Improving the Efficiency of a Hybrid Electric Power Plant by Means of a Virtual Power Plant

Abstract

The paper considers the functional specifics of a hybrid power plant for local or distributed grids. A hybrid power plant uses both conventional and renewable sources of energy. As such plants rely more and more on renewable sources with their unstable generation, regulating the loads affected by randomly connecting and disconnecting consumers becomes challenging. To control the load in, and stabilize a local grid powered by a hybrid plant, the research team has analyzed the implementation of virtual power plants, a technology that provides control over such connections and disconnections. The technology helps optimize the interaction of consumers and decentralized generators of different types. The technology is proven feasible with evidence from the case of stabilizing the hydraulic turbines and pumps of the pumped storage station that cut the diesel fuel consumption at the Gorona del Viento hybrid power plant in El Hierro, the Canaries. The paper analyzes different VPP algorithms and proves feasible the efficient use of a virtual power plant to optimize the interaction of consumers and multiple decentralized generators for more efficient load management and better local grid performance.