Study on optimal scheduling model of virtual power plant with low carbon and economic benefits

Against the backdrop of China’s “dual-carbon” targets, distributed wind and solar capacity is surging, yet the vast coal-fired base still subjects the power system to multiple environmental pressures—high carbon emissions, high variability, and the resulting pollution. To break this impasse and mitigate the energy system’s ecological footprint, this paper develops a virtual power plant (VPP) operational-scheduling model that simultaneously minimizes energy-procurement costs, carbon externality costs, and O and M expenses. An empirical analysis demonstrates that the model effectively curbs the environmental externalities of coal-fired peaking units and fosters green resilience in park-level energy systems.