Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading Method of Multi-Virtual Power Plants Based on Non-Cooperative Game

The current electricity market fails to consider the energy consumption characteristics of transaction subjects such as virtual power plants.Besides,the game relationship between transaction subjects needs to be further explored.This paper proposes a Peer-to-Peer energy trading method for multi-virtual power plants based on a non-cooperative game.Firstly,a coordinated control model of public buildings is incorporated into the scheduling framework of the virtual power plant,considering the energy consumption characteristics of users.Secondly,the utility functions of multiple virtual power plants are analyzed,and a non-cooperative game model is established to explore the game relationship between electricity sellers in the Peer-to-Peer transaction process.Finally,the influence of user energy consumption characteristics on the virtual power plant operation and the Peer-to-Peer transaction process is analyzed by case studies.Furthermore,the effect of different parameters on the Nash equilibrium point is explored,and the influence factors of Peer-to-Peer transactions between virtual power plants are summarized.According to the obtained results,compared with the central air conditioning set as constant temperature control strategy,the flexible control strategy proposed in this paper improves the market power of each VPP and the overall revenue of the VPPs.In addition,the upper limit of the service quotation of the market operator have a great impact on the transaction mode of VPPs.When the service quotation decreases gradually,the P2P transaction between VPPs is more likely to occur.

Virtual Power Plants for Grid Resilience: A Concise Overview of Research and Applications

The power grid is undergoing a transformation from synchronous generators(SGs) toward inverter-based resources(IBRs). The stochasticity, asynchronicity, and limited-inertia characteristics of IBRs bring about challenges to grid resilience. Virtual power plants(VPPs) are emerging technologies to improve the grid resilience and advance the transformation. By judiciously aggregating geographically distributed energy resources(DERs) as individual electrical entities, VPPs can provide capacity and ancillary services to grid operations and participate in electricity wholesale markets. This paper aims to provide a concise overview of the concept and development of VPPs and the latest progresses in VPP operation, with the focus on VPP scheduling and control. Based on this overview, we identify a few potential challenges in VPP operation and discuss the opportunities of integrating the multi-agent system(MAS)-based strategy into the VPP operation to enhance its scalability, performance and resilience.

GRU-integrated constrained soft actor-critic learning enabled fully distributed scheduling strategy for residential virtual power plant

In this study,a novel residential virtual power plant(RVPP)scheduling method that leverages a gate recurrent unit(GRU)-integrated deep reinforcement learning(DRL)algorithm is proposed.In the proposed scheme,the GRU-integrated DRL algorithm guides the RVPP to participate effectively in both the day-ahead and real-time markets,lowering the electricity purchase costs and consumption risks for end-users.The Lagrangian relaxation technique is introduced to transform the constrained Markov decision process(CMDP)into an unconstrained optimization problem,which guarantees that the constraints are strictly satisfied without determining the penalty coefficients.Furthermore,to enhance the scalability of the constrained soft actor-critic(CSAC)-based RVPP scheduling approach,a fully distributed scheduling architecture was designed to enable plug-and-play in the residential distributed energy resources(RDER).Case studies performed on the constructed RVPP scenario validated the performance of the proposed methodology in enhancing the responsiveness of the RDER to power tariffs,balancing the supply and demand of the power grid,and ensuring customer comfort.

Impact of industrial virtual power plant on renewable energy integration

An industrial park is one of the typical en ergy con sumption schemes in power systems owing to the heavy in dustrial loads and their abilities to resp ond to electricity price cha nges.Therefore,en ergy in tegrati on in the industrial sector is significant.Accordingly,the concept of industrial virtual power plant(IVPP)has been proposed to deal with such problems.This study demonstrates an IVPP model to man age resources in an eco-i ndustrial park,including en ergy storage systems,dema nd resp onse(DR)resources,and distributed energies.In addition,fuzzy theory is used to cha nge the deterministic system constraints to fuzzy parameters,considering the uncertainty of renewable energy,and fuzzy chance constraints are then set based on the credibility theory.By maximizi ng the daily ben efits of the IVPP owners in day-ahead markets,DR and energy storage systems can be scheduled economically.Therefore,the energy between the grid and IVPP can flow in both directions:the surplus renewable electricity of IVPP can be sold in the market;when the electricity gen erated in side IVPP is not enough for its use,IVPP can also purchase power through the market.Case studies based on three win d-level scenarios dem on strate the efficie nt syn ergies betwee n IVPP resources.The validatio n results indicate that IVPP can optimize the supply and demand resources in in dustrial parks,thereby decarbonizing the power systems.

Optimal Energy Management for Virtual Power Plant with Renewable Generation

The nature of variable and uncertainty from renewable energy sources (RESs) makes them challenging to be integrated into the main grid separately. A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is proposed to aggregate the capacities of RESs and facilitate the integration and management in a decentralized manner. In this paper, a novel framework for optimal energy management of VPP considering key features such as handling uncertainties with RESs, reducing operating costs and regulating system voltage levels is proposed, and a two-stage stochastic simulation is formulated to address the uncertainties of RESs generation and electricity prices. Simulation result show that the framework can benefit from ensuring the energy balance and system security, as well as reducing the operation costs.

Battery Energy Storage System and Demand Response Based Optimal Virtual Power Plant Operation

With certain controllability of various distribution energy resources (DERs) such as battery energy storage system (BESS), demand response (DR) and distributed generations (DGs), virtual power plant (VPP) can suitably regulate the powers access to the distribution network. In this paper, an optimal VPP operating problem is used to optimize the charging/discharging schedule of each BESS and the DR scheme with the objective to maximize the benefit by regulating the supplied powers over daily 24 hours. The proposed solution method is composed of an iterative dynamic programming optimal BESS schedule approach and a particle swarm optimization based (PSO-based) DR scheme approach. The two approaches are executed alternatively until the minimum elec-tricity cost of the whole day is obtained. The validity of the proposed method was confirmed with the obviously decreased supplied powers in the peak-load hours and the largely reduced electricity cost.

Electricity-Carbon Interactive Optimal Dispatch of Multi-Virtual Power Plant Considering Integrated Demand Response

As new power systems and dual carbon policies develop,virtual power plant cluster(VPPC)provides another reliable way to promote the efficient utilization of energy and solve environmental pollution problems.To solve the coordinated optimal operation and low-carbon economic operation problem in multi-virtual power plant,a multi-virtual power plant(VPP)electricity-carbon interaction optimal scheduling model considering integrated demand response(IDR)is proposed.Firstly,a multi-VPP electricity-carbon interaction framework is established.The interaction of electric energy and carbon quotas can realize energy complementarity,reduce energy waste and promote low-carbon operation.Secondly,in order to coordinate the multiple types of energy and load in VPPC to further achieve low-carbon operation,the IDR mechanism based on the user comprehensive satisfaction(UCS)of electricity,heat as well as hydrogen is designed,which can effectively maintain the UCS in the cluster within a relatively high range.Finally,the unit output scheme is formulated to minimize the total cost of VPPC and the model is solved using theCPLEX solver.The simulation results showthat the proposed method effectively promotes the coordinated operation among multi-VPP,increases the consumption rate of renewable energy sources and the economics of VPPC and reduces carbon emissions.

Accelerated Particle Swarm Optimization for Controlling Virtual Power Plant Consisting of Renewable Energy Sources

RES （renewable energy sources）, such as wind and photovoltaic power plants, suffer from their stochastic nature that is why their behavior on market is very delicate. In order to diversify risk, a concept of VPP （virtual power plant） has been developed. The VPP is composed of several RES, from which at least one of them is fully controllable. Because the production of noncontrollable RES can not be forecasted perfectly, therefore an optimal dispatch schedule within VPP is needed. To address this problem, an APSO （accelerated particle swarm optimization） is used to solve the constrained optimal dispatch problem within VPP. The experimental results show that the proposed optimization method provides high quality solutions while meeting constraints.

Optimal Control and Bidding Strategy of Virtual Power Plant with Renewable Generation

A Virtual Power Plant (VPP), aggregating the capacities of distributed energy resources (DER) as a single profile, provides presence of DERs in the electricity market. In this paper, a stochastic bidding model is proposed for the VPP to optimise the bids in the day-ahead and balancing market, with the objective to maximise its expected economic profit. The performance of proposed strategy has been assessed in a modified commercial VPP (CVPP) system with wind generation installed, and also the results are compared with the ones achieved from other commonly-used strategies to verify its feasibility.

Blockchain-assisted virtual power plant framework for providing operating reserve with various distributed energy resources

The paradigm shift from a coal-based power system to a renewable-energy-based power system brings more challenges to the supply-demand balance of the grid.Distributed energy resources(DERs),which can provide operating reserve to the grid,are regarded as a promising solution to compensate for the power fluctuation of the renewable energy resources.Small-scale DERs can be aggregated as a virtual power plant(VPP),which is eligible to bid in the operating reserve market.Since the DERs usually belong to different entities,it is important to investigate the VPP operation framework that coordinates the DERs in a trusted man-ner.In this paper,we propose a blockchain-assisted operating reserve framework for VPPs that aggregates various DERs.Considering the heterogeneity of various DERs,we propose a unified reserve capacity evaluation method to facilitate the aggregation of DERs.By considering the mismatch between actual available reserve capacity and the estimated value,the performance of VPP in the operating reserve market is improved.A hardware-based experimental system is developed,and numerical results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.

One Step on the Smart Grid Path： Load and Generation Coordination in a Virtual Power System

Worldwide the introduction of dispersed generators （DG） in the distribution network is assuming a significant importance. There is an increasing relevance of the energy process efficiency improvement; as for electric power systems, the most interesting perspective concerns the capability of the system to increase the exploitation of the renewable resources. The integration of DGs in the electric distribution network requires a revision of this infrastructure, so far designed and developed assuming that power flows in one direction： from the high voltage transmission network to the medium voltage distribution, to reach final customers on the low voltage network. The attention to an efficient operation of distribution networks is increasing all over the world; this interest is becoming higher and higher also in Italy, where the high energy prices push in the direction of fostering efficiency as much as possible. This work describes a study developed in the AlpEnergy project framework： an International Cooperation Program aimed at introducing an efficient operational model for the distributed production and consumption. In particular it is proposed a new model for the integration and the management of the DG in the distribution network. The new model （defined VPS： Virtual Power System） is based on a communication channel between the active users （generators）, the loads and, eventually, the Distribution System Operators （DSOs）.

Energy Management System with Power Offering Strategy for a Microgrid Integrated VPP

In the context of both the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and microgrid(MG), the Energy Management System (EMS) is a key decision-maker forintegrating Distributed renewable Energy Resources (DERs) efficiently. TheEMS is regarded as a strong enabler of providing the optimized schedulingcontrol in operation and management of usage of disperse DERs and RenewableEnergy reSources (RES) such as a small-size wind-turbine (WT) andphotovoltaic (PV) energies. The main objective to be pursued by the EMSis the minimization of the overall operating cost of the MG integrated VPPnetwork. However, the minimization of the power peaks is a new objective andopen issue to a well-functional EMS, along with the maximization of profitin the energy market. Thus, both objectives have to be taken into accountat the same time. Thus, this paper proposes the EMS application incorporatingpower offering strategy applying a nature-inspired algorithm such asParticle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, in order to find the optimalsolution of the objective function in the context of the overall operating cost,the coordination of DERs, and the energy losses in a MG integrated VPPnetwork. For a fair DERs coordination with minimized power fluctuationsin the power flow, the power offering strategies with an active power controland re-distribution are proposed. Simulation results show that the proposedMG integrated VPP model with PSO-based EMS employing EgalitarianreDistribution (ED) power offering strategy is most feasible option for theoverall operating cost of VPP revenue. The total operating cost of the proposedEMS with ED strategy is 40.98$ compared to 432.8$ of MGs only withoutEMS. It is concluded that each MGs in the proposed VPP model intelligentlyparticipates in energy trading market compliant with the objective function,to minimize the overall cost and the power fluctuation.

Low-Carbon Dispatching for Virtual Power Plant with Aggregated Distributed Energy Storage Considering Spatiotemporal Distribution of Cleanness Value

The scale of distributed energy resources is increasing,but imperfect business models and value transmission mechanisms lead to low utilization ratio and poor responsiveness.To address this issue,the concept of cleanness value of distributed energy storage(DES)is proposed,and the spatiotemporal distribution mechanism is discussed from the perspectives of electrical energy and cleanness.Based on this,an evaluation system for the environmental benefits of DES is constructed to balance the interests between the aggregator and the power system operator.Then,an optimal low-carbon dispatching for a virtual power plant(VPP)with aggregated DES is constructed,where-in energy value and cleanness value are both considered.To achieve the goal,a green attribute labeling method is used to establish a correlation constraint between the nodal carbon potential of the distribution network(DN)and DES behavior,but as a cost,it brings multiple nonlinear relationships.Subsequently,a solution method based on the convex envelope(CE)linear re-construction method is proposed for the multivariate nonlinear programming problem,thereby improving solution efficiency and feasibility.Finally,the simulation verification based on the IEEE 33-bus DN is conducted.The simulation results show that the multidimensional value recognition of DES motivates the willingness of resource users to respond.Meanwhile,resolving the impact of DES on the nodal carbon potential can effectively alleviate overcompensation of the cleanness value.

Active Dynamic Aggregation Model for Distributed Integrated Energy System as Virtual Power Plant

Distributed integrated multi-energy systems(DIMSs)can be regarded as virtual power plants to provide additional flexibility to the power system.This paper proposes a robust active dynamic aggregation model for the DIMSs to describe the maximum feasible region.The aggregation model includes the power constraints,energy constraints,and ramping constraints to aggregate different types of resources in the DIMSs.The proposed generator-like and storage-like model does not depend on the ancillary service market and can be directly incorporated into the economic dispatch model of the power system.A novel algorithm based on the column-and-constraint generation algorithm and convex-concave procedure is proposed to solve the two-stage robust optimization problem,which is more efficient than the KKT-based algorithms.Finally,a case study of an actual DIMS is developed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Characterization and Trading of Energy Level and Energy Shift Considering Virtual Power Plant

The capability of shifting the electricity generation or consumption to proper time of the day,also defined as energy shift(ES),is the key factor to ensure the power balance,especially under high penetration of variable renewable energy(VRE).However,the ES is not characterized and traded as an independent product in current market mechanisms.In this letter,the marginal utility of an ES is assessed and leveraged to characterize the effective ES,while a novel market scheme is proposed considering the trading of both ES and energy level(EL).The proposed scheme can well integrate ES producers such as virtual power plants that cannot be rewarded sufficiently to actively participate in the current market because they are principally labeled as EL consumers.Finally,the novel concept and mechanism are illustrated by a numerical study and verified to outperform the existing price schemes on integrating the ES resources and VRE.

Optimal Offering Strategy of Virtual Power Plant with Hybrid Renewable Ocean Energy Portfolio

This paper proposes a hybrid ocean energy sys-tem to form a virtual power plant(VPP)for participating in electricity markets in order to promote the renewable ocean energy utilization and accommodation.In the proposed system,solar thermal energy is integrated with the closed-cycle ocean thermal energy conversion(OTEC)to boost the temperature differences between the surface and deep seawater for efficiency and flexibility improvements,and the thermodynamic effects of seawater mass flow rates on the output of solar-boosted OTEC(SOTEC)are exploited for deploying SOTEC as a renewable dispatchable unit.An optimal tidal-storage operation model is also developed to make use of subsea pumped storage(SPS)with hydrostatic pressures at ocean depths for mitigating the intermittent tidal range energy in order to make the arbitrage in the electricity market.Furthermore,a two-stage coordinated scheduling strategy is presented to optimally control seawater mass flow rates of SOTEC and hydraulic reversible pump-turbines of SPS for enhancing the daily VPP profit.Comparative studies have been investigated to confirm the superiority of the developed methodology in various renewable ocean energy and electricity market price scenarios.

Discussion on Energy Internet and Its Key Technology

Energy and environmental problems are among the important factors restricting economic development. The development of green energy is an important measure to deal with energy and environmental problems, such as wind energy and photovoltaic. Energy Internet is an important mean to promote the transformation of the energy structure, improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution. In introduction, the energy Internet is put forward. Then the architecture and characteristics of energy Internet, such as integration, openness, intelligence and marketization of energy Internet are analyzed. Next, key technologies such as energy router, virtual power plant and network security technology are discussed. Finally, a few suggestions for the development of energy Internet are proposed, and hoped to promote the development of energy Internet.

Towards Energy Conservation in Qatar

Qatar energy consumptions are among the highest in the world, and can easily serve double the present population. Energy conservation is a must, as the energy resources are finite, and their consumptions are increasing at alarming rates. The country depends on desalted seawater, which consumes extensive amounts of energy, and is produced by using the least energy efficient desalting system. The desalination process is vulnerable to many factors, and strategic water storage needs to be built. The high energy consumptions are ruining the air and marine environments. Several suggestions are introduced to conserve energy in the Cogeneration Power Desalting Plants (CPDP), by moving to replace the Multi Stage Flash (MSF) desalting system by the energy efficient Seawater Reverse Osmosis System (SWRO);fully utilizing the installed power capacity to desalt water in winter, when electric power load is low, and during summer non-peak hours for strategic water storage;and modifying the simple Gas Turbines (GT) Power cycle plants to GT combined cycle to raise the Electric Power (EP) generation efficiency (to about 50%).

面向综合能源协调的虚拟电厂调控平台设计与规划优化

为解决综合能源协调调度难题,文章提出了基于虚拟电厂调控平台设计和综合能源协调调度模型。通过分析虚拟电厂的基本网架结构,设计了虚拟电厂总体架构,分为资源层、平台层和应用层,并设计了网络架构和数据流架构。基于该架构建立了面向综合能源协调的虚拟电厂调度应用模型。针对模型内光伏、风力发电、电解器、燃料电池、氢气储能、电池储能,以可靠性指标作为切入点,提出了全生命周期内成本最小的目标函数。通过算例分析,验证了文章所提出的模型在可靠性和成本方面的优势。

基于NSGA-Ⅱ的飞轮-火电联合二次调频最优负荷分配策略

为了在提升飞轮-火电联合二次调频性能的同时控制调频成本、减少飞轮损耗,面向飞轮-火电联合系统,提出一种考虑自动发电控制(AGC)指令及电网频率偏差的基于多目标遗传算法的负荷分配策略。该策略以电网调频偏差、飞轮-火电出力能量和、飞轮损耗为三层最小化目标,考虑火电机组爬坡率及其负荷备用、飞轮荷电状态及其功率等约束条件,基于改进的非支配排序遗传算法(NSGA-Ⅱ),通过AGC功率指令变化速度及频率偏差动态调整飞轮与火电出力权重系数,以频率偏差及其变化方向调整飞轮虚拟下垂、惯性系数,求解飞轮-火电出力比例、飞轮下垂系数和飞轮惯性系数。结合中国宁夏某电厂飞轮储能系统辅助火电机组调频现场AGC指令等历史数据,在双区域两机系统模型上进行仿真实验,结果表明该负荷分配策略有效地减小了火电二次调频偏差和调节时间,提升了调频性能,同时也有效地控制了系统出力能量及飞轮损耗。