Computer-implemented method for managing a plurality of third party assets of a virtual power plant

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a computer-implemented method (100) for managing a plurality of third party assets of a virtual power plant for power grid frequency balancing comprises: obtaining (101) at least one operating parameter of each asset in the plurality of third party assets; obtaining (102) an operating profile of each asset in the plurality of third party assets, wherein the operating profile of each asset indicates how the at least one energy storage unit, the at least one power source, and the at least one asset load are operated; determining (103) an activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one operating parameter of each asset and the operating profile of each asset; forming (104) at least one activation priority list based at least on the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets; and activating (105) the plurality of third party assets for power grid frequency balancing according to the at least one activation priority list.

Description

COMPUTER- IMPLEMENTED METHOD FOR MANAGING A PLURALITY OF THIRD PARTY ASSETS OF A VIRTUAL POWER PLANTTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to distributed energy storage systems , and more particularly to a computer-implemented method for managing a plurality of third party assets of a virtual power plant for power grid frequency balancing, a computing device , a virtual power plant , and a computer program product .BACKGROUND

[0002] A virtual power plant (VPP) can comprise a large number of assets with energy storage units . Some assets may be so-called third party assets not owned by the operator of the VPP . When working in national frequency reserve markets , the market operator can require each participant to deliver a selected amount of frequency balancing capacity for the market during the time of resource activation . Utili zing third party assets for frequency balancing can introduce various technical challenges .SUMMARY

[0003] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a s implif ied form that are further described below in the detailed description . This sum-mary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subj ect matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subj ect matter .

[0004] It is an obj ective to provide a computer-implemented method for managing a plurality of assets of a virtual power plant , a computing device , a virtual power plant , and a computer program product . The foregoing and other obj ectives are achieved by the features of the independent claims . Further implementation forms are apparent from the dependent claims , the description and the figures .

[0005] According to a first aspect, a computer-implemented method for managing a plurality of third party assets of a virtual power plant for power grid frequency balancing, wherein each asset in the plurality of third party assets comprises at least one energy storage unit , at least one power source , and at least one asset load, comprises : obtaining at least one operating parameter of each asset in the plurality of third party assets ; obtaining an operating profile of each asset in the plurality of third party assets , wherein the operating profile of each asset indicates how the at least one energy storage unit , the at least one power source , and the at least one asset load are operated; determining an activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one operating parameter of each asset and the operating profile of each asset ; forming at least one activationpriority li st based at least on the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party as sets ; and activating the plurality of third party assets for power grid frequency balancing according to the at least one activation priority list .

[0006] In an implementation form of the first aspect , the operating profile of at least one asset in the plurality of third party assets indicates a load-shifting configuration of the asset ; and / or the at least one power source of at least one asset in the plural ity of third party assets comprises a solar power source and the operating profile of the asset indicates a solar optimisation configuration of the asset .

[0007] In another implementation form of the first aspect , the at least one activation priority li st comprises an activation priority list for up regulation and an activation priority list for down regulation .

[0008] In another implementation form of the first aspect , the determining the activation preference for each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one operating parameter and the operating profile of each asset further comprises determining a preferred activation magnitude and / or an activation priority for each asset in the plural ity of third party assets , and the method further comprises forming the at least one activation priority list based at least on the activation preference of each as set in the plurality of third party assets and the preferredactivation magnitude and / or the activation priority of each asset in the plurality of third party assets .

[0009] In another implementation form of the first aspect , the method further comprises : obtaining at least one performance factor for each as set in the plural ity of third party assets ; and determining the activation preference for each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one operating parameter of each as set , the operating profile of each as set , and the at least one performance factor of each asset .

[0010] In another implementation form of the first aspect , the at least one performance factor of each asset comprises weather information at a location of the asset , temperature information at a location of the asset , and / or a manual performance setting .

[0011] In another implementation form of the first aspect , the operating profile of each asset indicates how the at least one energy storage unit , the at least one power source , and the at least one asset load are operated temporally over a time interval .

[0012] In another implementation form of the first aspect , the at least one energy storage unit compri ses at least one battery and / or at least one supercapacitor .

[0013] In another implementation form of the first aspect , at least one asset in the plurality of third party assets comprises a residential asset .

[0014] In another implementation form of the first aspect , the method further comprises periodically performing : updating the at least one operating parameter and the operating profile of each asset in the plurality of third party assets ; updating the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one updated operating parameter and the updated operating profile of each asset ; updating the at least one activation priority list based at least on the updated activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets ; and activating the plurality of third party assets for power grid frequency balancing according to the at least one updated activation priority list .

[0015] According to a second aspect , a computing device compri ses at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code , the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to , with the at least one proces sor, cause the computing device to perform the method according to the first aspect .

[0016] According to a third aspect , a virtual power plant comprises the computing device according the second aspect and a plurality of third party assets coupled to a power grid .

[0017] According to a fourth aspect , a computer program product comprises program code configured to perform the method according to the first aspect when the computer program product is executed on a computer .

[0018] Many of the attendant features wil l be more readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings .DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In the following, example embodiments are described in more detail with reference to the attached figures and drawings , in which :

[0020] Fig . 1 illustrates a flow chart representation of a method according to an embodiment ;

[0021] Fig . 2 illustrates a schematic representation of an asset according to an embodiment ;

[0022] Fig . 3 illustrates a schematic representation of asset activation according to an embodiment ;

[0023] Fig . 4 illustrates a schematic representation of a computing device according to an embodiment ;

[0024] Fig . 5 illustrates a schematic representation of a virtual power plant according to an embodiment ; and

[0025] Fig . 6 illustrates a schematic representation of a bidding process according to an embodiment .

[0026] In the following, like reference numerals are used to des ignate li ke parts in the accompanying drawings .DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings , which form part of thedisclosure , and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific aspects in which the present disclosure may be placed . It is understood that other aspects may be utilised, and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . The following detailed description, therefore , is not to be taken in a limiting sense , as the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims .

[0028] For instance , it is understood that a disclosure in connection with a described method may also hold true for a corresponding device or system configured to perform the method and vice versa . For example , if a specific method step is described, a corresponding device may include a unit to perform the described method step, even if such unit is not explicitly described or il lustrated in the f igures . On the other hand, for example , if a specific apparatus is described based on functional units , a corresponding method may include a step performing the described functionality, even if such step is not explicitly described or illustrated in the figures . Further, it is understood that the features of the various example aspects described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise .

[0029] Fig . 1 illustrates a flow chart representation of a method according to an embodiment .

[0030] According to an embodiment , a computer-implemented method 100 for managing a plurality of thirdparty assets of a virtual power plant for power grid frequency balancing, wherein each asset in the plurality of third party assets comprises at least one energy storage unit, at least one power source, and at least one asset load, comprises obtaining 101 at least one operating parameter of each asset in the plurality of third party assets.

[0031] The at least one operating parameter may comprise, for example, the state of charge (SOC) of the at least one energy storage unit, a total energy capacity of the at least one energy storage unit, a type of the at least one energy storage unit, such as a battery type, a temperature of the at least one asset, or any other parameter that can affect the operation of the at least one asset. The temperature of the at least one asset may comprise, for example, a temperature of any component of the at least one asset, such as at least one energy storage unit, at least one power source, and / or at least one asset load.

[0032] For example, if it is very cold, it may not be possible to charge a lithium iron phosphate battery but it may be possible to discharge such a battery. Further, the battery type can impact the temperature sensitivity of the battery. Sodium-ion batteries can be charged down to -20 °C but lithium iron phosphate down to about +10 °C.

[0033] Herein, an asset may also be referred to as a physical asset, a node, a unit, a distributed energy resource, a site, a battery site, or similar.

[0034] Herein, a virtual power plant (VPP) may refer to a distributed power plant compris ing a plural ity of as sets . A VPP can aggregate the capacities of the plurality of assets , such as first party assets and / or third party assets .

[0035] Herein, a third party asset may refer to any asset that is not operated and / or owned by the party operating the VPP . For example, a third party asset may comprise a power system of a residential building . A first party asset may refer to any asset that is operated and / or owned by the party operating the VPP .

[0036] Frequency balancing of a power grid may be arranged for example using automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve ( aFRR) capacity market . aFRR is a centrali zed automatically activated reserve . Its activation is based on a power change signal calculated on the base of the frequency deviation in a synchroni zed area, such as the Nordic synchroni zed area . Its purpose i s to return the frequency of the power grid to the nominal value .

[0037] In the future , there will be a new energy market , Picasso , and the activation signal in the aFRR market will be based on energy bids , not capacity bids . Capacity bids will be used as an incentive to bid energy because once a participant bids capacity they should bid the same amount also in energy .

[0038] Frequency balancing of electric grid may also be arranged using, for example , Frequency Containment Reserve for Normal Operation ( FCR-N) or Frequency Con-tainment Reserve for Disturbances ( FCR-D) that are active power reserves that are automatically controlled based on the frequency deviation . Their purpose is to contain the frequency during normal operation and disturbances . FCR is an active power reserve that is automatically controlled based on the frequency deviation . FCR may be Frequency Containment Reserve for Normal Operation, FCR-N, or Frequency Containment Reserve for Disturbances , FCR-D . Their purpose is to contain the frequency during normal operation and disturbances .

[0039] The method 100 may further comprise obtaining 102 an operating profile of each asset in the plurality of third party assets , wherein the operating profile of each asset indicates how the at least one energy storage unit , the at least one power source , and the at least one asset load are operated .

[0040] An operating profile may also be referred to as a target profile , a target operating profile , or similar .

[0041] The operating profile of an asset can define how the at least one energy storage unit , the at least one power source , and the at least one asset load are operated when there is no frequency balancing activation for the asset . For example , the operating profile can define a load-shifting configuration for the asset and / or if the asset comprises solar power, the operating profile can define a solar optimi zation configuration for the asset .

[0042] The obtaining the operating profile of each asset may comprise , for example , performing various types of computation, such as optimi zation, in order to obtaining the operating profile . Alternatively, the operating profile may be preconfigured and can be obtained from, for example , a database or any other data storage .

[0043] The method 100 may further comprise determining 103 an activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one operating parameter of each asset and the operating profile of each asset .

[0044] The activation preference of an asset may indicate whether the asset should be used for up regulation or for down regulation in the power grid frequency balancing .

[0045] For example , the at least one operating parameter may comprise the SOC of each as set . Assets with a close to empty SOC may not be usable for up regulation and assets with a close to ful l SOC may not be usable for down regulation . However, battery action may not be used for up or down regulation . For example , if a battery is at 100 % SOC and power is being fed to the power grid, down regulation can be achieved by stopping the feeding of power to the power grid . Alternatively or additionally, the at least one operating parameter may comprise any parameter that may affect the ability of an asset to perform up or down regulation .

[0046] The activation preference of an asset may not directly indicate that the asset has a preferred direction that is a binary up regulation or down regulation . Rather, the activation preference may be more gradual . For example , an asset can prefer to be used for up regulation a little and down regulation more , or vice versa . Thus , one activation direction may be better than the other activation direction but the non-desired activation direction is acceptable . Further, the activation preference of each as set can be asses sed in relation to the activation preference of other assets . For example , the battery of an asset may be at 90 % SOC and this would seem to be a low priority for down regulation . However, if the batteries of the other assets are at 95% SOC, the asset with a 90% SOC may be used for down regulation .

[0047] The power grid frequency balancing may comprise up regulation and / or down regulation . Up regulation can comprise an asset feeding power to the power grid by, for example , increasing power production of the asset and / or decreasing power consumption of the asset . Down regulation can comprise an asset taking power from the power grid by, for example, decreasing power production of the asset and / or increasing power consumption of the asset .

[0048] The method 100 may further comprise forming 104 at least one activation priority list based at least on the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets .

[0049] The at least one activation priority list may comprise , for example , the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets . The activation priority list can further indicate the priority of each of the activation preferences . The priority can be indicated by, for example , the order of the activation preferences in the at least one activation priority li st . In some embodiments , the at least one activation priority list may further comprise other information related to each activation preference .

[0050] The method 100 may further comprise activating 105 the plurality of third party as sets for power grid frequency balancing according to the at least one activation priority list .

[0051] Various embodiments of the present disclosure can provide a centrali zed coordinator for managing a VPP so that the asset owners are able to participate in frequency balancing of the power grid in, for example , the aFRR and / or FCR capacity market .

[0052] For example , the plurality of third party assets can be activated for power grid frequency balancing according to the at least one activation priority l ist in response to receiving an activation signal for power grid frequency balancing . For example , a controller of the VPP can received the activation signal for power grid frequency balancing and transmit control signals to the plurality of third part assets according to the at least one activation priority list .

[0053] The activation signal may be provided by, for example , a grid operator . When working in national frequency reserve markets , the grid operator can require each participant to deliver a selected amount of frequency balancing capacity for the market during the time of resource activation . The activated frequency balancing capacity is usually not allowed to fluctuate significantly from its intended setpoint , and the participants can be sanctioned in case the participant is not able to deliver steady frequency balancing capacity for the market .

[0054] For example , the at least one activation priority list may comprise assets for up / down regulation in their preference order . The asset can be activated according to the order of the at least one activation priority li st until the required level of up / down regulation is achieved . For example , an activation signal can indicate a specific amount of required up / down regulation power .

[0055] Commencing frequency balancing actions with third party assets can be different from operating first party asset due to various factors . For example , the electricity contract of the third party assets is that of the owner of the asset . Thus , frequency balancing actions can have a direct impact on the utility costs of the asset owner . One option can be to directly compensate the asset owner for the frequency balancing usage . Another option can be to operate the assets in a more efficient manner so that the net cost to the assetowner is reduced or so that the net ef fect i s positive revenue by buying and selling electricity in real-time .

[0056] The bidding and selection of third party assets with local power production, such as solar panel s , for frequency balancing can be more complicated than when using first party assets . For example , the assets are often allowed to feedback electricity to the power grid thus obtaining a revenue for the electricity sold . Furthermore , the third party asset owner can use local energy production to alleviate their own consumption and / or sell excess electricity back to the grid . However, local solar and wind production can be highly volatile and dependent on very locali zed weather conditions . Further, the load power consumption of a third party assets , such as residential buildings , can be volatile compared to first party assets .

[0057] At least some embodiments disclose herein can account for the scenarios discussed above . Embodiments herein disclose a bidder which operates on the aggregate level and uses large datasets to predict conditions on a high level view . Embodiments herein further disclose a selection process that can handle individual assets and make decisions in real-time which assets are suited for handling a given activation request .

[0058] In some embodiments disclosed herein, some functionality may be disclosed in terms of a three-layer VPP architecture . This architecture is only a non-limiting example and the functionality disclosed herein mayalso implemented in various other ways and / or using various other architectures .

[0059] A first control layer of the three-layer VPP architecture may be referred to as a planner and may be configured to determine in advance an operating plan for the DES system for a plurality of time slots of a first time period based on aggregated properties of the DES system, wherein the operating plan comprises allocation of aggregated capacity of the DES system for the plurality of time slots , and convey the operating plan to a second control layer .

[0060] The second control layer of the three-layer VPP architecture may be referred to as a supervisor and may be configured to determine rules for selecting assets of the DES system for obtaining the allocated aggregated capacity of the operating plan, monitor operation of the DES system in real time and responsively adj ust the rules ; and convey the rules to the third control layer .

[0061] A third control layer of the three-layer VPP architecture may be referred to as a controller and can be configured to execute selection and activation of individual assets of the VPP system in accordance with the rules .

[0062] Fig . 2 illustrates a schematic representation of an asset according to an embodiment .

[0063] Any disclosure herein in relation to an asset may apply to first party assets and / or to third party assets .

[0064] Each asset 200 can comprise at least one power source 201 . The power source 201 can be , for example , electrically coupled to the power grid . Alternatively or additionally, the power source 201 may comprise some other type of power source , such as at least one renewable energy power source . For example , the power source 201 may comprise at least one solar panel , at least one wind turbine , and / or similar .

[0065] According to an embodiment , each asset 200 in the plural ity of third party assets comprises a rectifier for charging the at least one energy storage unit 203 using power from the power grid and / or each asset 200 in the plurality of third party assets comprises an inverter 206 for feeding power to the power grid from the at least one energy storage unit 203 .

[0066] For example , if the asset 200 comprises a direct current ( DC) system, such as in the embodiment of Fig . 2 , the at least one power source 201 can comprise at least one rectifier for converting the alternating current (AC) to DC compatible with the asset 200 . For example , the at least one rectifier can convert 230 - volt AC to 48 -volt DC . Typically, residential batteries do not use 48V . Rather they often have higher voltages , such as 350 - 800V, and the recti fier can be used to step up the voltage from the power grid . The at least one power source 201 can be used to drive an asset load202 . The at least one power source 201 can also be used to provide power to the at least one energy storage unit203 .

[0067] In other embodiments , the at least one energy storage unit 203 may comprise alternatively or additionally, for example , a capacitor, a supercapacitor, and / or similar .

[0068] According to an embodiment , the at least one energy storage unit comprises at least one battery and / or at least one supercapacitor .

[0069] For example , in the embodiment of Fig . 2 , the at least one energy storage unit 203 comprises a main battery 204 and a secondary battery 205 . The secondary battery 205 can comprise , for example , a battery of an electric vehicle . The secondary battery 205 can be connected, for example , in parallel with the main battery 204 for bi-directional charging . However, the secondary battery 205 and the main battery 204 may not be connected electrically parallel in the traditional sense . Rather, the secondary battery 204 may have its own DC- DC converter and the current between the batteries may be AC . When the secondary battery 205 is connected, it can provide additional current to the asset 200 on demand to meet the asset load 202 or inverter 206 requirements .

[0070] The rectifier can be "partly" used if the terminal voltage of the rectifier is set slightly lower than the battery voltage . In such a configuration, some current is drawn to the asset load 202 from the rectifier and some from the at least one energy storage unit 203 .

[0071] In residential assets , the rectifier may be replaced with another type of component since residential buildings typically operate using AC and the asset load 202 typically operates using AC . However, the at least one energy storage unit 203 typically operates using DC and the inverter 206 can be used between the at least one energy storage unit 203 and the asset load 202 . Other components , such as DC-DC converters may also be utili zed . Further, in residential assets , the batteries can be more complex . For example , for the secondary battery 205 , such as a battery of an electric vehicle , the electric vehicle may need to have its own DC-DC converter and inverter circuit .

[0072] The at least one energy storage unit 203 can be used to drive the asset load 202 when being controlled to , and to receive charge from the power source 201 during recharge periods .

[0073] According to an embodiment , at least one asset in the plurality of third party assets comprises a residential asset .

[0074] The asset load 202 can comprise , for example , various equipment consuming power, the type of the equipment can be essentially anything consuming electricity . I f the power source 201 is partly pushing current to the asset load 202 , the frequency balancing capacity for up regulation of the asset 200 may not be equal to its power consumption but less .

[0075] For example , the asset 200 may be embodied in a residential building . The asset load 202 may compriseequipment of the residential building . The at least one energy storage unit 203 can be used for power redundancy and / or load shifting of the residential building in addition to power grid frequency balancing .

[0076] The asset 200 can further comprise at least one inverter 206 that can be electrically coupled to the at least one energy storage unit 203 and to the power grid . The at least one inverter 206 can be used to push electricity back to the power grid from the at least one energy storage unit 203 .

[0077] According to an embodiment , the operating profile of at least one asset in the plurality of third party assets indicates a load-shifting configuration of the asset ; and / or the at least one power source of at least one asset in the plural ity of third party assets comprises a solar power source and the operating profile of the asset indicates a solar optimisation configuration of the asset .

[0078] The operating profile of the asset may compri se , for example , a data model on how much the asset produces and / or consumes energy on a given day based on weather data, time of the year etc . Thus , the operating profile can be used to predict how much energy the asset can produce using solar power and / or consume for operation . The solar optimisation configuration can then, for example , plan to di scharge the at least one energy storage unit in the morning if it is predicted that the at least one energy storage unit can be recharged using solar power can during the rest of the day .

[0079] The load-shifting configuration can define how power is used temporally for powering the at least one asset load 202 . For example , load-shifting configuration can define at what time of day various parts of the asset load 202 are powered . For example , the load-shifting configuration can define that operations consuming large amounts of power, such as charging an electric vehicle , are performed during off-peak hours , such as during the night .

[0080] The solar optimisation configuration can define how power produced by the solar power source is used for powering the at least one as set load 202 . For example , the solar optimisation configuration can define that some operations are performed when the solar power source is producing large amounts of power .

[0081] According to an embodiment, the operating profile of each asset indicates how the at least one energy storage unit 203 , the at least one power source 201 , and the at least one asset load 202 are operated temporally over a time interval .

[0082] For example , the operating profile can indicate how the at least one energy storage unit 203 , the at least one power source 201 , and the at least one as set load 202 are operated at different times of day .

[0083] In some embodiments , the operating profile can be modified throughout the day depending on various factors , such as changing weather etc . Further, the operating profi le can be modified when the new electricity spot prices become available for the following day . Forexample , if electricity prices are low during the current day, even during the evening, but electricity prices increase the following day, the operating profile can be modified so that the at least one energy storage unit is charged as much as possible today so that the SOC is high for the following day .

[0084] Fig . 3 illustrates a schematic representation of asset activation according to an embodiment .

[0085] For every asset , the SOC and operating profile can be obtained . In some embodiments , also other information, such as weather, temperature etc . can be obtained for each asset . The SOC and the operating profile , and the other information can be compared for the rest of the day to define an activation preference for each asset .

[0086] Every asset in the plurality of third party as sets can be associated with an operating profile for the day . The operating profile can define, for example, load-shifting and / or solar optimisation performed by the asset during the day .

[0087] When there is no reserve market activation for an asset , each asset can be controlled according to the operating profile to , for example , use load-shifting and / or solar optimi zation .

[0088] The operating profile of an asset can be determined based on, for example , optimisation, such as load-shifting mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) with solar production modifications . In some embodiments , the VPP can also provide some estimates based onstatistical analysis of the plurality of third party assets , such as a solar production effectiveness estimate and an hourly consumption estimate .

[0089] The current SOC and operating profile of each asset can be compared for the rest of the day to determine the activation preference for each asset . This can be performed by, for example, any component of the VPP .

[0090] The VPP can collect the activation preferences of the third party assets and prepare the at least one activation priority list for the controller 402 .

[0091] For example , in the embodiment of Fig . 3 , in response to the controller 402 receiving an activation signal 401 , the controller 402 can activate as sets according to the priority list for each frequency regulation direction by transmitting control signals 403 to the third party assets 200_l , 200_2 , 200_3 . The priority list can be updated periodically .

[0092] For example , in the embodiment of Fig . 3 , the SOC of asset 1 200_l can be 50 % , the SOC of asset 2 200_2 can be 10 % and the SOC of asset 3 200_3 can be 100 % . Asset 1 200_l can be taking 1 kilowatt ( kW) form the power grid, asset 2 200_2 can be feeding 2 kW to the power grid, and asset 3 200_3 may not be feeding power to or taking power from the power grid .

[0093] For example , when the controller 402 receives an activation signal 401 for I kW down regulation, the controller 402 can decide whether to increase the charge level of asset 1 200_l , decrease the discharge level of asset 2 200_2 or increase the charge level of asset3 200_3. The third option may not be possible since the SOC of asset 3 200_3 is already at 100% and it cannot charge further, but feeding power to the power grid could be possible. In one scenario, the controller 402 can choose to reduce the discharge on asset 2 since it is running out of energy as well. The controller 402 can form the priority list accordingly.

[0094] In some embodiments, the method 100 may utilize rules that exclude assets that cannot physically participate in the power grid frequency balancing. For example, in the embodiment of Fig. 3, asset 3 200_3 may be excluded from down regulation, since it cannot perform down regulation since it is at 100% SOC.

[0095] For example, when the controller 402 receives an activation signal 401 for IkW up regulation, the controller 402 can decide whether to decrease the charge level of asset 1 200_l, increase the discharge level of asset 2 200_2, or increase the discharge level of asset 3 200_3. The second option may not be a good option since asset 2 200_2 runs the risk of being without energy soon if the discharge level is further increased. Option 1 and 3 can both be sound options. Thus, the controller 402 can decide which one to prefer based on, for example, electricity price, weather load predictions etc. The controller 402 can form the priority list accordingly.

[0096] According to an embodiment, the determining the activation preference for each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least oneoperating parameter and the operating profile of each asset further comprises determining a preferred activation magnitude and / or an activation priority for each asset in the plurality of third party assets , and the method further comprises forming the at least one activation priority list based at least on the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets and the preferred activation magnitude and / or the activation priority of each asset in the plurality of third party assets .

[0097] For example , for every asset , the current SOC and the operating profile for the rest of the day can be compared to determine the preferred activation direction of each asset . Further, a preferred activation power and / or an activation priority can be determined . For example , if the SOC of an asset is very low, the likelihood of having a high down regulation priority can increase and vice versa .

[0098] For example , the plurality of third party as sets may comprise 100 assets . When an activation signal is received, if the activation signal i s up, first all third party assets that can perform up regulation can be selected . For example , 91 assets may be selected because nine assets had too low SOC or other factors prohibiting them to performing up regulation . The remaining 91 assets can be ordered in a preference order . For example , the assets with the highest SOC can be activated first . Assets can be added until the combinedactivation power is substantially equal to the activation signal .

[0099] According to an embodiment , the at least one activation priority list comprises an activation priority list for up regulation and an activation priority list for down regulation .

[0100] For example , the activation priority list for up regulation can indicate and order in which the third party assets should be used for up regulation .

[0101] For example , the activation priority list for down regulation can indicate and order in which the third party assets should be used for down regulation .

[0102] According to an embodiment , the method further comprises : obtaining at least one performance factor for each asset in the plurality of third party as sets ; and determining the activation preference for each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one operating parameter of each asset , the operating profile of each asset , and the at least one performance factor of each asset .

[0103] The at least one performance factor of an asset may comprise, for example , any external factor that may affect the performance of an asset , such as the capabi lity of the at least one power source 201 to produce power .

[0104] According to an embodiment , the at least one performance factor of each asset compri ses weather in-formation at a location of the asset , temperature information at a location of the asset , and / or a manual performance setting .

[0105] In some embodiments , the operations of the method 100 can be performed periodically in order to update the at least one activation priority list .

[0106] According to an embodiment , the method 100 further comprises periodically performing : updating the at least one operating parameter and the operating profile of each asset in the plurality of third party assets ; updating the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one updated operating parameter and the updated operating profi le of each asset ; updating the at least one activation priority list based at least on the updated activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets ; and activating the plurality of third party assets for power grid frequency balancing according to the at least one updated activation priority list .

[0107] Fig . 4 illustrates a schematic representation of a computing device according to an embodiment .

[0108] According to an embodiment , a computing device 500 comprises at least one processor 501 and at least one memory 502 including computer program code , the at least one memory 502 and the computer program code configured to , with the at least one processor 501 , cause the computing device 500 to perform the method 100 .

[0109] The computing device 500 may comprise at least one processor 501. The at least one processor 501 may comprise, for example, one or more of various processing devices, such as a co-processor, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , a processing circuitry with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field programmable gate array (FPGA) , a microprocessor unit (MCU) , a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, or the like.

[0110] The computing device 500 may further comprise a memory 502. The memory 502 may be configured to store, for example, computer programs and the like. The memory 502 may comprise one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or a combination of one or more volatile memory devices and nonvolatile memory devices. For example, the memory 502 may be embodied as magnetic storage devices (such as hard disk drives, magnetic tapes, etc.) , optical magnetic storage devices, and semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, PROM (programmable ROM) , EPROM (erasable PROM) , flash ROM, RAM (random access memory) , etc.) .

[0111] The computing device 500 may further comprise other components not illustrated in the embodiment of Fig. 4. The computing device 500 may comprise, for example, an input / output bus for connecting the computing device 500 to other devices.

[0112] When the computing device 500 is configured to implement some functionality, some component and / or components of the computing device 500 , such as the at least one processor 501 and / or the memory 502 , may be configured to implement this functionality . Furthermore , when the at least one processor 501 is configured to implement some functionality, this functionality may be implemented using program code comprised, for example , in the memory .[01 1 3] The computing device 500 may be implemented at least partially using, for example , a computer, some other computing device , or similar .

[0114] Fig . 5 illustrates a schematic representation of a virtual power plant according to an embodiment .[01 1 5] According to an embodiment , a virtual power plant 600 comprises the computing device 500 and a plurality of third party assets 200 coupled to a power grid 601 .

[0116] The virtual power plant 600 may also be referred to as a virtual power plant system, a distributed energy storage system, or similar .[01 1 7] Each asset in the plurality of third party assets 200 may be coupled to the computing device 500 . Thus , the computing device 500 may be configured to control each asset 200 in the plurality of third party assets according to the method 100 .

[0118] Fig . 6 illustrates a schematic representation of a bidding process according to an embodiment .

[0119] Bidding in the VPP can be more affected by the behaviour of the third party assets compared to first party assets due to various factors . For example , the power load of a res idential as set can be more volati le than that of first party assets . A residential asset can have a load consumption from, for example , 0 kW to 15 kW depending on how the asset is operated . Furthermore , residential assets can be allowed to feed electricity back to the power grid . This can increase the state space by one configuration point compared to first party assets . Further, different electricity transfer companies may have different policies on how the fees related to the feeding power back to the power grid are calculated . Moreover, local solar production can influence the consumption / production pattern, and local weather can affect this parameter significantly .

[0120] Bid levels in third party assets may need to rely on several predictive factors like consumption patterns , production , weather etc . For example , it can be more likely to bid more up regulation when the consumption is high because then there is more room for battery discharge , the opposite can be true for down regulation .

[0121] Third party assets , such as residential assets are likely to use electricity differently during different times of day, but statistical patterns can be assumed to be used to determine bids in the reserve market . For example , many consumers charge their car during the night when there is no solar production, hence discharging the energy storage of the asset is aneffective way of reducing consumption without the need for feeding power back to the grid .

[0122] The bidding process may use weather data, historical consumption, historical activations , time of day, day of week etc . to make the highest possible bids in both activation directions without violating energy or power limitations .

[0123] Some assets in a pool of assets may need to be selected when there is an activation signal from the reserve market . The selection proces s can be more di fficult in the case of third party assets , such as assets with solar-based power production with a power grid feed inverter .

[0124] Third party assets can be in, for example , a charging state , a discharging state , a match state , or a neutral state . In the charging state , the at least one energy storage unit is charging using power from the power grid . In the discharging state , the at least one energy storage unit is feeding power to the power grid . In the match state , the at least one energy storage unit is matching the load consumption of the asset load but no energy is fed to the power grid . In the neutral state , the at least one energy storage unit keeps the SOC at a steady level , even if power production, such as solar power, is available .

[0125] The state the asset can depend on local factors such as asset load, power production, such as solar power production, local weather etc . For example , to perform up regulation, the system can select a numberof assets that can either perform actions , such as "start discharging to grid" , and / or "stop charging" .

[0126] For example it may be sunny in western Finland and cloudy in eastern Finland . Thus , it may be more likely that an asset in easter Finland should perform up regulation because the solar production is lower, and it is less likely that the inverter in the asset is already feeding power to the power grid . On the other hand, it i s more l ikely that the energy storage in the as set in eastern Finland is not charged enough to perform up regulation . Thus , the other way may be true also . Thus , the selection process should balance between power production and available energy .

[0127] The selection algorithm can prioriti ze both power and energy when selecting assets for activation .

[0128] Bidding is typically performed before the fact , usually one day before the actions are to take place .

[0129] A variety of data sources 701 can be used for example spot price , reserve market price history, weather data etc .

[0130] Some of the data is used to feed a prediction model 702 . For example , historical reserve market prices and activation signals can be used to forecast the actions for the next day .

[0131] Some data, such as a weather forecast , can be fed-in already in a prediction form .

[0132] Limitations 703 can also be fed into the prediction model 702 to limit the output in some desireddirection . For example , the usage of reserve market actions can be limited in areas with a high likelihood of power blackouts .

[0133] A bidder 704 can make a bidding schedule for the next day . The bidding schedule can comprise up and down bids for every hour , every 15 minutes , or for any other time interval according to the bidding granularity .

[0134] Any range or device value given herein may be extended or altered without losing the effect sought . Also any embodiment may be combined with another embodiment unless explicitly disallowed .

[0135] Although the subj ect matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or acts , it is to be understood that the subj ect matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above . Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims and other equivalent features and acts are intended to be within the scope of the claims .

[0136] It will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments . The embodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the stated problems or those that have any or all of the stated benefits and advantages . It wil l further be understood that reference to ' an ' item may refer to one or more of those items .

[0137] The steps of the methods described herein may be carried out in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate . Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from any of the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subj ect matter described herein . Aspects of any of the embodiments described above may be combined with aspects of any of the other embodiments described to form further embodiments without losing the effect sought .

[0138] The term ' comprising ' is used herein to mean including the method, blocks or elements identified, but that such blocks or elements do not comprise an exclusive list and a method or apparatus may contain additional blocks or elements .

[0139] It will be understood that the above description is given by way of example only and that various modif ications may be made by those ski lled in the art . The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments . Although various embodiments have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments , those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this specification .

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A computer-implemented method (100) for managing a plurality of third party assets of a virtual power plant for power grid frequency balancing, wherein each asset in the plurality of third party assets comprises at least one energy storage unit, at least one power source, and at least one asset load, the method (100) comprising: obtaining (101) at least one operating parameter of each asset in the plurality of third party assets; obtaining (102) an operating profile of each asset in the plurality of third party assets, wherein the operating profile of each asset indicates how the at least one energy storage unit, the at least one power source, and the at least one asset load are operated; determining (103) an activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one operating parameter of each asset and the operating profile of each asset; forming (104) at least one activation priority list based at least on the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets; and activating (105) the plurality of third party assets for power grid frequency balancing according to the at least one activation priority list.

2. The computer-implemented method (100) according to claim 1, wherein:the operating profile of at least one asset in the plurality of third party assets indicates a loadshifting configuration of the asset ; and / or the at least one power source of at least one as set in the plurality of third party assets compri ses a solar power source and the operating profile of the asset indicates a solar optimisation configuration of the asset .3 . The computer-implemented method ( 100 ) according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one activation priority list comprises an activation priority list for up regulation and an activation priority list for down regulation .4 . The computer-implemented ( 100 ) method according to any preceding claim, wherein the determining the activation preference for each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one operating parameter and the operating profile of each asset further comprises determining a preferred activation magnitude and / or an activation priority for each asset in the plurality of third party assets , and the method further comprises forming the at least one activation priority list based at least on the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets and the preferred activation magnitude and / or the activation priority of each asset in the plurality of third party assets .

5. The computer-implemented method (100) according to any preceding claim, the method further comprising : obtaining at least one performance factor for each asset in the plurality of third party assets; and determining the activation preference for each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one operating parameter of each asset, the operating profile of each asset, and the at least one performance factor of each asset.

6. The computer-implemented method (100) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one performance factor of each asset comprises weather information at a location of the asset, temperature information at a location of the asset, and / or a manual performance setting .

7. The computer-implemented method (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein the operating profile of each asset indicates how the at least one energy storage unit, the at least one power source, and the at least one asset load are operated temporally over a time interval.

8. The computer-implemented method (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one energy storage unit comprises at least one battery and / or at least one supercapacitor.

9. The computer-implemented method (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one asset in the plurality of third party assets comprises a residential asset.

10. The computer-implemented method (100) according to any preceding claim, the method further comprising periodically performing: updating the at least one operating parameter and the operating profile of each asset in the plurality of third party assets; updating the activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets based at least on the at least one updated operating parameter and the updated operating profile of each asset; updating the at least one activation priority list based at least on the updated activation preference of each asset in the plurality of third party assets; and activating the plurality of third party assets for power grid frequency balancing according to the at least one updated activation priority list.

11. A computing device (500) comprising at least one processor (501) and at least one memory (502) including computer program code, the at least one memory (502) and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor (501) , cause the computing device (500) to perform the method (100) according to any preceding claim.

12. A virtual power plant (600) comprising the computing device (500) according to claim 11 and a plurality of third party assets (200) coupled to a power grid (601) .

13. A computer program product comprising program code configured to perform the method (100) according to any of claims 1 - 10 when the computer program product is executed on a computer.

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