Study and Research for Simulation Systems of Virtual Power Plant

Virtual power plant is a new kind of energy management and optimization technology which can achieve the aggregation and optimized utilization of massive distributed energy resources. However, due to various application scenarios plus the internal and external complexity of VPPs, it is difficult to merely apply pure theoretical research and simple analysis to investigate the problems that VPPs may occur. Instead, VPP simulation systems can be developed to conduct researches and verifications of VPP theory, simulation analysis and control strategies, so as to provide solid foundations for the implementation and construction of VPP projects. In this paper, the motivation and development of VPP simulation systems is comprehensively introduced and analyzed. The necessity for simulation systems of VPP is firstly analyzed, then the architecture and key support technologies needed are elaborated in detail. Based on a developed VPP simulation system, a clearing example of peak-shaving demand response participating in power spot market is simulated, demonstrating that the settlement electricity price can be significantly reduced considering the participation of demand response. It is expected this work can give references for the building of VPP simulation systems as well as provide theoretical and technical support for practical construction of VPPs.