A knowledge-based approach to optimize the supply and usage of electricity onboard the Space Station

During about one third of the Space Station's orbit the solar array output is zero and the payload is served by storage devices. It has been found that when a 24-hr cycle is used, some loads onboard the station cannot be scheduled during the desired times. It therefore becomes necessary to reduce the cycle length and dispatch period so that a greater number of loads can be served without increasing the size of the power source. An approach to optimize the supply and usage of electricity over a shorter time frame is discussed. Supply/demand windows of various lengths are implemented for the typical load profile. As a result fewer rescheduling tasks are needed and a closer match between the supply and demand is obtained. The optimal supply/demand can be refined in terms of the excess and shortage of electricity. This technique is implemented using PROLOG and FORTRAN.<<ETX>>