Optimal Dispatch for a Combined Cooling, Heating and Power Microgrid Considering Building Virtual Energy Storage

Because buildings have certain heat capacity, when the thermal power changes, the indoor temperature has a relative lag of change, while the feeling to comfortable temperature of the human body lies within a certain range. Based on the energy storage characteristics of buildings, this paper structures the optimal dispatch model of a combined cooling, heating, and power system (CCHP) and the virtual energy storage system (VESS) is integrated into the model of optimizing schedule on microgrid. This will achieve the charge and discharge management of microgrid virtual energy storage system, with the optimization objectives of minimizing the economic, environmental and energy indexes through determining the weight coefficient of each index by analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and through the adjustment of the indoor temperature of the building within the range of human comfort. Finally, taking the summer refrigeration scenario as an example and comparing two microgrids of two types of buildings with or without virtual energy storage, this paper concludes that compared with traditional optimization dispatching methods, the combined cooling, heating, and power optimization dispatching method adopting virtual energy storage fully excavates the potential of the buildings’ virtual storage and every aspect has been improved in terms of economy, environment and energy.