Capability Analysis of Inverter-based Thermostatically Controlled Load Participating in Power System Frequency Regulation

Massive inverter-based controlled load (ITCL) cluster has immense potential for frequency regulation. It is of great significance to tap its active frequency support potential. The key challenge lies in performing a comprehensive dynamic time-scale analysis and systematic modeling of ITCL’s electrical and heat exchange processes across multiple time scales, which is essential for its participation in frequency regulation applications. To address this problem, the focus is first placed on the time scale matching between the dynamic behavior of all aspects of the entire electrical and heat exchange process of the ITCL and the frequency regulation demand, and proposes a simplified and reduced-order dynamic model of ITCL that meets the frequency regulation demand. Then, through a comprehensive dynamic time-scale analysis, it is concluded that ITCL does not need to consider user comfort constraints in the frequency modulation time scale. Finally, the concept of the frequency regulation response domain of ITCL is introduced to quantify its frequency regulation capability.