Saverio Bolognani

ETH Zurich | ETH Zürich · Department Information Technology and Electrical Engineering

The large-scale allocation of public resources (e.g., transportation, energy) is among the core challenges of future Cyber-Physical-Human Systems (CPHS). In order to guarantee that these systems are efficient and fair, recent works have investigated non-monetary resource allocation schemes, including schemes that employ karma. Karma is a non-tradab...

Traditionally, numerical algorithms are seen as isolated pieces of code confined to an in silico existence. However, this perspective is inappropriate for many modern computational approaches in control, learning, or optimization, wherein in vivo algorithms interact with their environment. Examples of such open algorithms include various real-time...

In many real-world large-scale decision problems, self-interested agents have individual dynamics and optimize their own long-term payoffs. Important examples include the competitive access to shared resources (e.g., roads, energy, or bandwidth) but also non-engineering domains like epidemic propagation and control. These problems are natural to mo...

This paper proposes a unifying design framework for dynamic feedback controllers that track solution trajectories of time-varying generalized equations, such as local minimizers of nonlinear programs or competitive equilibria (e.g., Nash) of non-cooperative games. Inspired by the feedback optimization paradigm, the core idea of the proposed approac...

We present a dynamic population game model to capture the behavior of a large population of individuals in presence of an infectious disease or epidemic. Individuals can be in one of five possible infection states at any given time: susceptible, asymptomatic, symptomatic, recovered and unknowingly recovered, and choose whether to opt for vaccinatio...

The evolution of existing transportation systems,mainly driven by urbanization and increased availability of mobility options, such as private, profit-maximizing ride-hailing companies, calls for tools to reason about their design and regulation. To study this complex socio-technical problem, one needs to account for the strategic interactions of t...

Distribution grid flexibility is discussed as a possible measure in curative system operation, yielding a need for an efficient and robust coordination mechanism for the joint flexibility provision by individual units to the transmission grid. This paper introduces a method to coordinate distribution grid level flexibility as a fast-responding cura...

Optimization is an essential part of power grid operation and lately, Online Optimization methods have gained traction. One such method is Online Feedback Optimization (OFO) which uses measurements from the grid as feedback to iteratively change the control inputs until they converge to the solution of the optimization problem. Such algorithms have...

Prediction-based decision-making systems are becoming increasingly prevalent in various domains. Previous studies have demonstrated that such systems are vulnerable to runaway feedback loops, e.g., when police are repeatedly sent back to the same neighborhoods regardless of the actual rate of criminal activity, which exacerbate existing biases. In...

The rise in residential photovoltaics (PV) as well as other distributed energy sources poses unprecedented challenges for the operation of distribution grids. The high active power infeed of such sources during times of peak production is a stress test which distribution grids have usually not been exposed to in the past. When high amounts of activ...

This paper presents karma mechanisms, a novel approach to the repeated allocation of a scarce resource among competing agents over an infinite time. Examples include deciding which ride hailing trip requests to serve during peak demand, granting the right of way in intersections or lane mergers, or admitting internet content to a regulated fast cha...

We consider the interaction among agents engaging in a driving task and we model it as general-sum game. This class of games exhibits a plurality of different equilibria posing the issue of equilibrium selection. While selecting the most efficient equilibrium (in term of social cost) is often impractical from a computational standpoint, in this wor...

Feedback optimization is a control paradigm that enables physical systems to autonomously reach efficient operating points. Its central idea is to interconnect optimization iterations in closed-loop with the physical plant. Since iterative gradient-based methods are extensively used to achieve optimality, feedback optimization controllers typically...

The increasing electric power consumption and the shift towards renewable energy resources demand for new ways to operate transmission grids. We propose a feedback control method called Online Feedback Optimization (OFO) to enable real-time, constrained, and optimal control of the grid. The resulting controllers can minimize e.g., curtailment and l...

In this paper, we propose a combined Online Feedback Optimization (OFO) and dynamic estimation approach for a real-time power grid operation under time-varying conditions. A dynamic estimation uses grid measurements to generate the information required by an OFO controller, that incrementally steers the controllable power injections set-points towa...

In this paper we propose an approach based on an Online Feedback Optimization (OFO) controller with grid input–output sensitivity estimation for real-time grid operation, e.g., at subsecond time scales. The OFO controller uses grid measurements as feedback to update the value of the controllable elements in the grid, and track the solution of a tim...

We consider the interaction among agents engaging in a driving task and we model it as general-sum game. This class of games exhibits a plurality of different equilibria posing the issue of equilibrium selection. While selecting the most efficient equilibrium (in term of social cost) is often impractical from a computational standpoint, in this wor...

This paper proposes a unifying design framework for dynamic feedback controllers that track solution trajectories of time-varying generalized equations, such as local minimizers of nonlinear programs or competitive equilibria (e.g., Nash) of non-cooperative games. Inspired by the feedback optimization paradigm, the core idea of the proposed approac...

We study first-order optimality conditions for constrained optimization in the Wasserstein space, whereby one seeks to minimize a real-valued function over the space of probability measures endowed with the Wasserstein distance. Our analysis combines recent insights on the geometry and the differential structure of the Wasserstein space with more c...

Dynamic games feature a state-space complexity that scales superlinearly with the number of players. This makes this class of games often intractable even for a handful of players. We introduce the factorization process of dynamic games as a transformation leveraging the independence of players at equilibrium to build a leaner game graph. When appl...

This paper presents karma mechanisms, a novel approach to the repeated allocation of a scarce resource among competing agents over an infinite time. Examples of such resource allocation problems include deciding which trip requests to serve in a ride-hailing platform during peak demand, granting the right of way in intersections, or admitting inter...

Optimization-based control strategies are an affirmed research topic in the area of electric motors drives. These methods typically rely on an accurate parametric representation of the motor equations. In this paper, we present the transition from model-based towards data-driven optimal control strategies. We start from the model predictive control...

Feedback optimization is a control paradigm that enables physical systems to autonomously reach efficient operating points. Its central idea is to interconnect optimization iterations in closed-loop with the physical plant. Since iterative gradient-based methods are extensively used to achieve optimality, feedback optimization controllers typically...

A classical approach to design controllers for interconnected systems is to assume that the different subsystems operate at different time scales, then design simpler controllers within each time scale, and finally certify stability of the interconnected system via singular perturbation analysis. In this work, we propose an alternative approach tha...

The data-driven control paradigm allows overcoming conventional troubles in the controller design related to model identifications procedures. Raw data are directly exploited in the control input selection by forcing the future plant dynamics to be coherent with previously collected samples. This paper focuses, in particular, on the data-enabled pr...

Modern applications require robots to comply with multiple, often conflicting rules and to interact with the other agents. We present Posetal Games as a class of games in which each player expresses a preference over the outcomes via a partially ordered set of metrics. This allows one to combine hierarchical priorities of each player with the inter...

Modern applications require robots to comply with multiple, often conflicting rules and to interact with the other agents. We present Posetal Games as a class of games in which each player expresses a preference over the outcomes via a partially ordered set of metrics. This allows one to combine hierarchical priorities of each player with the inter...

In this paper we propose an approach based on an Online Feedback Optimization (OFO) controller with grid input-output sensitivity estimation for real-time grid operation, e.g., at subsecond time scales. The OFO controller uses grid measurements as feedback to update the value of the controllable elements in the grid, and track the solution of a tim...

In this paper we propose a combined Online Feedback Optimization (OFO) and dynamic estimation approach for a real-time power grid operation under time-varying conditions. A dynamic estimation uses grid measurements to generate the information required by an OFO controller, that incrementally steers the controllable power injections set-points towar...

In this paper, we show how a dynamic population game can model the strategic interaction and migration decisions made by a large population of agents in response to epidemic prevalence. Specifically, we consider a modified susceptible-asymptomatic-infected-recovered (SAIR) epidemic model over multiple zones. Agents choose whether to activate (i.e.,...

One of the technical assumptions in the above paper is flawed and requires a global rather than a local Lipschitz condition. All of the results in the paper hold under this strengthened assumption and all relevant examples in the paper satisfy this condition.

In this paper, we define a new class of dynamic games played in large populations of anonymous agents. The behavior of agents in these games depends on a time-homogeneous type and a time-varying state, which are private to each agent and characterize their available actions and motifs. We consider finite type, state, and action spaces. On the indiv...

This paper proposes a general framework for constructing feedback controllers that drive complex dynamical systems to "efficient" steady-state (or slowly varying) operating points. Efficiency is encoded using generalized equations which can model a broad spectrum of useful objectives, such as optimality or equilibria (e.g. Nash, Wardrop, etc.) in n...

We describe Urban Driving Games (UDGs) as a particular class of differential games that model the interactions and incentives of the urban driving task. The drivers possess a “communal” interest, such as not colliding with each other, but are also self-interested in fulfilling traffic rules and personal objectives. Subject to their physical dynamic...

Mathematical optimization is one of the cornerstones of modern engineering research and practice. Yet, throughout application domains, mathematical optimization is, for the most part, considered to be a numerical discipline. Optimization problems are formulated to be solved numerically with specific algorithms running on microprocessors. An emergin...

A classical approach to design controllers for interconnected systems is to assume that the different subsystems operate at different time scales, then design simpler controllers within each time scale, and finally certify stability of the interconnected system via singular perturbation analysis. In this work, we propose an alternative approach tha...

This paper considers the problem of online feedback optimization to solve the AC Optimal Power Flow in real-time in power grids. This consists in continuously driving the controllable power injections and loads towards the optimal set-points in time-varying conditions based on real-time measurements performed on the grid. However, instead of assumi...

We consider the problem of controlling the voltage of a distribution feeder using the reactive power capabilities of inverters. On a real distribution grid, we compare the local Volt/VAr droop control recommended in recent grid codes, a centralized dispatch based on optimal power flow (OPF) programming, and a feedback optimization (FO) controller t...

This paper addresses the problem of voltage regulation in a power distribution grid using the reactive power injections of grid-connected power inverters. We first discuss how purely local voltage control schemes cannot regulate the voltages within a desired range under all circumstances and may even yield detrimental control decisions. Communicati...

We consider the problem of look-ahead economic dispatch (LAED) with uncertain renewable energy generation. The goal of this problem is to minimize the cost of conventional energy generation subject to uncertain operational constraints. These constraints are required to hold for a family of distributions with similar characteristics as some observed...

Data-driven control techniques have become increasingly popular in recent years due to the availability of massive amounts of data and several advances in data science. These control design methods bypass the system identification step and directly exploit collected data to construct the controller. In this paper, we investigate the application of...

In this paper, we study the stability and convergence of continuous-time Lagrangian saddle flows to solutions of a convex constrained optimization problem. Convergence of these flows is well-known when the underlying saddle function is either strictly convex in the primal or strictly concave in the dual variables. In this paper, we show convergence...

The connection of distributed energy resources (DERs) to distribution feeders can significantly increase the operational flexibility of system operators. Local feedback control schemes (such as Volt/VAr droop curves) are a cheap, scalable and communication-free solution to control DERs in active distribution grids. However, these controllers can in...

In this paper, we present a novel control scheme for feedback optimization. That is, we propose a discrete-time controller that can steer a physical plant to the solution of a constrained optimization problem without numerically solving the problem. Our controller can be interpreted as a discretization of a continuous-time projected gradient flow....

Autonomous optimization refers to the design of feedback controllers that steer a physical system to a steady state that solves a predefined, possibly constrained, optimization problem. As such, no exogenous control inputs such as setpoints or trajectories are required. Instead, these controllers are modeled after optimization algorithms that take...

In this paper, we present a novel control scheme for feedback optimization. That is, we propose a discrete-time controller that can steer the steady state of a physical plant to the solution of a constrained optimization problem without numerically solving the problem. Our controller can be interpreted as a discretization of a continuous-time proje...

We present two data-driven distributionally robust optimization formulations for the look-ahead economic dispatch (LAED) problem with uncertain renewable energy generation. In particular, the goal is to minimize the cost of conventional energy generation subject to uncertain operational constraints. Furthermore, these constraints are required to ho...

In this paper, we study the stability and convergence of continuous-time Lagrangian saddle flows to solutions of a convex constrained optimization problem. Convergence of these flows is well-known when the underlying saddle function is either strictly convex in the primal or strictly concave in the dual variables. In this paper, we show convergence...

This paper addresses the problem of optimal voltage control using reactive power injected by inverters, aiming to keep voltages along a distribution grid feeder within a desired range. Purely local voltage control cannot solve this task under all circumstances and may even end up in detrimental control decisions, which can be avoided by incorporati...

We consider the problem of controlling the voltage of a distribution feeder using the reactive power capabilities of inverters. On a real distribution grid, we compare local Volt/VAr droop control, as recommended in recent grid codes, centralized dispatch based on optimal reactive power flow (OPF), and a feedback optimization (FO) controller that w...

This paper considers the problem of online feedback optimization to solve the AC Optimal Power Flow in distribution grids. This consists in continuously driving the controllable power injections and loads towards the optimal set-points in timevarying conditions and real-time. However, instead of assuming noise-free full state measurement like recen...

We present a new type of coordination mechanism among multiple agents for the allocation of a finite resource, such as the allocation of time slots for passing an intersection. We consider the setting where we associate one counter to each agent, which we call karma value, and where there is an established mechanism to decide resource allocation ba...

We consider the problem of regulating the voltage profile of a power distribution grid by controlling the reactive power injection of distributed microgenerators. We define a very general class of purely local feedback controllers in which reactive power injection is adjusted based on the local voltage measurements. This class includes most of the...

Autonomous optimization refers to the design of feedback controllers that steer a physical system to a steady state that solves a predefined, possibly constrained, optimization problem. As such, no exogenous control inputs such as setpoints or trajectories are required. Instead, these controllers are modeled after optimization algorithms that take...

We consider the problem of optimizing the steady state of a dynamical system in closed loop. Conventionally, the design of feedback optimization control laws assumes that the system is stationary. However, in reality, the dynamics of the (slow) iterative optimization routines can interfere with the (fast) system dynamics. We provide a study of the...

We consider the problem of optimizing the steady state of a dynamical system in closed loop. Conventionally, the design of feedback optimization control laws assumes that the system is stationary. However, in reality, the dynamics of the (slow) iterative optimization routines can interfere with the (fast) system dynamics. We provide a study of the...

This paper is concerned with the study of continuous-time, non-smooth dynamical systems which arise in the context of time-varying non-convex optimization problems, as for example the feedback-based optimization of power systems. We generalize the notion of projected dynamical systems to time-varying, possibly non-regular, domains and derive condit...

Continuous-time projected dynamical systems are an elementary class of discontinuous dynamical systems with trajectories that remain in a feasible domain by means of projecting outward-pointing vector fields. They are essential when modeling physical saturation, constraints of motion, as well as studying projection-based numerical optimization algo...

Solutions to nonlinear, nonconvex optimization problems can fail to satisfy the KKT optimality conditions even when they are optimal. This is due to the fact that unless constraint qualifications (CQ) are satisfied, Lagrange multipliers may fail to exist. Even if the KKT conditions are applicable, the multipliers may not be unique. These possibilit...

Solutions to nonlinear, nonconvex optimization problems can fail to satisfy the KKT optimality conditions even when they are optimal. This is due to the fact that unless constraint qualifications (CQ) are satisfied, Lagrange multipliers may fail to exist. Even if the KKT conditions are applicable, the multipliers may not be unique. These possibilit...

The past few years have witnessed a steady shift in the nature of power generation worldwide. While the share of renewable-based distributed generation has been on the rise, there has also been a decline in the conventional synchronous-based generation. The renewable-based power generation interfaced to the grid via power-electronic converters, how...