Real-time Dispatch Research Articles

DriveMate - Vehicle Breakdown Assistance using Mobile Application

The increasing need for on-demand vehicle breakdown assistance calls for a system that connects stranded drivers with nearby mechanics through a seamless mobile interface. This paper presents a survey of existing technologies, applications, and algorithms that aid in the development of a real-time mechanic dispatch platform. The app allows for mechanic registration, user-mechanic connectivity based on GPS location, and ratings to enhance service reliability. This survey highlights methods for implementing proximity-based assistance, secure admin control for mechanic vetting, and efficient user-to-mechanic communication

Integrated real-time dispatch of power and gas systems

The integrated operation of the electricity and gas systems has attracted the attention of many researchers due to the ever-increasing interdependency between the two systems. In this paper, a novel framework for the real-time rolling dispatch of the integrated system is presented, targeting to attain the economically optimal and technically secure gas system real-time operation through the control of the available flexibility procured by various resources. A decoupled day-ahead scheduling is initially executed to determine unit commitment and gas linepack target decisions, which are then utilized as inputs to the proposed integrated real-time dispatch model. Intra-day gas system control is executed in a hierarchical procedure through the deployment of four control actions from various inter-system flexibility providers. The presented analysis illustrates that, based on the selection of control parameters, the activation of flexibility resources from both systems can be steered in such a way as to alleviate linepack deviations, even in cases of severely limited scheduled gas supply. The proposed control framework is tested on the Greek power and gas systems, providing significant insights regarding the activation of the control actions for the real-time gas system balancing in different look-ahead horizons.

A decision-making model for joint energy and reserve scheduling of wind power producers with local intraday demand response exchange market

In this paper, a three-stage stochastic bi-level optimization framework is presented for optimal participation of wind power producers (WPPs) in day-ahead (DA), intraday, and balancing markets. In this framework, to leverage demand response (DR) services, a peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading platform is implemented that allows local load aggregators (LAs) to contribute to the intraday markets improving both LAs’ and WPP’s benefits. Participating in the intraday DR exchange (IDRX) market enables WPP to purchase DR services from LAs, to reduce the penalty cost on the deviation between the day-head bidding and the real-time dispatch. A Stackelberg game for the bi-level decision-making model captures the conflict of interests between the WPP and LAs, in which, the upper level seeks to maximize WPP profit, while the lower level aims to maximize LAs’ economic surplus. The bi-level model is converted into its equivalent single-level mixed-integer quadratic problem (MIQP) employing the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions and strong duality theorem. Simulation results show that participation of the WPP in the IDRX market and employing spinning reserve and DR services for compensating the uncertainties are greatly dependent on its risk preferences and increase its expected profit in all conditions, significantly.

Data-driven two-stage scheduling of multi-energy systems for operational flexibility enhancement

The multi-energy system, encompassing electricity networks, district heating networks (DHNs), and hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG) networks, provides an alternative for enhancing operational flexibility. This paper investigates a data-driven two-stage scheduling strategy of multi-energy system to promote uncertain renewable energy integration and improve economic benefits. Dynamic models for DHNs and HCNG networks are established, and the flexibility of multi-energy system is quantified through distribution-level power aggregation. To compromise flexibility enhancement and operational cost reduction, the multiobjective day-ahead scheduling optimization is conducted based on adaptive batch-ParEGO method. Taking day-ahead scheduling as a baseline, a data-driven real-time dispatch method is proposed based on the deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm, which adaptively modifies the energy management scheme in smaller temporal dimension to address uncertainties on both the load and source sides. The performance of the proposed two-stage scheduling method is demonstrated through numerical tests.

Physics-informed convolutional neural network for microgrid economic dispatch

The variability of renewable energy generation and the unpredictability of electricity demand create a need for real-time economic dispatch (ED) of assets in microgrids. However, solving numerical optimization problems in real-time can be incredibly challenging. This study proposes using a convolutional neural network (CNN) based on deep learning to address these challenges. Compared to traditional methods, CNN is more efficient, delivers more dependable results, and has a shorter response time when dealing with uncertainties. While CNN has shown promising results, it does not extract explainable knowledge from the data. To address this limitation, a physics-inspired CNN model is developed by incorporating constraints of the ED problem into the CNN training to ensure that the model follows physical laws while fitting the data. The proposed method can significantly accelerate real-time economic dispatch of microgrids without compromising the accuracy of numerical optimization techniques. The effectiveness of the proposed data-driven approach for optimal allocation of microgrid resources in real-time is verified through a comprehensive comparison with conventional numerical optimization approaches.

Interval Constrained Multi-Objective Optimization Scheduling Method for Island-Integrated Energy Systems Based on Meta-Learning and Enhanced Proximal Policy Optimization

Multiple uncertainties from source–load and energy conversion significantly impact the real-time dispatch of an island integrated energy system (IIES). This paper addresses the day-ahead scheduling problems of IIES under these conditions, aiming to minimize daily economic costs and maximize the output of renewable energies. We introduce an innovative algorithm for Interval Constrained Multi-objective Optimization Problems (ICMOPs), which incorporates meta-learning and an improved Proximal Policy Optimization with Clipped Objective (PPO-CLIP) approach. This algorithm fills a notable gap in the application of DRL to complex ICMOPs within the field. Initially, the multi-objective problem is decomposed into several single-objective problems using a uniform weight decomposition method. A meta-model trained via meta-learning enables fine-tuning to adapt solutions for subsidiary problems once the initial training is complete. Additionally, we enhance the PPO-CLIP framework with a novel strategy that integrates probability shifts and Generalized Advantage Estimation (GAE). In the final stage of scheduling plan selection, a technique for identifying interval turning points is employed to choose the optimal plan from the Pareto solution set. The results demonstrate that the method not only secures excellent scheduling solutions in complex environments through its robust generalization capabilities but also shows significant improvements over interval-constrained multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, such as IP-MOEA, ICMOABC, and IMOMA-II, across multiple multi-objective evaluation metrics including hypervolume (HV), runtime, and uncertainty.

Optimal utilization of frequency ancillary services in modern power systems

The widespread global adoption of wind energy sources has established a significant presence in the existing power grid. However, the massive integration of intermittent wind energy poses forecasting errors, prompting the need for supplementary reserves from conventional energy sources with increased operational expenses and carbon emissions. Hence, to facilitate the seamless operation of large-scale wind-integrated power grids, it is imperative to harness the potential of renewable energy sources and leverage flexible loads to deliver power-balancing services. In this research, dynamic real-time power dispatch strategies have been developed for the Automatic Generation Control (AGC) system to integrate the reserve capacities of conventional generation units and wind power plants and utilize the demand response capabilities of flexible loads for power balancing services. A comprehensive power system grid model was developed in DigSilent PowerFactory software, consisting of coal-based energy systems, wind energy systems, gas turbines, and cold storage units as flexible loads. The study is divided into different case studies to assess the impact of each scenario on system operation in mitigating the forecasting errors of wind power plants. Further, a comparative analysis was performed to illustrate the effectiveness of each case study. The analysis showed that Case Study III, where reserves are provided by coal energy systems and cold storage units, yielded the highest reduction in Positive Regulation (PR) and Negative Regulation (NR) errors, at 89.0% and 94.15%, respectively. Conversely, Case Study IV demonstrated the least reduction in errors, with 67.82% in PR and 78.41% in NR. However, it indicates that reserves can be supplied from wind energy systems and flexible loads without the support of conventional power plants.

Electric vehicle aggregator as demand dispatch resources: Exploring the impact of real-time market performance on day-ahead market

As the integration of variable renewable energy sources (VREs) into power grids escalates, effectively managing the unpredictability of VRE generation becomes crucial. Electric vehicles, utilized as distributed energy storage, emerge as a potential solution. However, it remains unclear whether electric vehicle aggregators (EVAs), acting as demand dispatch resources, have a favorable impact on the overall electricity market, especially when considering their performance in real-time markets during day-ahead energy allocations. Therefore, this paper proposes a decentralized clearing mechanism (DCM) relying on an multi-attribute evaluation model of EVAs for optimal bidding strategies in the day-ahead market. The EVAs multi-attribute evaluation model employs an integration of the Entropy-Analytic Hierarchy Process, allowing for the simultaneous consideration of real-time performance and day-ahead bidding prices of EVAs. Consequently, the decentralized clearing mechanism supports strategic electricity planning in the day-ahead market by incorporating the actual market performance of EVAs. Furthermore, a real-time market bidding model is developed to balance dynamic mismatches between VRE generation and demand, aiming to maximize profits through optimized real-time commitment and real-time dispatch. System simulations on the IEEE39 bus system demonstrate that the DCM enhances overall profits by 18.69% compared to the centralized clearing mechanism.

A multi-timescale and chance-constrained energy dispatching strategy of integrated heat-power community with shared hybrid energy storage

The community in the future may develop into an integrated heat-power system, which includes a high proportion of renewable energy, power generator units, heat generator units, and shared hybrid energy storage. In the integrated heat-power system with coupling heat-power generators and demands, the key challenges lie in the interaction between heat and power, the inherent uncertainty of renewable energy and consumers’ demands, and the multi-timescale scheduling of heat and power. In this paper, we propose a game theoretic model of the integrated heat-power system. For the welfare-maximizing community operator, its energy dispatch strategy is under chance constraints, where the day-ahead scheduling determines the scheduled energy dispatching strategies, and the real-time dispatch considers the adjustment of generators. For utility-maximizing consumers, their demands are sensitive to the preference parameters. Taking into account the uncertainty in both renewable energy and consumer demand, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the Stackelberg game equilibrium and develop a fixed-point algorithm to find the market equilibrium between the community operator and community consumers. Numerical simulations on integrated heat-power community show that the proposed solution outperforms the constant curtailment strategy with the daily cost reduced by 14.38%.

A Real-Time Resource Dispatch Approach for Edge Computing Devices in Digital Distribution Networks Considering Burst Tasks

Edge computing technology can effectively solve huge challenges posed by the large number of terminal devices accessing and massive data processing in digital distribution networks. Burst tasks, such as faults and data requests from the cloud, can occur at any time for edge computing devices in distribution networks. These tasks are unpredictable and usually hold the highest priority and must be completed as soon as possible. Although resources can be reserved partially at each period in the pre-scheduled operation plan, they may still be insufficient to handle burst tasks adequately. A real-time resource dispatch approach for burst tasks is developed in this study to address the above problems. The concept of flexibility for edge computing devices is presented, determining the real-time dispatch duration. Real-time resource dispatch and task handling processing are analyzed in detail, considered as task real-time dispatch models, computation process real-time dispatch constraints, and resource limitation constraints. The proposed real-time resource dispatch approach takes full advantage of the transferable characteristics for partial original plan tasks to adjust the pre-scheduled operation plan and release flexible resources for immediate processing of the burst task, completing burst tasks quickly and minimizing the impact for previous planned tasks on the edge computing device. The capability of the proposed method to efficiently deal with the burst tasks is also verified by the case study.

Periodic Collaboration and Real-Time Dispatch Using an Actor–Critic Framework for UAV Movement in Mobile Edge Computing

Periodic Collaboration and Real-Time Dispatch Using an Actor–Critic Framework for UAV Movement in Mobile Edge Computing

A generation-storage coordination dispatch strategy for power system based on causal reinforcement learning

In the backdrop of global energy transformation, power systems integrating high proportions of renewable energy sources are facing unprecedented challenges in operational stability and dispatch efficiency. To address these challenges, this study introduces a generation-storage coordination real-time dispatch strategy based on Causal Power System Dynamic Reinforcement Learning (CPSDRL). Diverging from traditional reinforcement learning approaches, CPSDRL innovatively incorporates causal inference within the state prediction model – the crux of model-based reinforcement learning – thereby establishing the Power Causal Dynamic Model (PCDM). Assisted by the prior knowledge of power systems, the model significantly enhances prediction accuracy and reliability through a two-stage training process. Utilizing PCDM, this study further applies a direct policy search algorithm to optimize the real-time dispatch strategy. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method improves the stability of generation-storage coordination real-time dispatch and exhibits competitive advantages in sample efficiency and computational speed, compared to traditional model-based and model-free reinforcement learning algorithms. This method is expected to enhance the practicality and adaptability of causal reinforcement learning techniques in power system scheduling and control.

A two-layer energy management for islanded microgrid based on inverse reinforcement learning and distributed ADMM

The development of a scheduling strategy for an islanded microgrid (IMG) is critical for ensuring the system’s stability and economic efficiency. Traditional scheduling strategies for IMGs predominantly utilize centralized management by the microgrid central controller (MGCC), which introduces a vulnerability to a single point of failure. To address this limitation, this paper presents a two-layer energy management strategy for IMGs based on the improved alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) and inverse reinforcement learning (IRL). First, the framework of the proposed strategy, comprising a scheduling layer and a real-time dispatch layer, is outlined. Next, the problem formulation of the scheduling layer is analyzed, and the proposed IRL-based management strategy for the energy storage system (ESS) is presented. Then, a distributed optimization algorithm based on the improved ADMM is proposed for the management of controllable distributed generators (CDGs) in the real-time dispatch layer. Lastly, the case study demonstrates the efficacy of the proposed strategy in diminishing MGCC dependency. The comparative analysis indicates that the proposed strategy outperforms existing scheduling strategies in terms of cost-effectiveness when the forecast error exceeds 3%. Moreover, in contrast to existing scheduling strategies, the proposed strategy mitigates the risk associated with a single point of failure.

Two-layer iterative energy dispatch for a multi-energy-flow VPP in the distribution power grid

In light of the growing urgency surrounding energy and environmental concerns, this paper presents a two-layer iterative energy dispatch strategy tailored for a multi-energy-flow virtual power plant (VPP) operating within the distribution power grid. The proposed strategy unfolds in two key phases. First, it establishes an energy dispatch framework designed specifically for the multi-energy-flow VPP within the distribution power grid. Subsequently, it introduces an improved ant colony algorithm aimed at optimizing the output power of each VPP. In addition, the paper presents an optimization method for substation energy dispatch. This method uses a delay-aware consensus algorithm with the substation dispatch cost increment rate as the consensus variable, taking into account the communication delay between VPPs. Integrating a proportional–derivative (PD) control mechanism enhances the convergence speed of the delay-aware consensus algorithm and enables real-time energy dispatch of the multi-energy-flow VPP. The paper presents its conclusions by validating the efficacy of the proposed approach through simulation, thereby addressing the challenges and adapting to the shifting energy and environmental landscape.

Virtual Inertia Scheduling (VIS) for Real-Time Economic Dispatch of IBR-Penetrated Power Systems

Virtual Inertia Scheduling (VIS) for Real-Time Economic Dispatch of IBR-Penetrated Power Systems

Improving short-term offshore wind speed forecast accuracy using a VMD-PE-FCGRU hybrid model

The integration of large-scale offshore wind power into the power grid presents significant challenges for grid operation and dispatch due to the variability and intermittency of offshore wind energy. However, non-stationarities and noise in wind speed time series pose challenges. This study proposes a VMD-PE-FCGRU methodology to address this challenge of predicting offshore wind speeds. Firstly, the Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) algorithm decomposes the original wind speed signal, considering the strong fluctuations and high noise inherent to offshore wind energy. A corresponding performance evaluation index is established to assess the effectiveness of this deconstruction process. To further enhance the model's (GRU) ability to capture time series information, a Position Encoding layer (PE) has been added, and the network is deepened through a Fully Connected Neural Network (FCNN). This allows multi-dimensional time series features to be input into the Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) network for forecast. The accuracy of the proposed method is then verified using measured historical data from the wind tower of an offshore wind farm in Guangdong. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can accurately forecast short-term wind speeds for offshore wind farms, with a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.199 and a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of only 2.45%. Moreover, the qualified rate (r) reaches 100%, providing an accurate reference for real-time power grid dispatching and can inform decision-making for the integration of offshore wind power into the grid.

Data-driven assisted real-time optimal control strategy of submerged arc furnace via intelligent energy terminals considering large-scale renewable energy utilization

This study presents a data-driven assisted real-time optimization model which is an innovative approach to address the challenges posed by integrating Submerged Arc Furnace (SAF) systems with renewable energy sources, specifically photovoltaic (PV) and wind power, with modern intelligent energy terminals. Specifically, the proposed method is divided into two stages. The first stage is related to data-driven prediction for addressing local time-varying renewable energy and electricity market prices with predicted information, and the second stage uses an optimization model for real-time SAF dispatch. Connections between intelligent energy terminals, demand-side devices, and load management systems are established to enhance local renewable resource utilization. Additionally, mathematical formulations of the operating resistance in SAF are explored, and deep neuron networks are employed and modified for dynamic uncertainty prediction. The proposed approach is validated through a case study involving an intelligent energy terminal with a 12.5 MVA SAF system and 12 MW capacity renewable generators in an electricity market with fluctuating prices. The findings of this research underscore the efficacy of the proposed optimization model in reducing operational costs and enhancing the utilization of localized renewable energy generation. By integrating four distinct dissatisfaction coefficients into the optimization framework, we demonstrate the model's adaptability and efficiency. The application of the optimization strategy delineated herein results in the SAF system's profitability oscillating between $111 and $416 across various time intervals, contingent upon the coefficient settings. Remarkably, an aggregate daily loss recovery amounting to $1,906.84 can be realized during the optimization period. Such outcomes not only signify considerable economic advantages but also contribute to grid stability and the diminution of renewable energy curtailment, thereby underscoring the dual benefits of economic efficiency and sustainability in energy management practices.

Segmented Distributionally Robust Optimization for Real-Time Power Dispatch With Wind Uncertainty

Segmented Distributionally Robust Optimization for Real-Time Power Dispatch With Wind Uncertainty

Towards Risk-Aware Real-Time Security Constrained Economic Dispatch: A Tailored Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

In the presence of increasing uncertainties brought by intermittent renewable energy sources, security and risk management continue to be the most critical concern in modern power system operation. Risk-aware, real-time security constrained economic dispatch (RT-SCED) provides an efficient solution towards promptly, economically and robustly responding to the changes in the power system operating state. Despite different model-based methods have been developed to handle uncertainties, significant computation burden arise to incorporate <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$</tex-math></inline-formula> -1 contingency constraints with a higher temporal resolution in RT-SCED. Driven by similar computational challenges, risk evaluation is often overlooked in the current application of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) based data-driven methods in RT-SCED. This paper proposes a DRL-based risk-aware RT-SCED methodological framework by incorporating a novel data-driven risk evaluation model to foster efficient agent-environment interactions. The real-time dispatch policies are constructed with an improved twin delayed deep deterministic policy gradient method. The policy network features a residual network architecture and incorporates an active power allocation mechanism to integrate empirical dispatch knowledge, preventing early termination and fostering more efficient learning behavior. Case studies validate the superior performance of the proposed method in risk-aware RT-SCED on cost efficiency, uncertainty adaptability and computational efficiency, through benchmarking against model-based and data-driven baseline methods.

Optimal two-stage dispatch method of distribution network emergency resources under extreme weather disasters

In recent years, frequent extreme weather disasters have posed severe challenges to the safe and reliable power supply of distribution networks. In this paper, a resilience enhancement method is proposed for distribution networks, which establishes the full-phase analytical modeling of the distribution system defense and recovery process under extreme events, i.e., pre-event phase, degradation phase and restoration phase. Before a disaster strikes, multiple emergency resources are pre-allocated, including mobile emergency generators (MEGs) and repair crews and proactive islands are formed to improve the resistance of distribution networks to extreme weather disasters. After the disaster, real-time dispatching of MEGs and repair crews is coordinated with dynamic network reconfiguration, which considers the coupling processes among fault isolation, fault repair, and load restoration to improve the recovery ability of distribution networks. The IEEE 123-bus distribution system is used to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method in enhancing the survivability of loads and the rapid recovery ability of distribution networks.