Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management FUJII-KOMIYAMA Laboratory     Graduate School of Engineering                                            University of Tokyo 本文へジャンプ
 Outlook of Research Topics 


Our recent interests are focused on the following issues.

  • Evaluations of the mitigation measure against a global warming issue by the large-scale global energy system model, and analyses of governmental policies for energy security and environment through computer simulation based on game theory

  • Analysis of mechanism design of various energy and power markets by artificial market models

  • Decision-making support and real option evaluation under the uncertainty for energy industries, using the stochastic dynamic programming method or the financial engineering techniques

  • Evaluation of the influence of the extensive introduction of distributed energy systems on national energy demand and supply balances

  • Evaluation of technological feasibility and socio-economic impacts of the realization of a fully electrified society and a hydrogen society, in which non-fossil energy resources are to be utilized extensively


 Resarch Topics

Policy Assessment of Energy Security with a Global Energy Model of Multi-agent Type

Secure procurement of energy resources is one of the most highly prioritized national policy subjects. However, it is very difficult for conventional energy supply and demand models to evaluate appropriately national energy security in the situation where a national interest of each country can be opposed to each other. This is because the conventional energy models assume fully competitive world energy markets and harmonized equilibrium states of world energy trades. In this research, we attempt to simulate the formation of energy procurement strategies of multiple countries which have strong mutual interests in each other, under assumption of maximizing their own self interests, by using the energy model formulated as a multi-agent system.

International Policy Assessment of Climate Change

A global energy model is applied to the assessment of the so-called Kyoto Mechanism which comprises ET (Emissions Trade), JI (Joint Implementation) and CDM (Clean Development Mechanism), aiming at the more efficient emissions reduction of greenhouse gases. The global energy model takes account of various technological options to cope with the global warming, minimizing the total energy system cost. The options considered in this study include energy efficiency improvements, nuclear power, renewable energy resources such as biomass, and CO2 capture and storage.

Stochastic Optimal Electric Power Procurement Strategies with Uncertain Market Prices

Distribution companies have to take the risk stemming from the price fluctuation of a wholesale market instead of the customers. This entails the necessity to develop a certain method to make an optimal strategy for electricity procurement under this particular uncertainty. This research has the purpose for proposing the mathematical method based on dynamic programming with stochastic differential equations, to evaluate the value of a long-term bilateral contract of electricity trade, and also the value of a project of combination of the bilateral contract, power generation with their own generators.

Study on the Mechanism Design of the Market of Power Transmission Rights

In order to pursue economical efficiency, deregulation of an electric power industry is advanced globally. Electric power system planning in the deregulated industry is greatly different from the one before, and competition as well as cooperation of multiple decision makers who pursue their own self-interests must be taken into account. In this study, a model of the market of power transmission rights in the electric power industry is formulated on the basis of the game theory and a power transmission network model. The purpose of the study is to analyze the behavior of the transmission right market through multi-agent based computer simulation, and is to clarify the mechanism design problems of the market.

Evaluation of the Influence of the Extensive Introduction of Distributed Power Sources on the National Power System

Distributed power sources have been steadily increasing their total installed capacity. By connecting several distributed power sources, as well as electric utility network, a novel power supply network can be built, which is economically more efficient and environmentally more benign. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the influence of the extensive introduction of distributed power sources on the national electric power supply systems, through the use of a cluster of thousands of agent-type models. The model integrates a household energy demand simulation model of bottom-up type, and an optimal operation model for distributed power sources based on stochastic dynamic programming.

Study on Coordinated Operation of Autonomous Small Scale Decentralized Power Supply Systems

Distributed power generation technologies such as wind turbines, solar cells and co-generation systems are gaining the opportunities of participating into grid power systems due to rapid technology improvement. The purpose of this study is to analyze potential of autonomous small scale decentralized power supply systems which involves distributed power sources and electricity storage facilities, through the numerical simulation of their coordinated operation based on the signals of electricity prices. Here we assume that each decentralized system communicates only with its neighboring systems, and that electricity is traded intermittently between the systems on demand.

Power Transaction Network