Joint Energy, Reserve, and Flexibility Scheduling of DERs in Power Distribution Networks

This paper presents a joint energy, reserve capacity and flexibility capability scheduling framework for optimal coordination of distributed energy resources (DERs) in power distribution networks. In this framework, a technical virtual power plant (TVPP) supervises and coordinates DERs to participate in day-ahead wholesale market while meeting the distribution network’s reserve and flexibility requirements. The TVPP determines optimal energy, reserve and flexibility bids to maximize its profit in wholesale market by specifying the DERs’ optimal schedules. Energy and reserve products are scheduled in hourly time intervals while flexibility products are scheduled in sub-hourly time intervals to meet the net loads’ sub-hourly variability and uncertainty. The DERs dispersed in the network contain conventional distributed generators, energy storage systems, responsive loads and photovoltaic units and the TVPP considers the DERs’ constraints as well as the distribution network operational limits in its decision-making process. The proposed model is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming problem. Implemented on a standard test system, the effectiveness of the proposed model is demonstrated.