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Virtual power plant for the integration of renewable energy

Our Virtual Power Plant

Control room software for distributed energy resources

What is actually a Virtual Power Plant? Our video explains in 90 seconds how the software connects decentralized units to a single controllable portfolio which can be efficiently integrated into electricity markets and grids.

emsys VPP is a pioneer in the development of Virtual Power Plants and is one of the world's leading suppliers today. Our sophisticated software monitors and remote-controls in real-time distributed energy resources with a total capacity of several gigawatts, pulling maximum value from their consumption and generation on power markets and for a smart grid management. The Virtual Power Plant digitally connects renewable and conventional energy sources as well as various types of storage systems and demand-side resources. Thus we turn distributed energy resources into a single power pool whose generation you can flexibly adjust to grid requirements or trade profitably on international spot, intraday and balancing power markets. In addition, the Virtual Power Plant covers the new grid management (Redispatch 2.0) processes with a focus on the role of the dispatcher.

Power traders, aggregators, energy providers and grid operators already control thousands of distributed energy resources with our trend-setting technology. Our Virtual Power Plant is used in many international markets and can be flexibly adapted to the requirements of electricity markets, users and existing IT infrastructure.

We are your partner for setting up your Virtual Power Plant

Our company provides you with a customized all-in-one solution: We support you in all steps to build your individual Virtual Power Plant, from plant connection to remote control and trading of the power generated from your portfolio.

We make sure that all the necessary plant data are integrated into your Virtual Power Plant: real-time data and availability of the plants, wind and solar power forecasts, consumption data and electricity market data. As a leading provider of power forecasts, our partner company energy & meteo systems predicts the power schedules for wind and solar parks which we integrate into the Virtual Power Plant. You capture all fundamental events – production and consumption processes as well as power forecasts – at a glance and can concentrate fully on managing your power plants.

Since our technology works as a Software-as-a-Service solution, there is no need for your own IT infrastructure. emsys VPP configures your Virtual Power Plant according to your requirements and, if required, our technical 24/7 support also takes over the hosting and operation. With our vast market and IT experience we support you personally in all questions regarding the integration, control and trading of renewable energies.

Learn in the interactive diagram how our Virtual Power Plant works:

enlarge diagram

Would you like to build a Virtual Power Plant or learn more about the possible applications? We would be pleased to advise you.

Your advantages at a glance
  • Leading and sophisticated technology; synthesis of many years of experience in operations
  • Complete implementation of your Virtual Power Plant from one source
  • Software-as-a-Service solution without costly own IT infrastructure
  • Integration of precise solar and wind power forecasts if required
  • Individual configuration of the Virtual Power Plant according to your needs
  • Extensive know-how in connecting different kinds of generators, storage systems and load to the VPP
  • Redispatch 2.0 processes with focus on: master and planning data, non-availabilities, Redispatch 2.0 activations, billing processes
  • Setup of users with individual access rights
  • Flexibly scalable: fast integration of new plants into your portfolio
  • Certified connection to EPEX Spot via API (M7, ComXerv)
  • Further interfaces for other energy markets
  • High availability through redundant systems
  • IT security: We are certified according to ISO/IEC 27001
  • Hosting and 24/7 support by our IT specialists
  • Service orientation and fast response times are a matter of course for us
  • Detailed training in the operation of the Virtual Power Plant
  • Comprehensive advice for the implementation of your project thanks to our international electricity market know-how

Operational purposes and business models

Leading energy providers, power traders, aggregators and grid operators put their trust in our fully developed and reliable technology for their use case or business model with distributed energy resources.

Business models and applications

  • Easily monitor your power portfolios: With our Virtual Power Plant, you can monitor real-time production and forecast data for all connected units on one single screen – from individual assets, regional or technology-specific sub-portfolios to the entire portfolio consisting of thousands of solar and wind power plants.
  • The VPP is ideal for trading of wind and solar power, conventional power plants, storage systems and flexible loads at the spot, intraday and balancing power markets, including a smart and reliable remote control of your assets. In Germany and in many European markets the VPP has emerged as the state-of-the art software.
  • The VPP allows Demand side management with flexible electricity consumers for an active load management.
  • Demand response to benefit from dynamic electricity prices.
  • Grid operators can use the VPP as a control center for feed-in management of renewables and to control wind and solar parks remotely.


Would you like to learn more about the flexible field of applications of our Virtual Power Plant?

Please give us a call: Tel. +49 441 212 120 or mail@emsysvpp.de

Flyer: Virtual Power Plant

Project examples

Wind farm in the mountains
Virtual Power Plant for Kelag

In record time of just three weeks, emsys VPP succeeded in setting up a Virtual Power Plant for the Austrian energy service provider Kelag.

Wind energy plants in Greece
VPP for Protergia / Greece

The aggregator unit of Protergia (Mytilineos) uses our VPP for trading electricity from its solar and wind plants.

Virtual Power Plant connects geothermal plants
Trading of renewables in Turkey

Our Virtual Power Plant for Pure Energy integrates as well geothermal power plants.

Our Virtual Power Plant supports the French power producer CNR in the direct marketing of solar and wind power in the French electricity market
VPP for CNR / France

Our VPP for CNR is especially adapted to the specific requirements of the French electricity market.

Wind farm in Germany provides ancillary services via virtual power plant
Trading of wind power in Germany

With our VPP the largest European aggregator Statkraft maximizes the benefit from its 10 GW German wind portfolio.

All customer projects

News

13.09.2023

02.11.2022

01.02.2022

04.11.2021

22.09.2021

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VIRTUAL POWER PLANT

Control Center

The control and communication center is where all the information from the Virtual Power Plant comes together. Diagrams are displayed on screens which users can individually configure. This creates a summary of all relevant planning and market activities as well as of current generation and consumption. Boundary conditions such as maintenance intervals for turbines, futures contracts or price forecasts are imported via an interface or entered by hand, including prices for balancing power. Additionally, monitoring of loads and consumption is possible.

Scheduling

Operational planning integrates all turbine-specific conditions and prepares an optimized aggregated schedule for multiple trading platforms. This includes the spot, intraday or balancing energy market. Moreover, existing futures contracts can be taken into account. Even the energy consumption is factored in to the continuous online optimization. The scheduling process can take place automatically or be manually activated. Operational planning avoids unnecessary shut-off (or switch on) events and saves operational resources. For the scheduling of ancillary services a safety reserve can also be configured.

Central control and operational management

The central control provides the plants with individual schedules and guarantees the adherence to those schedules passed on to the markets. Based on trend calculations a continuous monitoring and rescheduling is possible. If balancing power is called for, it is provided by a pool of pre-qualified power stations. In so doing, signals by the transmission grid operator can be directly processed. If no balancing power is necessary, then the entire portfolio can be used to even out the balancing group.

TRADING SYSTEM CONNECTION

Multiple trading platforms can be simultaneously operated by the Virtual Power Plant via trading connections. This includes OTC, spot, intraday and balancing energy markets. Market-bids can be directly configured. Short reaction times are given through the real-time availability of data. Schedules can also be passed on to a control system or exported to a file via this interface. If the portfolio has pre-qualified power generating facilities available to it, then the software can also be used in the balancing power market. Participating in the primary and secondary reserve market is then just as possible as the deployment of minute reserves.

EXTERNAL INFORMATION

Power predictions, load forecasts and load management

Information crucial to operational planning is made available via power and load predictions. In addition to data on the controllable power station, accurate forecasts of wind and solar power are important for power predictions. Therefore, our systems Previento and Suncast use forecasts by the most important weather providers. They utilize reference facilities and combine this information with specific data from the individual power generators, e.g. wind turbines. Previento and Suncast are important building blocks for reliable power predictions and turn wind and sun into reliable energy sources. The current energy consumption of the controllable consumer flows into the load prediction in the Virtual Power Plant, the latter being continuously adjusted via the always optimized load management.

Market data

The current day-ahead and intraday prices as well as the trading results gained on the different markets can be continuously and immediately transferred to the Virtual Power Plant. Moreover, futures contracts can be taken into account.

Availability messaging

Information on planned non-availability, e.g. turbine maintenance, can be passed on to the Virtual Power Plant both from the operator portal as well as, in some cases, directly from the turbine itself.

CONTROLLABLE POWER CONSUMERS

The intelligent networking of controllable consumers and loads, such as cooling or heat production facilities as well as storages with decentralized power generators is one of the core functions of the Virtual Power Plant. Schedule deviations, power plant failures or unforeseen overproduction can thus be mostly counteracted.

DECENTRALIZED ENERGY PRODUCERS

One central function of the Virtual Power Plant is the remote control and the intelligent coupling of energy plants, consumers and storages. Decentralized power generators include, for example, wind energy, photovoltaic systems, hydropower, biofuel facilities or heat controlled thermal power stations.

STEERING BOXES

Decentralized control units

Every power generating facility can be controlled by its own unit – the steering box. This turns the individual schedules set by the central control into control commands. The Virtual Power Plant can operate all standard interfaces.

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