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Description
1. General overview
The VIFES platform is a simulation tool for analysing the behaviour of a virtual power plant acting
within a FENIX concept.
For laboratory purposes, VIFES has been parametrized to simulate around 30 DERs connected to a 20
kV medium voltage network.
The DERs are of different types, such that various situations can be simulated and studied:
- 2 consumers with flexible load capabilities;
- 2 hydro-plants with small lake, working in intermittently, based on the lake water level;
- 3 gas-turbines with capabilities for modulated power output
- 3 wind generators connected to the grid;
- 3 solar panel generators
Their behavior will be discussed in detail in further chapters of this presentation.
Another 16 consumers are connected to the network, but they do not have flexible load capabilities; For
convenience, they are still considered DERs, but with zero flexibility
An additional DER has a manual controllable power and can be set during the simulation to have zero,
negative or positive power.
All these DERs are connected to an medium voltage local network, which is considered to be the basis
of the main VPP of the demonstrator.
Figure 1 shows the principle scheme of the network, as it is seen with the human-machine interface of
the VIFES platform.
It is about a radial network supplied from a 20 kV substation. The network has 12 nodes, from which
the first one is the power node in the substation.
The simulator is not intended in this version to simulate also the network, but mainly is focusing on the
DER simulation, on VPP aggregation and on load balancing services associated with the DER, as VPP
specific intraday activity.
2. DER description
2.1 Gas turbine DER
This DER has the following characteristics:
- it has an approved day-ahead hourly based energy production schedule; this data is used in the
intraday period to ensure energy production according to the schedule;
- it has an approved day-ahead hourly based power band offered for control purposes; this data is
used in the intraday period to ensure active balancing in the DER, based on the real aggregated load
curve of the main DER, comparing with the aggregated schedule.
Figure 2 shows the human-machine interface of a gas turbine DER.
The hydro-generator has an approved day-ahead hourly based energy production schedule, like all
other DER's;
Figure 3 shows the human-machine interface of a hydro-plant.
The DER has an approved day-ahead hourly based energy production schedule;
Figure 4 shows the human-machine interface of a wind generator.
continuous control is completely used, meaning that the entire Band has been ordered (Order=1). For
visualizing this situation, additional variables are displayed:
- Order Needed: the real order which is needed for minimizing the unbalance; this becomes greater than
1 when generators means are completely used through Order=1 (maximum allowed for them); the extra
need is tried to be solved by disconnecting load stages, instead of increasing power generation.
- OrderCons: an equivalent of Order which acts on disconnectable load stages, for reducing the
unbalance. Its values are not between 0 and 1, but instead are values which describe the selected stages
to be disconnected: 0 means no disconnection, 1 means selection of the first stage of DER01, 3 means
selection of stage 1 and 2 of DER01 (the value has in fact binary flags, each position being linked to
one particular stage which can be disconnected).
- Band_Cons: the remaining band of power available for disconnection; it is the sum of stages still not
used and shall be seen as the reserve available for disconnection on request.
One particular important variable which is available on this panel is the so called Additional DER P,
which is a variable which can be modified manually by clicking the label, changing the value and then
clicking again on the label.
This fictive DER power is also included in the aggregated active power of the main DER and has
default value zero, so it does not influence normal behaviour of the simulated network.
The variable can be however used to induce a perturbation or an un-scheduled consumption or
production.
If the operator changes the value of this variable from zero to a positive value (for instance 1.5, which
means 1.5 MW), then the whole VPP has from that moment an un-scheduled consumption of 1.5 MW
(for instance due to a sudden increase in consumption). This brings a positive unbalance in the VPP
pool.
If the operator changes the value of this variable from zero to a negative value (for instance -0.8, which
means -0.8 MW), then the whole VPP has from that moment an un-scheduled production of 1.5 MW
(for instance due to a sudden increase of wind production because of high wind blowing). This brings
a negative unbalance in the VPP pool.
By wisely using the Additional DER P value the VIFES operator can bring the system in desired
situations such that the VPP active balancing mechanisms can be better watched.
application in the lower part of the right rectangle which has the title Virtual Power Plant. The value
displayed in this position cannot be changed. Only in the simulation panel can be changed this value
by using the green- backgrounded texts.
- Debug and Pause are additional variables of the simulator which are usually set to zero. The standard
user should not use or take care of these variables, they are normally for system administrator use.
Figure 8 shows the human-machine interface of the simulation panel.
4. Laboratory tests
4.1 Startup of the application
The laboratory application has the following procedure:
a) first start the FENIX panel by plugging in the power plug and by turning on the Key 1 of the panel;
The mandatory consumer shall be set ON, which will make the bulb in the blue casing to light;
The meter shall show connection to the FENIX box.
The two stages are normally OFF, before starting the computer
b) start the computer and wait until the browser is open and shows the image from the figure 1.
If the browser does not shows this startup image, it should be selected from the bookmarks menu the link FENIX main
page.