Virtual power plant models and electricity markets - A review

In recent years, the integration of distributed generation in power systems has been accompanied by new facility operations strategies. Thus, it has become increasingly important to enhance management capabilities regarding the aggregation of distributed electricity production and demand through different types of virtual power plants (VPPs). It is also important to exploit their ability to participate in electricity markets to maximize operating profits. This review article focuses on the classification and in-depth analysis of recent studies that propose VPP models including interactions with different types of energy markets. This classification is formulated according to the most important aspects to be considered for these VPPs. These include the formulation of the model, techniques for solving mathematical problems, participation in different types of markets, and the applicability of the proposed models to real case studies. From the analysis of the studies, it is concluded that the most recent models tend to be more complete and realistic in addition to featuring greater diversity in the types of electricity markets in which VPPs participate. The aim of this review is to identify the most profitable VPP scheme to be applied in each regulatory environment. It also highlights the challenges remaining in this field of study

Trading Wind Generation From Short-Term Probabilistic Forecasts of Wind Power

International audienceDue to the fluctuating nature of the wind resource, a wind power producer participating in a liberalized electricity market is subject to penalties related to regulation costs. Accurate forecasts of wind generation are therefore paramount for reducing such penalties and thus maximizing revenue. Despite the fact that increasing accuracy in spot forecasts may reduce penalties, this paper shows that, if such forecasts are accompanied with information on their uncertainty, i.e., in the form of predictive distributions, then this can be the basis for defining advanced strategies for market participation. Such strategies permit to further increase revenues and thus enhance competitiveness of wind generation compared to other forms of dispatchable generation. This paper formulates a general methodology for deriving optimal bidding strategies based on probabilistic forecasts of wind generation, as well as on modeling of the sensitivity a wind power producer may have to regulation costs. The benefits resulting from the application of these strategies are clearly demonstrated on the test case of the participation of a multi-MW wind farm in the Dutch electricity market over a year

Systematic categorization of optimization strategies for virtual power plants

Due to the rapid growth in power consumption of domestic and industrial appliances, distributed energy generation units face difficulties in supplying power efficiently. The integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) and energy storage systems (ESSs) provides a solution to these problems using appropriate management schemes to achieve optimal operation. Furthermore, to lessen the uncertainties of distributed energy management systems, a decentralized energy management system named virtual power plant (VPP) plays a significant role. This paper presents a comprehensive review of 65 existing different VPP optimization models, techniques, and algorithms based on their system configuration, parameters, and control schemes. Moreover, the paper categorizes the discussed optimization techniques into seven different types, namely conventional technique, offering model, intelligent technique, price-based unit commitment (PBUC) model, optimal bidding, stochastic technique, and linear programming, to underline the commercial and technical efficacy of VPP at day-ahead scheduling at the electricity market. The uncertainties of market prices, load demand, and power distribution in the VPP system are mentioned and analyzed to maximize the system profits with minimum cost. The outcome of the systematic categorization is believed to be a base for future endeavors in the field of VPP development

An artificial neural network approach for revealing market competitors' behavior

For an electricity market player, obtaining a holistic viewpoint from the behavior of competitors is essential to determine its optimal bidding strategy. This paper proposes a novel approach for modeling and revealing the competitor's behavior from perspective of an intended player (IP). To this end, from perspective of IP, we define an Equivalent Rival (ER) whose behavior in the electricity market reflects the aggregation of behaviors of all individual competitors. It is assumed that IP and its ER participate in an equivalent market which its outcomes are approximately equal to those of the real market. The revealing procedure is designed as a two-stage Artificial Neural Network-based approach to estimate and predict the bids of ER after each run of the real market. Predicted bids of ER are used for the bidding strategy of IP. The proposed approach has been examined on two different case studies. In the first case study the aggregate supply curve of a market with 12 players has been obtained using the proposed approach and the result has been compared with a Bayesian inference approach. In the second case study a six-player electricity market is considered. The competitors' behavior has been revealed from perspective of an intended player using proposed approach and an optimal bidding strategy based on the proposed approach has been constructed. The results have been compared with those of a fuzzy Q-learning based optimal bidding strategy. The superiority of the proposed method in both case studies has been shown.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Building and investigating generators' bidding strategies in an electricity market

In a deregulated electricity market environment, Generation Companies (GENCOs) compete with each other in the market through spot energy trading, bilateral contracts and other financial instruments. For a GENCO, risk management is among the most important tasks. At the same time, how to maximise its profit in the electricity market is the primary objective of its operations and strategic planning. Therefore, to achieve the best risk-return trade-off, a GENCO needs to determine how to allocate its assets. This problem is also called portfolio optimization. This dissertation presents advanced techniques for generator strategic bidding, portfolio optimization, risk assessment, and a framework for system adequacy optimisation and control in an electricity market environment. Most of the generator bidding related problems can be regarded as complex optimisation problems. In this dissertation, detailed discussions of optimisation methods are given and a number of approaches are proposed based on heuristic global optimisation algorithms for optimisation purposes. The increased level of uncertainty in an electricity market can result in higher risk for market participants, especially GENCOs, and contribute significantly to the drivers for appropriate bidding and risk management tasks for GENCOs in the market. Accordingly, how to build an optimal bidding strategy considering market uncertainty is a fundamental task for GENCOs. A framework of optimal bidding strategy is developed out of this research. To further enhance the effectiveness of the optimal bidding framework; a Support Vector Machine (SVM) based method is developed to handle the incomplete information of other generators in the market, and therefore form a reliable basis for a particular GENCO to build an optimal bidding strategy. A portfolio optimisation model is proposed to maximise the return and minimise the risk of a GENCO by optimally allocating the GENCO's assets among different markets, namely spot market and financial market. A new market pnce forecasting framework is given In this dissertation as an indispensable part of the overall research topic. It further enhances the bidding and portfolio selection methods by providing more reliable market price information and therefore concludes a rather comprehensive package for GENCO risk management in a market environment. A detailed risk assessment method is presented to further the price modelling work and cover the associated risk management practices in an electricity market. In addition to the issues stemmed from the individual GENCO, issues from an electricity market should also be considered in order to draw a whole picture of a GENCO's risk management. In summary, the contributions of this thesis include: 1) a framework of GENCO strategic bidding considering market uncertainty and incomplete information from rivals; 2) a portfolio optimisation model achieving best risk-return trade-off; 3) a FIA based MCP forecasting method; and 4) a risk assessment method and portfolio evaluation framework quantifying market risk exposure; through out the research, real market data and structure from the Australian NEM are used to validate the methods. This research has led to a number of publications in book chapters, journals and refereed conference proceedings

Coordinated operation of electric vehicle charging and wind power generation as a virtual power plant: A multi-stage risk constrained approach

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd As the number of electric vehicles (EVs) is steadily increasing, their aggregation can offer significant storage to improve the electric system operation in many aspects. To this end, a comprehensive stochastic optimization framework is proposed in this paper for the joint operation of a fleet of EVs with a wind power producer (WPP) in a three-settlement pool-based market. An aggregator procures enough energy for the EVs based on their daily driving patterns, and schedules the stored energy to counterbalance WPP fluctuations. Different sources of uncertainty including the market prices and WPP generation are modeled through proper scenarios, and the risk is hedged by adding a risk measure to the formulation. To obtain more accurate results, the battery degradation costs are also included in the problem formulation. A detailed case study is presented based on the Iberian electricity market data as well as the technical information of three different types of EVs. The proposed approach is benchmarked against the disjoint operation of EVs and WPP. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed strategy can effectively benefit EV owners and WPP by reducing the energy costs and increasing the profits