Receding‐horizon based optimal dispatch of virtual power plant considering stochastic dynamic of photovoltaic generation

Abstract The merits of a virtual power plant in integrating photovoltaic generation and flexible loads, such as a chilled water thermal storage air conditioning system and an electric vehicle, are well recognized. However, the optimal operation of a virtual power plant is challenged by the complexities of solar irradiance and the large size of a chilled water thermal storage air conditioning system and an electric vehicle. This paper proposes a new approach to the optimal dispatch problem of a virtual power plant. The stochastic dynamic of solar irradiance is modelled by a stochastic differential equation set. The binary decision for a chilled water thermal storage air conditioning system and an electric vehicle are characterized by a mixed logical dynamical model. The resulting optimal dispatch problem is solved by the receding horizon approach. The appeal of the proposed approach is in its capability to consider the stochastically dynamical impact of solar irradiance. Besides, the proposed approach can solve the optimization problem over a relatively small period of time, and thus has the potential for online applications. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by numerical simulations.