Robust hierarchical dispatch for residential distribution network management considering home thermal flexibility and model predictive control

Abstract

In the transactive energy (TE) paradigm, the devices of participative consumers, or prosumers, may be aggregated and employed to drive operational objectives at the network level. Home heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in particular are well-suited to modulate their behaviours based on both home thermal flexibility and requests from the utility grid. This paper develops a robust, hierarchical power dispatch scheme in the context of a residential distribution network. The formulation couples a unique, multiphase linear distribution optimal power flow (OPF) at the upper level with model predictive control (MPC)-based HVAC fleet controllers at the lower level. The proposed approach is tested on nearly 2000 homes with a three-phase distribution network in an intraday market setting, where two major applications are explored and analysed.

Optimal energy and flexibility self‐scheduling of a technical virtual power plant under uncertainty: A two‐stage adaptive robust approach

“…Due to advantages of the robust optimization presented in Section 1.1 [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29], have addressed uncertainty sources using robust approaches. Refs.…”

“…Refs. [9] and [25][26][27][28][29] have modelled robust approaches considering the DERs' flexibility provision. In [9], flexibility services from DERs are contracted in DA time-horizon and distribution grid management is deployed considering the contracted flexibility.…”

“…Due to the importance of utilizing the DERs' flexibility features to meet the power systems' requirements, Refs. [9] and [25][26][27][28][29] have modelled robust approaches considering the DERs' flexibility provision. In these references, coordinating flexibility capability provision of diverse DERs like conventional distributed generators (DGs), RESs, electric vehicles (EVs), HVACs and other responsive loads (RLs) and offering the flexibility capabilities to wholesale flexibility market while considering different uncertainty sources associated with the DERs are not modelled.…”

“…In the following, the constraints that the TVPP considers in the ID flexibility scheduling model are presented in which associated dual variables are represented in front of the colons. The TVPP's upward and downward flexibility capabilities offered to the wholesale flexibility market should fulfil the transmission network's flexibility requests based on (25) and (26).…”

“…[25] has proposed DA scheduling of generation and demand side resources utilizing their flexibility features to meet the gas‐supply uncertainty and wind power variability. Authors in [26] have utilized home thermal flexibility to control the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems’ (HVACs) consumption while uncertainties in renewable generation and loads as well as the HVACs’ consumption power limits are considered. Ref.…”