A virtual power plant with the use of the energy box in a smart grid concept

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed considerable advances in designing and operating of energy grids, while the concepts related to the operation of Smart Grids, Vehicle-to-Grid, responsive demand, among others, are gaining research interest worldwide. From an educational viewpoint, the use of a complementary laboratory approach is expected to contribute to the effective communication of these concepts to the students of engineering courses at university level. To this end, this work presents the development of a virtual lab for educational purposes, simulating the operation of a Virtual Power Plant in a Smart Grid context. The system under study involves renewable energy generation, controllable loads and local electricity storage options from electric vehicles, while allowing the students to experiment with the system parameters and perform real-time monitoring and control of the system operation.