Intelligent optimal demand response implemented by blockchain and cooperative game in microgrids

Distributed renewable energy supply (RES) is a new pattern for the transformation of power grids. As a characteristic case of RES, microgrids have an advantage in convenient operation. However, the energy management of microgrids remains as a major concern. With the emergence of the decentralized paradigm, blockchain potentially provides a reliable energy data metering and payment for the whole life cycle of energy management. In particular, the demand response (DR) in the microgrid can stimulate demanders to spontaneously manage their load consumption and maintain the balance of the energy trading market. To achieve optimal DR, a dynamic pricing strategy under the blockchain and game-theoretic approach is proposed. First, the blockchain-based architecture is applied to ensure the reliability of energy data and lay a foundation of binding agreements for games. Then, the pricing mechanism under the cooperative game is formulated to optimize DR. Moreover, to help resolve the optimal response quantity and reduce the supply punishment of the RES providers, the DR requires accurate forecasting of the energy generation and consumption profiles. Therefore, an ensemble method Long Short-Term Gate Support (LSTGS) is designed to forecast the RES and load power for intelligent agent to make decision on effective energy scheduling and DR. Taking the classic distributed energy context as a case study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach and show that it can achieve DR profits maximized and improve the stability of the energy-trading market.