This book provides a general overview of virtual power plants (VPP) as a key technology in future energy communities and active distribution and transmission networks for managing distributed energy resources, providing local and global services, and facilitating market participation of small-scale managing distributed energy resources and prosumers. The book also aims at describing some practical solutions, business models, and novel architectures for the implementation of VPPs in the real world. Each chapter of the book begins with the fundamental structure of the problem required for a rudimentary understanding of the methods described. It provides a clear picture for practical implementation of VPP through novel technologies such as blockchain, digital twin, and distributed ledger technology. The book will help the electrical and power engineers, undergraduate, graduate students, research scholars, and utility engineers to understand the emerging solutions regarding the VPP concept lucidly.

This book provides a general overview of virtual power plants (VPP) as a key technology in future energy communities and active distribution and transmission networks for managing distributed energy resources, providing local and global services, and facilitating market participation of small-scale managing distributed energy resources and prosumers. The book also aims at describing some practical solutions, business models, and novel architectures for the implementation of VPPs in the real world. Each chapter of the book begins with the fundamental structure of the problem required for a rudimentary understanding of the methods described. It provides a clear picture for practical implementation of VPP through novel technologies such as blockchain, digital twin, and distributed ledger technology. The book will help the electrical and power engineers, undergraduate, graduate students, research scholars, and utility engineers to understand the emerging solutions regarding the VPP concept lucidly.

Smart energy factories are crucial for the development of upcoming energy markets in which emissions, energy use and network congestions are to be decreased. The virtual power plant (VPP) can be implemented in an industrial site with the aim of minimizing costs, emissions and total energy usage. A VPP considers the future situation forecasting and the situation of all energy assets, including renewable energy generation units and energy storage systems, to optimize the total cost of the plant, considering the possibility to trade with the energy market. For a VPP to be constructed, a proper communication system is essential. The energy management system (EMS) enables the monitoring, management and control of the different energy devices and permits the transference of the decisions made by the VPP to the different energy assets. VPP concept is explained together with the methods used for forecasting the future situation and the energy flow inside the facility. To reach its benefits, the optimization of the VPP is assessed. After that, the communication technologies that enable the VPP implementation are also introduced, and the advantages/disadvantages regarding their deployment are stated. With the tools introduced, the VPP can face the challenges of energy markets efficiently.

The first detailed study of this most important class of systems which contain internal predictive models of themselves and/or of their environments and whose predictions are utilized for purposes of present control. This book develops the basic concept of a predictive model, and shows how it can be embedded into a system of feedforward control. Includes many examples and stresses analogies between wired-in anticipatory control and processes of learning and adaption, at both individual and social levels. Shows how the basic theory of such systems throws a new light both on analytic problems (understanding what is going on in an organism or a social system) and synthetic ones (developing forecasting methods for making individual or collective decisions).

This book focuses on the business operation of virtual power plants. Both of the business models and reliable operation of virtual power plants have been addressed with engineering practices. This is achieved by providing an in-depth study on several major topics such as load forecasting for distributed energy resources, business model and practice of virtual power plants, the business operation of virtual power plants participating in demand response, and auxiliary service market. The dynamic pricing strategy of virtual power plants and reliable operation of power systems with virtual power plants are provided as well. The comprehensive and systematic treatment in business operation of virtual power plants is one of the major features of the book, which is particularly suited for readers who are interested to learn operation mechanisms of virtual power plants. The book benefits researchers, engineers, and graduate students in the fields of energy internet, electrical engineering, and business administration, etc.

Future distribution networks are expected to host high concentrations of distributed energy resources (DER) which include distributed generation, renewable energy sources, local storage systems and flexible loads. This book introduces a DER aggregation system (DERAS) that incorporates DER in the power system in an efficient and cost-effective manner. DERAS is developed based on the concept of the virtual power plant to facilitate the collective participation of the DER owners in the wholesale electricity market. The commercial interests of its stakeholders are incorporated in a trade subsystem that employs artificial neural networks to forecast the contribution of the aggregated DER population. Moreover, through the balancing and network support subsystems DERAS helps system and network operators to postpone or prevent excessive expenditures needed for network expansions or reinforcements. This book involves Systems Engineering to develop a scalable DERAS that fits in either competitively unbundled or traditionally consolidated electricity markets. Moreover, it presents an active network planning method that facilitates the development of Smart Grids.

Towards Future Smart Power Systems with High Penetration of Renewables: Emerging Technologies, New Tools, and Case Studies explores the latest tools and approaches for smart power systems with high-scale integration of renewable energy, covering technology, optimization, control, forecasting, and market structures. The first section of the book on emerging technologies and energy vectors identifies some of the most prominent energy carriers in future power systems, and discusses the implications of different energy technologies as well as their advantages and disadvantages. This is followed by a section focusing on new markets, businesses and structures, discussing how such energy carriers should be managed within existing or future market structures, and discussing the different opportunities and challenges bought by renewable technologies. The third part of the book analyzes real projects and case studies, offering steps forward in the large-scale integration of renewable energy in existing power systems. Finally, the fourth section examines optimization and control for power systems with renewables. covering the needs of future power systems regarding their optimization and control and describing some of the new tools required, with an emphasis on planning, management and forecasting in future power systems. Drawing on real examples, case studies, computational tools, and analysis, this book is a valuable resource for all those with an interest in renewable energy integration and smart power systems, including students, researchers, faculty, engineers, R&D, industry personnel, and policy makers.