Scheduling and Operation of Virtual Power Plants: Technical Challenges and Electricity Markets provides a multidisciplinary perspective on recent advances in VPPs, ranging from required infrastructures and planning to operation and control. The work details the required components in a virtual power plant, including smartness of power system, instrument and information and communication technologies (ICTs), measurement units, and distributed energy sources. Contributors assess the proposed benefits of virtual power plant in solving problems of distributed energy sources in integrating the small, distributed and intermittent output of these units. In addition, they investigate the likely technical challenges regarding control and interaction with other entities.
Finally, the work considers the role of VPPs in electricity markets, showing how distributed energy resources and demand response providers can integrate their resources through virtual power plant concepts to effectively participate in electricity markets to solve the issues of small capacity and intermittency. The work is suitable for experienced engineers, researchers, managers and policymakers interested in using VPPs in future smart grids.
1. Introduction and history of virtual power pants2. Basics of virtual power plants3. Infrastructures of virtual power plants4. Energy and capacity management of distribution network5. Demand side management6. The role of virtual power plants in electricity markets7. Transactive Energy8. Reliability and security analysis of VPPs9. The role of VPP in reducing stability problems10. Uncertainties modeling of renewable energy resources11. Carbon emission trading and the potential of VPPs in emission reduction12. Energy forecast strategy for a virtual power plant including renewable energy resources13. Future trend of virtual power plants