Participation of electric vehicles in auxiliary service market to promote renewable energy power consumption: Case study on deep peak load regulation of auxiliary thermal power by electric vehicles

With the rapid development of new energy sources and the increasing proportion of electric vehicles (EVs) connected to the power grid in China, peak load regulation of power systems will face severe challenges. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the relationship between the electricity consumption characteristics of EVs and the peak load regulation (PLR) mechanism of power systems, and we proposed an operation mode for virtual power plants with EVs to participate in the auxiliary service market and facilitate deep peak load regulation in the thermal power units. Based on the electricity demand-side management theory and cost-benefit analysis method, we constructed a decision model for economic deep peak load regulated operation (DPLR) of the auxiliary thermal power units in a virtual power plant with EVs, aiming to optimize the operation efficiency. The case study showed that a virtual power plant that included EVs can effectively reduce the total PLR cost of the system and the peak valley difference of the net load as well as improve the economic benefits of the thermal power units. The results indicated that the virtual power plant had improved economic efficiency. Therefore, the results of this research can help improve the PLR capacity of the grid and significantly promote the consumption of intermittent renewable energy.