Starting from the beginning of 2010, in the EU FP6 Integral4 project, a large-scale SmartGrid field test with active participation of end-user installation nodes in the electricity network is running. A high-bandwidth dedicated ICTnetwork has been rolled-out to connect electricity supply and demand nodes and to collect data. In the test, the software agent based PowerMatcher technology is applied in a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) setting to satisfy a number of commercial and grid related optimization objectives.
The VPP in the test consists of 25 heating devices in homes in Hoogkerk5, nodes with PV and wind generated electricity, residential and mobile (full EV’s) electricity storage nodes and intelligent home appliances.
Primary process flexibility for the heating system’s hybrid heat pumps and micro-CHP is enlarged by using hot water filled heat buffers. Additional gas burning heating capacity to be used in peak periods was added to the system configuration. Additional demand response flexibility is achieved by optimizing the charging strategy of the nodes with electricity storage and the operation of devices connected to demands like refrigerators and washing machines. In this way, on a real-time basis, the VPP has been shown to be usable for optimization to satisfy
objectives for compensation of the variable output of renewables, for improving grid operation and functions for commercial operation.
In this paper the architectural design and the application of the PowerMatcher[1] approach is evaluated. The first results of operating the use cases are also presented.