Information Modeling for Direct Control of Distributed Energy Resources

We present an architecture for an unbundled liberalized electricity market system where a virtual power plant (VPP) is able to control a number of distributed energy resources (DERs) directly through a two-way communication link. The aggregator who operates the VPP utilizes the accumulated flexibility of the DERs to participate in the electricity market on equal terms with conventional power plants. The focus of this paper is the interface between the DERs and the VPP: this interface must enable the aggregator to overview the total DER flexibility and remote control the DERs to provide a desired accumulated response. In this paper, we design such an information model based on the markets that the aggregator participates in and based on the flexibility characteristics of the remote controlled DERs. The information model is constructed in a modular manner making the interface suitable for a whole range of different DERs. The devised information model can serve as input to the international standardization efforts on DERs.