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arXiv AI

Reinforcement Learning for Sequential Solar PV Policy Design under Uncertainty: An Agent-Based Approach

The paper presents a reinforcement learning framework for designing solar PV adoption policies under uncertainty, integrating RL with a stochastic agent‑based model to simulate yearly adoption over a 16‑year horizon. Policymakers can choose annual incentives such as grants, subsidised loans, and feed‑in tariffs, and the study evaluates three RL algorithms—PPO, SAC, and TD3—within a scalarised reward framework that balances adoption gains against costs. Results show clear trade‑off patterns, with TD3 yielding the highest adoption at higher cost, PPO achieving the lowest cost with fewer adopters, and a balanced PPO policy offering a middle ground, all outperforming static baseline policies.

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arXiv Machine Learning
Oct 9

Strategic Investment Decision Making for Value Creation in Energy Transition: A Reinforcement Learning Approach

The paper presents a reinforcement learning framework for strategic investment decisions in the energy transition, aiming to balance profit, CO2 social costs, and competitive advantage across oil & gas, renewables, and CO2 reduction sectors. A custom simulation environment models the dynamic energy landscape up to 2050, allowing the RL agent to learn optimal policies that adapt to uncertainties in production, prices, and costs. Benchmarking shows the RL strategy consistently outperforms manually defined baseline policies in adaptability and long-term value creation.

By Yasaman Cheraghi (Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, University of Stavanger, Norway), Reidar B. Bratvold (Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, University of Stavanger, Norway), Aojie Hong (Independent Researcher, Stavanger, Norway), Ressi B. Muhammad (Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, University of Stavanger, Norway), Sergey Alyaev (NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway)
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arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 3

Reinforcement Learning and Rule-Based Peer-to-Peer Pricing in Residential PV-BES Communities

The paper compares rule‑based and reinforcement‑learning (RL) pricing mechanisms for peer‑to‑peer electricity trading in residential photovoltaic communities. Rule‑based benchmarks—bill‑sharing, mid‑market rate, and supply‑demand‑ratio pricing—outperform the best RL policy in a PV‑only setup, while RL policies achieve higher community savings when battery storage is added. Across both configurations, SDR‑shaped pricing outperforms multiplier‑based parameterization, but benefit distribution remains heterogeneous among households.

By Pablo Benalcazar, Maciej Kalka, Wilian Guam\'an, Jacek Kami\'nski
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arXiv AI
Jun 2

Explainable Data-driven Deep Reinforcement Learning Methods for Optimal Energy Management in Buildings

arXiv:2606. 02049v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The increasing integration of renewable energy sources into power systems, particularly in buildings equipped with photovoltaic (PV) panels and energy storage systems, introduces significant complexity in energy systems.

By Hallah Shahid Butt, Qiong Huang, G\"okhan Demirel, Kevin F\"orderer, Erfan Tajalli-Ardekani, Simnon Waczowicz, Luigi Spatafora, Veit Hagenmeyer, Benjamin Sch\"afer
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arXiv AI
Sep 7

LLM-Assisted Behavioural and Scenario Augmentation for Agent-Based Energy Adoption Models

The paper introduces a hybrid framework that uses large language models (LLMs) to assist in designing behavioural and scenario specifications for an agent‑based model of solar photovoltaic adoption by Irish dairy farms. It integrates bounded behavioural rubrics—conservative, balanced, and optimistic—with structured scenario specifications into a calibrated ABM, preserving the original techno‑economic adoption mechanism while adding controlled behavioural modulation and scenario‑driven uncertainty analysis. Experiments across various policy settings and Monte Carlo simulations show stable, economically plausible outcomes, with up to a 13% increase in behavioural adoption compared to a logistic baseline, without causing unrealistic saturation dynamics.

By Iias Faiud, Hossein Khaleghy, Michael Schukat, Karl Mason
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arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 14

Towards Sustainable Hydrogen Systems: Supply Chain Optimization with Model Predictive Control and Reinforcement Learning

This study evaluates four control strategies—rule-based, model predictive control (MPC), reinforcement learning without forecasts (RL‑NF), and reinforcement learning with forecasts (RL‑F)—for a renewable‑powered hydrogen supply chain. Using a unified, physically realistic simulation that includes electrolyzer constraints, storage dynamics, and grid limits, the authors find that MPC delivers the best economic performance by leveraging short‑term forecasts, while RL‑NF performs robustly without future information. RL‑F does not consistently outperform RL‑NF, indicating that forecast uncertainty and added state complexity can hinder forecast‑augmented learning.

By Mahammad Valiyev
reinforcement-learning
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arXiv Machine Learning
Oct 3

Towards Optimal Policy Improvement

The paper introduces a framework for optimal policy improvement in reinforcement learning, defining it as the best single update under given constraints. It shows that restricting improvement to a subset of states is equivalent to solving an induced Markov Decision Process, linking planning with explicit or implicit models to optimal policy improvement. The authors develop a novel operator for greedification under approximate evaluation, demonstrating empirical gains across several RL algorithms and settings.

By Yaniv Oren, Viliam Vadocz, Wiktor Zabka, Thomas Evers, Jan Robine, Wendelin B\"ohmer, Matthijs T. J. Spaan, Martha White, Hendrik Baier, Fenghui Yu
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arXiv AI
3d ago

When the Agent Learns Too: Learning to Incentivize with Unobserved Rewards

The paper studies a repeated principal–agent game where the principal cannot observe the agent’s rewards and both parties learn over time. It introduces a non‑parametric estimator that uses only the history of incentives and choices, and combines it with a data‑driven incentive policy in a multi‑armed bandit setting. The authors prove finite‑sample consistency of the estimator and provide a regret bound for the principal, supported by simulations on green‑energy aggregator contracts.

By Ilgin Dogan, Zuo-Jun Max Shen, Anil Aswani
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arXiv AI
Jul 1

Smart charging of large fleets of Electric Vehicles: Independent Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning approaches

arXiv:2606. 31347v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The electrification of transportation through electric vehicles introduces new challenges for power grid management, such as increased peak demand, voltage fluctuations, line overloads, and the integration of variable renewable energy sources.

By Xavier Rate, Eloann Le Guern, Rapha\"el F\'eraud, Fatma Salem, Melissa Chiknoun, Eymeric Giabicani, Mehdi Feki, Patrick Maill\'e, Guy Camilleri, Anne Blavette, Hamid Benhamed
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