Unified Modeling of Distributed Resources for Simulation of Aggregated Virtual Power Plants

As renewable energy continues to expand within power systems, Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) have become a critical technology for optimizing and coordinating various Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). This study presents a unified modeling method based on object-oriented programming principles to enable the integration and coordination of diverse energy resources within a virtual power plant, facilitating the simulation of aggregated VPPs. By thoroughly analyzing the physical models of distributed resources, such as wind power, electrochemical energy storage, electric vehicles, and temperature-regulated loads, common characteristics are identified and used to construct a unified model. The method, implemented in Python, is validated through simulation experiments. The results show that the unified modeling approach not only accurately simulates the operational behaviors of individual DER devices and their clusters but also improves the operational efficiency and reliability of the virtual power plant, thereby supporting the increased integration of renewable energy.