ENERGY MANAGEMENT OF VIRTUAL POWER PLANTS

Abstract

Along with the rising energy consumption in the world, new technologies will influence the way the energy is generated, stored, distributed and consumed. Alongside others, distributed energy generation becomes a major trend in many countries. The fast upward penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) and the ongoing trend towards a more competitive electricity and energy market requires new technologies and policies to handle both emerging technical and economic issues. In order to handle distributed generation (DE) and to intensify its visibility within power markets, the idea of virtual power plants (VPPs) has emerged and used by researchers worldwide. It is composed by combining various small size distributed generating units to form a “single virtual generating unit” that can act as a conventional one and capable of being visible or manageable on an individual basis. In this thesis, the electro-economical model (EEM) for VPPs is presented. A generic VPP (GVPP) is considered for the study. VPP can earn profit from the market and as a result, its objective will be to maximizing its profit. Siwa Oasis, Egypt; is taken as a case study to apply the developed electro-economical model of VPP.