Harinanda Mohandas

https://doi.org/10.64823/ijter.2621015

Abstract [1], [2].Energy management in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has become increasingly important due to rising electricity consumption, escalating operational costs, and the global demand for sustainable development.Conventional Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS)primarily rely on centralized and rule-based control mechanisms, limiting their ability to adapt to the dynamic and complex environments of modern educational campuses. This paper proposes CampusGrid AI, an intelligent multi-agent framework for predictive energy management and autonomous electricity optimization in HEIs. The proposed framework integrates the Internet of Things (IoT) for real-time environmental sensing, Machine Learning (ML) for accurate energy demand forecasting, and Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) for autonomous and collaborative decision-making. A Digital Twin technology is incorporated to create a virtual representation of campus infrastructure, enabling safe simulation, system optimization, and predictive analysis without disrupting real-world operations. Furthermore, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) is integrated to provide transparent, interpretable, and trustworthy decision support for administrators and stakeholders. The framework employs interconnected intelligent agents to continuously monitor classrooms, laboratories, libraries, hostels, and administrative buildings, dynamically controlling electrical appliances such as lighting, air-conditioning, and laboratory equipment while maintaining occupant comfort and operational efficiency. By combining cloud computing, edge computing, and IoT technologies within a unified architecture, CampusGrid AI enables real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, autonomous energy optimization, and sustainable resource management. The proposed framework has the potential to significantly reduce electricity consumption, operational costs, and carbon emissions while improving energy efficiency and supporting the development of intelligent and sustainable higher education campuses.