Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, Home-Microgrids (H-MGs) or smart green buildings are considered as a credible alternative to conventional buildings, as they are very efficient and environmentally friendly. H-MGs having storage devices, smart home appliances, and distributed generations such as wind turbines and solar panels improve dramatically the stability of the electricity markets. One of the most important reasons for utilizing the H-MGs is to help boost network performance, maximize the use of distributed generations, and reduce H-MGs' owners' costs. It is worth mentioning that the H-MGs' owners, as rational agents, always try to reach more profit or lessen their costs as much as possible. However, the energy management of H-MGs faces serious challenges. For example, when is the best time to use smart home appliances and storage devices to reduce costs? Who is the most profitable buyer/seller to sell/purchase the energy during power surplus/shortages? and so on.

This Special Issue focuses on proposing an efficient energy management system in the form of incentive demand-side-management (DSM) and demand response schemes. Moreover, due to the presence of rational and smart agents (H-MGs' owners), the game-theoretic approaches including cooperative and non-cooperative can be applied as a promising solution. In fact, game theory applications would overcome existing challenges. It offers dynamically the best strategy to each agent such as the best time of purchasing and selling energy shortage and surplus, respectively. All in all, an efficient energy management system leads to reaching an overall equilibrium point (the most profitable situation for each H-MGs).

The main objectives of the research are:

• An efficient energy management system according to day ahead and long-term scheduling to maximize the use of renewable resources and minimize the H-MGs costs.
• Introducing the incentive mechanisms in order to maximize the participation of H-MGs in demand response schemes.
• Reaching the collective utilities for stakeholders (H-MGs, network operator, retailers, and etc.), and thereby achieving the overall network equilibrium.

Dr. Mousa Marzband
Guest Editor

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• game theory
• mathematical modelling of energy system
• optimization methods
• demand side management
• microgrids