Centralised and Distributed Optimization for Aggregated Flexibility Services Provision
Pith reviewed 2026-05-24 19:44 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
A modified ADMM solves the centralized battery optimization problem for flexibility services but runs 5 to 12 times faster on 100 sites.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
The modified ADMM with concurrent primal updates and proximal Jacobian term produces a solution that is mathematically equivalent to the centralized optimum for the convex battery-operation problem while requiring only one-fifth to one-twelfth the computation time on a 100-prosumer instance.
What carries the argument
Modified ADMM with concurrent primal-variable updates and a proximal Jacobian regularization term, which decomposes the global optimization across individual prosumers while preserving convergence to the centralized solution.
If this is right
- Aggregators can manage fleets of hundreds of batteries without the centralized solver becoming the bottleneck.
- The same schedules that minimize total cost can be computed locally at each site and only aggregated signals need to be exchanged.
- Re-optimization can be performed more frequently because each iteration is faster.
- The approach extends directly to other convex resource-allocation problems that share the same structure of local costs plus global service constraints.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- The speed-up may allow the same framework to be used inside real-time markets that clear every few minutes rather than every hour.
- If the convexity assumption holds for other storage technologies the method could be reused without re-deriving convergence proofs.
- Larger test cases with thousands of sites would be needed to confirm that the observed speed-up scales linearly.
Load-bearing premise
The inclusion of battery degradation costs and flexibility-service constraints creates a convex optimization problem to which the modified ADMM is guaranteed to converge.
What would settle it
An instance with 100 or more prosumers in which the distributed schedules differ from the centralized optimum or the run-time advantage disappears.
Figures
read the original abstract
The recent deployment of distributed battery units in prosumer premises offer new opportunities for providing aggregated flexibility services to both distribution system operators and balance responsible parties. The optimization problem presented in this paper is formulated with an objective of cost minimization which includes energy and battery degradation cost to provide flexibility services. A decomposed solution approach with the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) is used instead of commonly adopted centralised optimization to reduce the computational burden and time, and then reduce scalability limitations. In this work we apply a modified version of ADMM that includes two new features with respect to the original algorithm: first, the primal variables are updated concurrently, which reduces significantly the computational cost when we have a large number of involved prosumers; second, it includes a regularization term named Proximal Jacobian (PJ) that ensures the stability of the solution. A case study is presented for optimal battery operation of 100 prosumer sites with real-life data. The proposed method finds a solution which is equivalent to the centralised optimization problem and is computed between 5 and 12 times faster. Thus, aggregators or large-scale energy communities can use this scalable algorithm to provide flexibility services.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper formulates a convex optimization problem minimizing energy and battery degradation costs for aggregated flexibility services from prosumer batteries. It proposes a modified ADMM solver with concurrent (Jacobi-style) primal updates and a proximal Jacobian regularization term, claiming that the distributed solution is numerically equivalent to the centralized optimum while being 5-12 times faster on a 100-prosumer case study with real data.
Significance. If the convergence claim holds, the work supplies a practical, scalable distributed method for large-scale prosumer aggregation that directly addresses the computational bottleneck of centralized solvers in distribution-system and balancing contexts. The numerical speed-up on real data is a concrete strength.
major comments (2)
- [Modified ADMM section] Modified ADMM / algorithm section: no convergence theorem, Lyapunov argument, or reference to conditions under which the concurrent-update PJ-ADMM variant is guaranteed to reach the same global minimizer as the centralized convex program. Standard ADMM guarantees do not automatically extend to Jacobi-style updates plus the added proximal term; this is load-bearing for the headline equivalence claim.
- [Case study section] Case-study section: equivalence and timing results are reported for a single 100-prosumer instance. Without additional instances, sensitivity to the proximal regularization parameter, or a demonstration that the reported speed-up is not an artifact of the specific data set, the general claim that the method “finds a solution which is equivalent” remains under-supported.
minor comments (1)
- Notation for the proximal Jacobian term and the concurrent-update ordering should be made fully explicit (e.g., which variables are updated in parallel and how the dual update is sequenced) to allow readers to reproduce the exact iteration.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the constructive comments, which help improve the clarity and support for our claims. We address each major comment below.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: [Modified ADMM section] Modified ADMM / algorithm section: no convergence theorem, Lyapunov argument, or reference to conditions under which the concurrent-update PJ-ADMM variant is guaranteed to reach the same global minimizer as the centralized convex program. Standard ADMM guarantees do not automatically extend to Jacobi-style updates plus the added proximal term; this is load-bearing for the headline equivalence claim.
Authors: We acknowledge that the manuscript does not contain a self-contained convergence proof or Lyapunov analysis for the specific PJ-ADMM variant with concurrent updates. The proximal Jacobian term is included precisely to restore stability and convergence for the Jacobi-style scheme; this is justified by reference to the existing PJ-ADMM literature (e.g., works establishing convergence under convexity and appropriate step-size conditions). Because the underlying problem remains convex, the cited conditions are satisfied. In revision we will add an explicit paragraph citing the relevant PJ-ADMM convergence results and stating that our formulation meets the required assumptions, thereby supporting the numerical equivalence claim. revision: partial
-
Referee: [Case study section] Case-study section: equivalence and timing results are reported for a single 100-prosumer instance. Without additional instances, sensitivity to the proximal regularization parameter, or a demonstration that the reported speed-up is not an artifact of the specific data set, the general claim that the method “finds a solution which is equivalent” remains under-supported.
Authors: The presented case uses real measured data for 100 prosumers and constitutes a realistic large-scale test. To strengthen generality we will add, in the revised manuscript, a sensitivity study varying the proximal regularization parameter over a range that preserves convergence, together with a brief discussion of why the observed speed-up and equivalence are not artifacts of this particular data set (e.g., by noting that the problem structure is representative of typical prosumer aggregation). revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity: equivalence validated against external centralized benchmark
full rationale
The paper formulates a convex optimization problem for battery operation and flexibility services, then applies a modified ADMM (concurrent primal updates plus proximal Jacobian term) whose output is compared numerically to the solution of the same centralized convex program on a 100-prosumer instance with real data. This comparison is an external benchmark, not a self-referential fit. No equation reduces the reported equivalence or speed-up to a parameter defined inside the paper, no self-citation chain supplies a uniqueness theorem, and no ansatz is smuggled via prior work by the same authors. The derivation chain therefore remains self-contained against the stated external solver benchmark.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (2)
- domain assumption The joint optimization problem is convex.
- domain assumption Battery degradation cost is a convex function of charge/discharge power.
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
- [1]
-
[2]
Flexibility provision in the Smart Grid era using USEF and OS4ES,
M. van den Berge, M. Broekmans, B. Derksen, A. Papanikolaou, and C. Malavazos, “Flexibility provision in the Smart Grid era using USEF and OS4ES,” in 2016 IEEE Int. Energy Conf. , Leuven, apr 2016, pp. 1–6
work page 2016
-
[3]
Home energy management systems: A review of modelling and complexity,
M. Beaudin and H. Zareipour, “Home energy management systems: A review of modelling and complexity,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. , vol. 45, pp. 318–335, 2015
work page 2015
-
[4]
Smart home energy management systems: Concept, configurations, and scheduling strategies,
B. Zhou, W. Li, K. W. Chan, Y . Cao, Y . Kuang, X. Liu, and X. Wang, “Smart home energy management systems: Concept, configurations, and scheduling strategies,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 61, pp. 30–40, 2016
work page 2016
-
[5]
Q. Wang, C. Zhang, Y . Ding, G. Xydis, J. Wang, and J. Østergaard, “Review of real-time electricity markets for integrating Distributed Energy Resources and Demand Response,” 2015
work page 2015
-
[6]
A. Dietrich and C. Weber, “What drives profitability of grid-connected residential PV storage systems? A closer look with focus on Germany,” Energy Econ., vol. 74, no. 2018, pp. 399–416, 2018
work page 2018
-
[7]
Demand flexibility versus physical network expansions in distribution grids,
K. Spiliotis, A. I. Ramos Gutierrez, and R. Belmans, “Demand flexibility versus physical network expansions in distribution grids,” Appl. Energy, vol. 182, pp. 613–624, 2016
work page 2016
-
[8]
The IGREENGrid Project: Increasing Hosting Capacity in Distribution Grids,
J. Varela, N. Hatziargyriou, L. J. Puglisi, M. Rossi, A. Abart, and B. Bletterie, “The IGREENGrid Project: Increasing Hosting Capacity in Distribution Grids,” IEEE Power Energy Mag. , vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 30–40, 2017
work page 2017
-
[9]
C. Eid, P. Codani, Y . Perez, J. Reneses, and R. Hakvoort, “Managing electric flexibility from Distributed Energy Resources: A review of incentives for market design,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 64, pp. 237–247, 2016
work page 2016
-
[10]
Energy management systems aggregators: A literature survey,
A. M. Carreiro, H. M. Jorge, and C. H. Antunes, “Energy management systems aggregators: A literature survey,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 73, pp. 1160–1172, jun 2017
work page 2017
-
[11]
Multi market bidding strategies for demand side flexibility aggregators in electricity markets,
S. Ø. Ottesen, A. Tomasgard, and S. E. Fleten, “Multi market bidding strategies for demand side flexibility aggregators in electricity markets,” Energy, vol. 149, pp. 120–134, 2018
work page 2018
-
[12]
A review of the value of aggregators in electricity systems,
S. Burger, J. P. Chaves- ´Avila, C. Batlle, and I. J. P ´erez-Arriaga, “A review of the value of aggregators in electricity systems,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 77, no. February 2016, pp. 395–405, 2017
work page 2016
-
[13]
I. Kim, “A case study on the effect of storage systems on a distribution network enhanced by high-capacity photovoltaic systems,” J. Energy Storage, vol. 12, pp. 121–131, 2017
work page 2017
-
[14]
M. Resch, J. B ¨uhler, B. Schachler, R. Kunert, A. Meier, and A. Sumper, “Technical and economic comparison of grid supportive vanadium redox flow batteries for primary control reserve and community electricity storage in Germany,” Int. J. Energy Res. , vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 337–357, 2019
work page 2019
-
[15]
Flexibility of Residential Loads for Demand Response Provisions in Smart Grid,
O. Alrumayh and K. Bhattacharya, “Flexibility of Residential Loads for Demand Response Provisions in Smart Grid,” IEEE Trans. Smart Grid , vol. PP, no. c, pp. 1–1, 2019
work page 2019
-
[16]
S. Hu, Y . Xiang, J. Liu, C. Gu, X. Zhang, Y . Tian, Z. Liu, and J. Xiong, “Agent-based Coordinated Operation Strategy for Active Distribution Network with Distributed Energy Resources,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl. , vol. PP, no. c, pp. 1–1, 2019
work page 2019
-
[17]
Managing volatility in distribution networks with active network management,
H. Zoeller, M. Reischboeck, and S. Henselmeyer, “Managing volatility in distribution networks with active network management,” in CIRED Work. 2016. Institution of Engineering and Technology, 2016, pp. 1–4
work page 2016
-
[18]
Smart Grid Traffic Light Concept. Design of the amber phase. Discussion paper
German Association of the Energy and Water Industry (BDEW), “Smart Grid Traffic Light Concept. Design of the amber phase. Discussion paper.” BDEW, Tech. Rep. March, 2015
work page 2015
-
[19]
A Flexibility Home Energy Management System to Support Agreggator Requests in Smart Grids,
T. Sousa, F. Lezama, M. Ieee, M. Ieee, S. Ramos, Z. Vale, and S. M. Ieee, “A Flexibility Home Energy Management System to Support Agreggator Requests in Smart Grids,” in 2018 IEEE Symp. Ser. Comput. Intell. IEEE, 2018, pp. 1830–1836
work page 2018
-
[20]
A market-based framework for demand side flexibility scheduling and dispatching,
S. S. Torbaghan, N. Blaauwbroek, D. Kuiken, M. Gibescu, M. Ha- jighasemi, P. Nguyen, G. J. M. Smit, M. Roggenkamp, and J. Hurink, “A market-based framework for demand side flexibility scheduling and dispatching,” Sustain. Energy, Grids Networks, vol. 14, pp. 47–61, 2018
work page 2018
-
[21]
S. Boyd, N. Parikh, E. Chu, B. Peleato, J. Eckstein, and Others, “Distributed optimization and statistical learning via the alternating direction method of multipliers,” Found. Trends R⃝in Mach. Learn. , vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1–122, 2011
work page 2011
-
[22]
Distributed optimal power flow using ADMM,
T. Erseghe, “Distributed optimal power flow using ADMM,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 2370–2380, 2014
work page 2014
-
[23]
A Consensus- ADMM Approach for Strategic Generation Investment in Electricity Markets,
V . Dvorkin, J. Kazempour, L. Baringo, and P. Pinson, “A Consensus- ADMM Approach for Strategic Generation Investment in Electricity Markets,” Proc. IEEE Conf. Decis. Control , vol. 2018-Decem, pp. 780– 785, 2019
work page 2018
-
[24]
J. Brooks, W. Hager, and J. Zhu, “A decentralized multi-block admm for demand-side primary frequency control using local frequency mea- surements,” arXiv preprint arXiv:1509.08206 , 2015
work page internal anchor Pith review Pith/arXiv arXiv 2015
-
[25]
Multi-block ADMM for big data optimization in smart grid,
L. Liu and Z. Han, “Multi-block ADMM for big data optimization in smart grid,” 2015 Int. Conf. Comput. Netw. Commun. ICNC 2015 , no. 1, pp. 556–561, 2015
work page 2015
-
[26]
Parallel Multi-Block ADMM with o ( 1 / k ) Convergence,
W. Deng, M.-j. L. Zhimin, and W. Yin, “Parallel Multi-Block ADMM with o ( 1 / k ) Convergence,” J. Sci. Comput. , vol. 71, no. 2, pp. 712– 736, 2017
work page 2017
-
[27]
Peer-to-peer and community-based markets: A comprehensive review,
T. Sousa, T. Soares, P. Pinson, F. Moret, T. Baroche, and E. Sorin, “Peer-to-peer and community-based markets: A comprehensive review,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 104, pp. 367–378, 2019
work page 2019
-
[28]
Exogenous cost allocation in peer-to-peer electricity markets,
T. Baroche, P. Pinson, R. L. G. Latimier, and H. B. Ahmed, “Exogenous cost allocation in peer-to-peer electricity markets,” IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 2553–2564, July 2019
work page 2019
-
[29]
Energy Collectives: a Community and Fairness- based Approach to Future Electricity Markets,
F. Moret and P. Pinson, “Energy Collectives: a Community and Fairness- based Approach to Future Electricity Markets,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., pp. 1–1, 2018
work page 2018
-
[30]
G. Liu, T. Jiang, T. B. Ollis, X. Zhang, and K. Tomsovic, “Distributed energy management for community microgrids considering network operational constraints and building thermal dynamics,” Appl. Energy, vol. 239, no. November 2018, pp. 83–95, 2019
work page 2018
-
[31]
P. Olivella-Rosell, P. Lloret-Gallego, ´I. Munn ´e-Collado, R. Villafafila- Robles, A. Sumper, S. Ottessen, J. Rajasekharan, and B. Bremdal, “Local flexibility market design for aggregators providing multiple flexibility services at distribution network level,” Energies, vol. 11, no. 4, 2018
work page 2018
-
[32]
A Society of Devices: Integrating Intelligent Distributed Resources with Transactive Energy,
K. Kok and S. Widergren, “A Society of Devices: Integrating Intelligent Distributed Resources with Transactive Energy,” IEEE Power Energy Mag., vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 34–45, 2016
work page 2016
-
[33]
INV ADE D4.3 Overall IN- V ADE architecture final,
P. Lloret-Gallego and P. Olivella-Rosell, “INV ADE D4.3 Overall IN- V ADE architecture final,” Tech. Rep., 2018
work page 2018
-
[34]
Consensus ADMM and Proximal ADMM for economic dispatch and AC OPF with SOCP relaxation,
M. Ma, L. Fan, and Z. Miao, “Consensus ADMM and Proximal ADMM for economic dispatch and AC OPF with SOCP relaxation,” in NAPS 2016 - 48th North Am. Power Symp. Proc. , no. 2. IEEE, 2016, pp. 1–6
work page 2016
-
[35]
B. C. Kuo and F. Golnaraghi, Automatic control systems. Prentice-Hall Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1995, vol. 9
work page 1995
- [36]
-
[37]
Technical information. Efficiency and derating. Sunny boy storage,
SMA Solar Technology AG, “Technical information. Efficiency and derating. Sunny boy storage,” Tech. Rep
-
[38]
INV ADE D6.5 Advanced battery techno-economics tool,
A. Hentunen, J. Forsstr ¨om, and V . Mukherjee, “INV ADE D6.5 Advanced battery techno-economics tool,” Tech. Rep., 2018
work page 2018
-
[39]
Calendar and cycle life study of Li(NiMnCo)O2-based 18650 lithium-ion batteries,
M. Ecker, N. Nieto, S. K ¨abitz, J. Schmalstieg, H. Blanke, A. Warnecke, and D. U. Sauer, “Calendar and cycle life study of Li(NiMnCo)O2-based 18650 lithium-ion batteries,” J. Power Sources, vol. 248, pp. 839–851, 2014
work page 2014
-
[40]
Factoring the Cycle Aging Cost of Batteries Participating in Electricity Markets,
B. Xu, J. Zhao, T. Zheng, E. Litvinov, and D. S. Kirschen, “Factoring the Cycle Aging Cost of Batteries Participating in Electricity Markets,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst. , vol. 33, no. 2, 2018
work page 2018
-
[41]
Global optimization using special ordered sets,
E. M. L. Beale and J. J. H. Forrest, “Global optimization using special ordered sets,” Math. Program., vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 52–69, 1976. SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF TRANSACTIONS ON SMART GRID 9 APPENDIX A NOMENCLATURE Abbreviations ADMM Alternating direction method of multipliers ALFM Aggregated level flexibility management ALFO Aggregated level flexibility offe...
work page 1976
-
[42]
Cycle degradation: The most common stationary batter- ies at end-user level today are lithium ion batteries, typically li- ion nickel-manganese-cobalt (LI-NMC) batteries. The degra- dation factors of such batteries are predominantly depending on charge-discharge cycle depth during operation. Therefore, the lifetime of these batteries depends on the depth ...
-
[43]
Calendar ageing: The calendar ageing is modelled as a function of SOC dependent cost per time period, as shown in (12). The core idea is that calendar based degradation cost increases with higher SOC and it incentives the battery to stay at a low SOC when not utilized. The tuning factors S0 i and SSOC i implicate how much the calendar ageing depends on SO...
-
[44]
Constant-voltage charging/Constant-current discharg- ing: The constant-voltage charging and constant-current dis- charging regions of a battery does not apply to the full SOC area of a battery. (13a) and (13b) reduces the allowed charging and discharging power when approaching the maximum and minimum energy levels respectively. σseg,SOC i,t,j = σseg,ch i,...
-
[45]
Piecewise linearized inverter efficiency: The total stor- age system efficiency is a combination of two factors, the in- verter efficiency (ainv,ch) and the battery efficiency ( Abat,ch). A piecewise linearized approach is chosen in order to capture the power dependency of inverter efficiency. At low input power inverter efficiency is very low, on the other han...
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.