjust their demand in response to the time-varying prices. This is typically categorized as the demand response problem, and we study a progression of related models by focusing on two aspects: 1) the characterization of the structure of the optimal dynamic prices in the Smart Grid and the optimal demand and supply under various interaction with a spot market; 2) a greedy approach to facilitate the solution process of the aggregate NUM problem and the optimality gap between the greedy solution and the optimal one.