Joint Optimal Scheduling of Heat and Power Considering Multiple Flexible Resources of a Virtual Power Plant

The power output of the high proportion combined heat and power (CHP) generators is limited by their thermal output, resulting in serious curtailment of renewable energy power generation, which jeopardize the overall economic benefits of the whole system. In this paper, CHP units, wind farms, photovoltaic stations, two kinds of flexible loads, electric vehicles (EVs), thermal storage tanks, battery energy storage systems (BESS) in a certain area are aggregated into a virtual power plant (VPP), which can operate as an interest whole. Firstly, the structure and operating mode of the VPP are introduced. Secondly, the day-ahead dispatching model of the VPP considering heat output is established with the goal of maximizing the profits of the VPP. Finally, case study illustrates the benefits and effectiveness of the proposed model.