Prof. Dr. Roxana Dumitrescu (ENSAE-CREST, IP Paris)

The environmental transition is one of the defining challenges of our time, and a key pillar in achieving it is the energy transition—the shift toward a cleaner, more efficient, and more flexible energy system. Within this context, demand side management plays a central role, relying on two complementary approaches: energy efficiency, which aims to reduce overall energy consumption, and demand flexibility, which enables consumers to adjust their usage in response to system needs.

In this talk, I will present two mathematical models that explore these approaches through the lens of incentives and interactions among large populations of consumers. Both models are developed using the frameworks of mean-field games and principal–agent mean-field games, powerful tools for analysing systems with many interacting decision-makers.

The first model focuses on demand flexibility, studying a scenario where consumers participate in a Demand Side Management contract and agree to reduce their aggregated power consumption by a predefined amount at random times. Numerical results illustrate how such  interactions influence consumption patterns and electricity prices.

The second model addresses energy efficiency, examining how an energy retailer can design innovative contracts based on a ranking system to encourage heterogeneous consumers to make lasting energy savings.

Together, these models shed light on how mathematical modelling can help design effective incentives and coordination mechanisms to support a sustainable energy future.

The talk will take place in Lecture Hall 12 in the Main University Building at 2pm ct. eKVV