Enhanced Coordination Strategy for an Aggregator of Distributed Energy Resources Participating in the Day-Ahead Reserve Market

Abstract

The integration of distributed energy resources (DERs), e.g., electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable distributed generation (DG), in the electrical distribution system (EDS) brings advantages to society, but also introduces technical challenges (e.g., overloading and voltage issues). A DER aggregator, which has agreements with DERs to manage their consumption/generation, could collaborate with the EDS operator to mitigate those technical challenges. Previous approaches have mainly focused on the aggregator’s strategy to manage demand, aiming at the maximization of profits. Therefore, methods to support the aggregator’s strategy need to be extended to facilitate the integration of renewable DG, leading to an enhanced coordination of DERs. This paper proposes a linear programming model for the aggregator’s coordination strategy to maximize its profit through the management of DERs and the participation in the day-ahead reserve market. The model uses EV charging control to provide up/down reserve and reduces its cost taking advantage of DG. The proposed mathematical model represents the daily EDS operation (hourly resolution) to enforce voltage and current magnitude constraints. A case study carried out in an unbalanced 34-bus EDS with 660 EVs, demonstrates that the application of the proposed method enhances the DER aggregator’s strategy, leading to better outcomes in both profits and EDS operation.