MPCPy: An Open-Source Software Platform for Model Predictive Control in Buildings

Within the last decade, needs for building control systems that reduce cost, energy, or peak demand, and that facilitate building-grid integration, district-energy system optimization, and occupant interaction, while maintaining thermal comfort and indoor air quality, have come about.  Current PID and schedule-based control systems are not capable of fulfilling these needs, while Model Predictive Control (MPC) could.  Despite the critical role MPC-enabled buildings can play in future energy infrastructures, widespread adoption of MPC within the building industry has yet to occur.  To address barriers associated with system setup and configuration, this paper introduces an open-source software platform that emphasizes use of self-tuning adaptive models, usability by non-experts of MPC, and a flexible architecture that enables application across projects.