Quality of information and energy provisioning (invited paper)

The Quality of Information (QoI) can be evaluated through the effect that the information will have on a system which is of critical interest. Although QoI is often be discussed in the context of sensor networks, this paper addresses QoI in a new and important framework: the management of energy distribution. We consider a system that combines constant power generation by some conventional source, together with renewable energy being generated and stored. The consumer has some fixed contract with the conventional energy source and obtains any excess needed energy from storage. We show that imperfections in the interpretation or delivery of information about the consumer's instantaneous needs can lead to measurable deficiencies in energy provisioning. The results are derived using Energy Packet Networks which are a novel approach to modeling energy systems based on queueing theory.