A Framework for Incorporating Demand Response of Smart Buildings Into the Integrated Heat and Electricity Energy System

TLDR

Combined heat and power units are limited by heat demand, making frequent electricity output adjustments difficult and necessitating additional balancing power to integrate variable wind generation into the heat‑electricity integrated system. This paper expands the demand‑response concept to the heat‑electricity integrated energy system. The authors develop a comprehensive demand‑response strategy that includes energy substitution, load shifting, heat‑balancing power, and a real‑time DRX market with an optimum feasible region method for rapid clearing. Simulations show that the real‑time DRX market effectively balances short‑term wind fluctuations, reduces price spikes, and confirms the proposed technique’s advantages.

Abstract

The electricity output of combined heat and power (CHP) units is constrained by their heat output corresponding to customers' heat demand, which makes it difficult for the CHP units to frequently adjust their electricity output. Therefore, additional balancing power is required to integrate the variable wind power in the CHP-based heat and electricity integrated energy system (HE-IES). This paper expands the demand response (DR) concept to the HE-IES. A comprehensive DR strategy combining energy substitution and load shifting is first developed to exploit the demand flexibility of smart buildings. Besides electric balancing power, heat balancing power is also provided to relax the production constrains of CHP units. Moreover, a real-time DR exchange (DRX) market is developed where the building aggregators are stimulated to adjust buildings' energy consumption behaviors and provide the required balancing power. Compared with the existing day-ahead DRX market, the real-time DRX market can balance the very short-term wind power fluctuation and reduce price spikes. Additionally, a novel optimum feasible region method is proposed to achieve the fast clearing of the DRX market to meet the higher requirement for clearing speed in the real-time market. Simulation results verify the advantages of the proposed technique.