Coordinated Dispatch of Virtual Energy Storage Systems in Smart Distribution Networks for Loading Management

The growth in residential air-conditioning is a primary contributor to electric utility critical peak load causing millions of dollars spent on extra network infrastructure to cater for these peak times. This paper aims to provide an attempt to coordinate multiple groups of aggregated air-conditioners for distribution network loading management. Through limited communication to exchange information among neighboring aggregators, the proposed dispatch strategy shares the required active power curtailment among aggregators, maintaining room temperatures to keep occupants comfort in the meanwhile. Three case studies and sensitivity analysis are conducted to show the performance of the proposed scheme. The results show that it can provide technical and economic benefits to both participating residents and network operators.