How to setup – ThingsLog VPP – Virtual Power Plant

ThingsLog VPP – Virtual Power Plant is a system that integrates various renewable energy sources, storage systems, and flexible consumers to optimize energy production and consumption. Using IoT platforms like ThingsLog can enhance the management and efficiency of VPPs by providing real-time monitoring, analytics, and control. This guide will walk you through the steps to create a VPP with ThingsLog.

VPP in ThingsLog where you can monitor, switch on and off various generators like solar power plants, wind turbines and manage battery storage. Bellow are the steps required to setup ThingsLog VPP

Setting Up Your ThingsLog Account

1. Sign Up: Visit the ThingsLog website and sign up for an account. You may need to choose a plan that suits your requirements.
2. Login: Once registered, log in to your ThingsLog dashboard.

Configuring Devices

ThingsLog VPP relay board

1. Add Devices: Navigate to the “Devices” section on the ThingsLog dashboard.
2. Register Devices: Register your energy-producing devices (solar panels, wind turbines), storage systems (batteries), and flexible consumers (smart appliances) by entering their details and configurations.
3. Install IoT Sensors: Install IoT sensors on each device. These sensors will transmit data such as energy production, consumption, and storage levels to ThingsLog.

Setting ThingsLog VPP Up Data Collection

1. Configure Data Sources: In the ThingsLog dashboard, set up data sources for each device. This may involve selecting the type of data (e.g., voltage, current, energy produced) and the frequency of data collection.
2. Connect Sensors: Ensure that the IoT sensors are correctly connected and transmitting data to the ThingsLog platform. You can test the data flow by checking the real-time data feed in the dashboard.

Creating a Virtual Power Plant

1. Group Devices: In the ThingsLog dashboard, create a group for your VPP. Add the registered devices to this group.
2. Define Relationships: Define how the devices in your VPP interact. For example, set rules for when to store excess energy or when to draw power from storage.
3. Set Up Controls: Use ThingsLog’s control features to automate the operation of devices based on predefined rules. For instance, you can automate the charging and discharging cycles of batteries based on energy production and consumption patterns.

Grouping Solar Power Plants

1. Integration of Solar Power Plants: Solar power plants can be a crucial part of a VPP, providing significant renewable energy. By integrating multiple solar power plants into your VPP, you can aggregate their output to create a more stable and reliable energy source. This aggregation helps to balance the variability of solar power, as the combined output from several plants can smooth out fluctuations caused by weather conditions.
2. Data Management: Use ThingsLog to monitor and manage the energy production from each solar plant. Data from the solar panels, such as irradiance, energy output, and system performance, can be collected and analyzed in real-time.
3. Optimization: Optimize the overall performance of the VPP by coordinating the operation of the solar plants with other energy sources and storage systems within the VPP. This coordination ensures that excess energy generated during peak sunlight hours is stored and used when solar production is low.

Linking Solar Power with Battery Storage

1. Complementary Systems: Solar power generation and battery storage are complementary systems within a VPP. Solar panels generate electricity during daylight hours, often producing more energy than immediate consumption needs. Battery storage systems can store this excess energy, allowing it to be used later when solar production is not possible (e.g., at night or during cloudy periods).
2. Energy Management: ThingsLog can manage the interaction between solar power generation and battery storage. By monitoring real-time data from both systems, ThingsLog can optimize when to store energy and when to release it. This ensures that the VPP operates efficiently, providing a reliable power supply even when solar production is variable.
3. Peak Shaving and Load Balancing: Battery storage can help in peak shaving, where stored energy is used during periods of high demand to reduce the load on the grid. This not only helps in balancing the load but also in avoiding high energy costs associated with peak demand periods.
4. Grid Stability: The integration of battery storage with solar power in a VPP enhances grid stability. Batteries can provide immediate backup power during outages or grid disturbances, and can also help in frequency regulation by quickly adjusting their output to match the grid’s needs.

Integrate with energy exchange

In order to be sure that your plants are generating according to the placed orders and to avoid potential imbalance costs (you generate more at a time when there is no demand) the system could be integrated through dynamic tariffs with energy stock exchange. If so you can set the system to distributively start/stop generation based on the current pricing on the DAM (Day Ahead) market or IDM (Intra Day) markets. One useful example on how imbalance costs could be avoided is to stop generation if energy market price of the IDM or DAM markets go under certain value. In those cases the VPP owners might need to pay more to the system operator or the energy utility for transporting the generated energy than the potential income from the market.

Commanding Hundreds of Solar Power Plants Based on Energy Exchange Pricing

1. Real-Time Market Integration: By integrating with energy exchange markets, ThingsLog can use real-time pricing data to optimize the operation of the VPP. When energy prices are high, the VPP can maximize the output from solar power plants and discharge batteries to sell energy at a premium. Conversely, when prices are low, the VPP can minimize energy production or store excess energy for future use.
2. Automated Commands: ThingsLog can issue automated commands to hundreds of solar power plants within the VPP based on current energy prices and demand forecasts. For instance, if the energy price drops significantly due to low demand, ThingsLog can reduce the output from solar plants to prevent generating excess energy that would result in financial losses.
3. Imbalance Management: To limit imbalance losses, ThingsLog can use predictive analytics to forecast energy production and consumption patterns. By accurately predicting when and how much energy will be needed, the VPP can adjust the operation of solar power plants and batteries to align with market conditions. This helps in reducing the mismatch between energy production and consumption, thereby minimizing imbalance costs.
4. Demand Response: During periods of low energy prices and low demand, the VPP can engage in demand response strategies. This involves temporarily reducing energy production from solar plants or shifting energy consumption to times when prices are more favorable. ThingsLog can automate these adjustments to ensure that the VPP remains economically viable while maintaining grid stability.

Monitoring and Analytics

1. Real-Time Monitoring: Use the ThingsLog dashboard to monitor the real-time performance of your VPP. This includes energy production, consumption, and storage levels.
2. Analytics and historical data analysis: Access ThingsLog’s analytics tools to gain insights into the efficiency and performance of your VPP. Analyze historical data to optimize operations and identify trends.

Optimizing VPP Operations

1. Adjust Parameters: Based on the insights from the analytics, adjust the operational parameters of your VPP. This might involve changing the charging schedules of batteries or redistributing loads among different devices.
2. Implement Predictive Maintenance: Use the data collected by ThingsLog to predict and prevent potential failures in your devices, ensuring smooth operation of your VPP.

Conclusion

Creating a Virtual Power Plant with ThingsLog involves setting up devices, configuring data collection, defining control rules, and using real-time monitoring and analytics to optimize operations. By leveraging the power of IoT and ThingsLog’s platform, you can efficiently manage and enhance the performance of your VPP, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient energy system. Integrating solar power plants into your VPP can significantly enhance its capacity and reliability, making the most of renewable energy sources. Additionally, linking solar power with battery storage ensures a stable and continuous energy supply, maximizing the benefits of renewable energy. By utilizing real-time energy exchange pricing, the VPP can dynamically command hundreds of solar power plants, optimizing economic returns and minimizing imbalance losses.