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Rush hour superheroes: How virtual power plants can save your grid
With the rise of renewable energy, the electricity markets of various countries are facing unprecedented challenges. Virtual power plants (VPP) emerged at this critical moment and became an important tool to cope with peak power demand. VPP can not only integrate various distributed energy resources, but also coordinate power supply through the most efficient method to ensure stable operation of the power grid.
Virtual power plants can aggregate renewable energy resources that are too small individually to form a unified power supply system.
The operating principle of the virtual power plant is to form a controllable power supply capability by integrating multiple distributed energy resources (DER), such as solar panels, wind power generation, energy storage systems, etc. According to research, virtual power plants can be more cost-effective than traditional peak power plants during peak demand periods, with efficiency improvements of up to 60%.
Operation mode of virtual power plant
Virtual power plants rely on advanced management systems to control the supply of electricity. These systems will allocate dispersed energy resources in a timely manner based on the real-time needs of the grid. Whether it is a controllable load or an adjustable load, this flexibility allows the virtual power plant to respond to changes in power demand at any time.
Many virtual power plant resources can provide incremental power over short periods of time, making them effective in helping power companies manage peak loads.
Service scope of virtual power plant
Virtual power plants can provide a variety of services, including peak shedding, load following and ancillary services. These services not only help maintain the stability of the grid, but also bring economic benefits to power companies. For example, during peak demand periods, virtual power plants can quickly start up and provide additional power, avoiding the high costs of purchasing expensive peak power.
Market Operations and Energy Trading
As virtual power plants mature, their position in the energy market becomes increasingly important. Virtual power plants can not only be used as part of traditional dispatchable power plants, but can also trade energy in the market to make profits. This arbitrage behavior not only improves market flexibility, but also enhances the market competitiveness of renewable resources.
Virtual power plants use a variety of risk hedging strategies in energy trading to ensure the conservatism and reliability of their decisions.
Virtual power plant examples around the world
In the United States, considerable achievements have been made in the actual operation of virtual power plants. For example, the Tesla virtual power plant in Texas uses battery storage systems to provide up to 30 to 60GW of capacity, which can provide timely power during peak demand. California also provides considerable virtual power plant services during peak hours, showing that market demand is growing rapidly.
In Europe, Germany's Next Kraftwerke operates a virtual power plant covering seven countries, focusing mainly on the integration and trading of renewable resources. Such success has inspired London and other European cities to set up similar schemes, which are expanding.
The case of virtual power plants in Australia shows that the local Tesla project has achieved a power generation capacity of 20MW per hour by installing solar systems and battery storage equipment, showing the potential of virtual power plants.
Future Outlook
Virtual power plants have huge potential for future development. With the further development of technology and policy support, virtual power plants will have a wider application range and can improve the renewable energy integration capabilities of power grids around the world. The superheroes of the global energy transition are these flexible virtual power plants that build a bridge between demand and supply.
Are you ready for these peak-time superheroes to change the way we use energy in the future?
