Real-time trade dispatch of a commercial VPP with residential customers in the PowerMatching city SmartGrid living lab

An automated Virtual Power Plant using software agents bidding in an electronic market has been set-up in a living lab environment in Hoogkerk near Groningen using the PowerMatcher approach. The optimization goal of the cluster was to support trade dispatch of a commercial portfolio on the market. A trade dispatch objective software agent (TDOA) strategy has been developed allowing realtime response in the market taking into account prior optimization of demand response and power generation in view of the expected external day-ahead market electricity price as well as operational adjustments needed in view of the real-time position of the portfolio on external markets. The cluster was operated during a consecutive period of two months with a cluster of 25 homes equipped with either microCHPs or heat pumps for space heating both with hot water storage. Additionally, optimization of the charging process of 2 electric vehicles was included. Analysis of the results shows, that the optimized TDOA power-profile can be followed by the agent for longer periods by utilizing the hot water buffering capacity and the battery capacity of the EV. Also, the buffering capacity is used automatically by the device agents to avoid price peaks in the case of heat pumps and to utilize them in the case of microCHP. The time scale at which the demand response can be delivered by the thermal processes in the homes and the EV-loads matches the required demand responses for trade portfolio operations in the Dutch system.