VIrtual FEnix chain Simulation tool VIFES

Description
1. General overview
The VIFES platform is a simulation tool for analysing the behaviour of a virtual power plant acting
within a FENIX concept.
For laboratory purposes, VIFES has been parametrized to simulate around 30 DERs connected to a 20
kV medium voltage network.
The DERs are of different types, such that various situations can be simulated and studied:
- 2 consumers with flexible load capabilities;
- 2 hydro-plants with small lake, working in intermittently, based on the lake water level;
- 3 gas-turbines with capabilities for modulated power output
- 3 wind generators connected to the grid;
- 3 solar panel generators
Their behavior will be discussed in detail in further chapters of this presentation.
Another 16 consumers are connected to the network, but they do not have flexible load capabilities; For
convenience, they are still considered DERs, but with zero flexibility
An additional DER has a manual controllable power and can be set during the simulation to have zero,
negative or positive power.
All these DERs are connected to an medium voltage local network, which is considered to be the basis
of the main VPP of the demonstrator.
Figure 1 shows the principle scheme of the network, as it is seen with the human-machine interface of
the VIFES platform.
It is about a radial network supplied from a 20 kV substation. The network has 12 nodes, from which
the first one is the power node in the substation.
The simulator is not intended in this version to simulate also the network, but mainly is focusing on the
DER simulation, on VPP aggregation and on load balancing services associated with the DER, as VPP
specific intraday activity.

Figure 1 VIFES simulated network

2. DER description
2.1 Gas turbine DER
This DER has the following characteristics:
- it has an approved day-ahead hourly based energy production schedule; this data is used in the
intraday period to ensure energy production according to the schedule;
- it has an approved day-ahead hourly based power band offered for control purposes; this data is
used in the intraday period to ensure active balancing in the DER, based on the real aggregated load
curve of the main DER, comparing with the aggregated schedule.
Figure 2 shows the human-machine interface of a gas turbine DER.

Figure 2 A gas-turbine based DER

2.2 Hydro-plant DER

The hydro-plant has the following characteristics:
- minimum and maximum level of water in the lake (Hmax and Hmin);
- water flow of the river Qin; this flow is continuous and constant; it is responsible for filling the lake.
- water flow of the turbine Qcrt;
- surface of the lake S[m2]; it is used together with the previous data to calculate the level H of the
water in the lake;
- electric power generated by the hydro-turbine Pgen; it is calculated as function of levels H, Hmax and
of nominal power;

The hydro-generator has an approved day-ahead hourly based energy production schedule, like all
other DER's;
Figure 3 shows the human-machine interface of a hydro-plant.

Figure 3 A hydro-plant based DER

2.3 Wind generator

The wind generator has the following characteristics:
- nominal electric power Pmax at nominal wind speed Vmax.
- current wind speed V_wind
- forecasted wind speed for the current period V_prog; this data is used to calculate current scenario
based wind speed with stochastic behavior;

The DER has an approved day-ahead hourly based energy production schedule;
Figure 4 shows the human-machine interface of a wind generator.

Figure 4 A wind-turbine based DER

2.4 Solar panel generator

The solar generator has the following characteristics:
- nominal power at nominal lighting
- a scenario based solar light level with stochastic behavior;
- current electrical power Pgen at the current lighting.
The solar panel has an approved day-ahead hourly based energy production schedule;

Figure 5 shows the human-machine interface of a solar generator

Figure 5 A photovoltaic solar based DER

2.6 Consumer with flexible loads

The consumer with flexible loads has the following characteristics:
It has an approved day-ahead hourly based energy consumption schedule.
The data is used also for simulating the intraday consumption, with stochastic behavior around the
schedule.
The consumer has also two stages of disconnectable loads, each with its own consumption and its own
price for being disconnected
Figure 6 shows the human-machine interface of a consumer with flexible load, showing also different
instrument measurements (voltages, currents).

Figure 6 A consumer with flexible loads

3. Other interface pages of the VIFES platform

3.1 Active balancing interface
This page allows the follow-up of the main parameters related to the active balancing inside the main
VPP.
In this view are displayed different parameters related to the active balancing process:
- total Band for continuous control by using generators; in this setup the DERs used for continuous
control are the 3 gas turbines; in this screen shot the total controlable band is 2.5 MW and has negative
sign because the simulator uses the sign convention for consumer, meaning that production is presented
with minus values and consumption with plus.
- Order, which is a value between 0 and 1 (or between 0 % and 100 %) which is sent to all generators
which have been selected before gate closure (usually during the day-ahead market activity), in order to
minimize the VPP unbalance in real-time. If the order is for example 0.47 (or 47% of the band), then
the generator which participates to this service adjusts its generated power such that it fits with the new
setup value.
- deltaP is the real time unbalance of the whole VPP, which is calculated as being the sum of all DER
power minus the sum of the scheduled powers. This value is an input for the active balancing

algorithm, which is continuously targeting to minimize the unbalance.

In real life of the the system the unbalance with minus is penalized differently from unbalance with
plus. This is because reducing power in the system may cost differently than increasing the same
power. In order to cope with this market behaviour, meters for unbalance on plus and on minus are
measuring these VPP related quantities in real-time are implemented in the simulator and are displayed
as Unbalance+ and Unbalance- [Mwh].
The VPP total power and energies are also displayed on this page (VPP_P, VPP_E+, VPP_E-).
Figure 7 shows the human-machine interface of the active balancing service.

Figure 7 Active balancing panel

If the control capabilities are completely used, the Order variable goes to zero (if there is too much
scheduled production compared with consumption) or one (if there is too much consumption compared
with the scheduled production). In the VIFES demonstrator two consumers have flexible loads. Each
such DER allows remote disconnection of their two load stages, based on VPP balancing needs.
The DER stages are represented in the active balancing module as pairs of (power-price) and their
ordering for disconnection is ordered by price, using a standard merit order algorithm. A diagram with
current merit order situation is also displayed in this view.
According to the implemented algorithm, the load disconnection stages are activated only when the

continuous control is completely used, meaning that the entire Band has been ordered (Order=1). For
visualizing this situation, additional variables are displayed:
- Order Needed: the real order which is needed for minimizing the unbalance; this becomes greater than
1 when generators means are completely used through Order=1 (maximum allowed for them); the extra
need is tried to be solved by disconnecting load stages, instead of increasing power generation.
- OrderCons: an equivalent of Order which acts on disconnectable load stages, for reducing the
unbalance. Its values are not between 0 and 1, but instead are values which describe the selected stages
to be disconnected: 0 means no disconnection, 1 means selection of the first stage of DER01, 3 means
selection of stage 1 and 2 of DER01 (the value has in fact binary flags, each position being linked to
one particular stage which can be disconnected).
- Band_Cons: the remaining band of power available for disconnection; it is the sum of stages still not
used and shall be seen as the reserve available for disconnection on request.
One particular important variable which is available on this panel is the so called Additional DER P,
which is a variable which can be modified manually by clicking the label, changing the value and then
clicking again on the label.
This fictive DER power is also included in the aggregated active power of the main DER and has
default value zero, so it does not influence normal behaviour of the simulated network.
The variable can be however used to induce a perturbation or an un-scheduled consumption or
production.
If the operator changes the value of this variable from zero to a positive value (for instance 1.5, which
means 1.5 MW), then the whole VPP has from that moment an un-scheduled consumption of 1.5 MW
(for instance due to a sudden increase in consumption). This brings a positive unbalance in the VPP
pool.
If the operator changes the value of this variable from zero to a negative value (for instance -0.8, which
means -0.8 MW), then the whole VPP has from that moment an un-scheduled production of 1.5 MW
(for instance due to a sudden increase of wind production because of high wind blowing). This brings
a negative unbalance in the VPP pool.
By wisely using the Additional DER P value the VIFES operator can bring the system in desired
situations such that the VPP active balancing mechanisms can be better watched.

3.2 Simulation panel interface

This page allows the follow-up of the main parameters related to the simulation:
- Start time: the starting date and time of the simulation;
- Current time: the current date and time of the simulation;
- End time: the ending date and time of the simulation; when this time is reached, the simulation stops.
- Simulation step: the number of seconds which correspond to a simulation step; the default value is 1
second, meaning that the algorithm runs at each second of the simulation time
- Simulation steps / second: the number of simulation steps which are computed in one second; the
default value is 1 second, meaning that the algorithm runs at each second one simulation step. This
value can be changed by clicking one of the green-backgrounded texts, which allow to accelerate the
simulation 10, 30 or 60 times.
Observation 1: in certain circumstances, especially when many pages are opened with the browser, the
power of the simulating server may be exceeded and accelerated simulation may be made at a besteffort rate rather than at the set rate.
Observation 2: this value is important for the simulation process and is displayed on all views of the

application in the lower part of the right rectangle which has the title Virtual Power Plant. The value
displayed in this position cannot be changed. Only in the simulation panel can be changed this value
by using the green- backgrounded texts.
- Debug and Pause are additional variables of the simulator which are usually set to zero. The standard
user should not use or take care of these variables, they are normally for system administrator use.
Figure 8 shows the human-machine interface of the simulation panel.

Figure 8 Simulation panel

4. Laboratory tests
4.1 Startup of the application
The laboratory application has the following procedure:
a) first start the FENIX panel by plugging in the power plug and by turning on the Key 1 of the panel;
The mandatory consumer shall be set ON, which will make the bulb in the blue casing to light;
The meter shall show connection to the FENIX box.
The two stages are normally OFF, before starting the computer

b) start the computer and wait until the browser is open and shows the image from the figure 1.
If the browser does not shows this startup image, it should be selected from the bookmarks menu the link FENIX main
page.

3.2 Simulation process and data to be watched

During the simulation, the system displays different data of DERs and of the VPP.
The main page gives an overview of the medium voltage network and the node where each DER is connected. Active and
reactive power (P and Q) of each DER are displayed in real time on this main page.