Lithuanian energy technology company Inion Software has launched a virtual power plant (VPP) platform for solar and wind plants, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and other distributed energy assets. The platform is already being used in Lithuania’s balancing market and currently connects 30 assets with a combined capacity of 160 MW.
Europe is adding more solar, wind and battery capacity to its power system, creating a growing need for flexibility. VPPs can bring these distributed assets together and manage them as a single portfolio.
The VPP connects assets at different locations and allows traders to control them as a single portfolio. Commands can also be sent to individual assets, for example, to adjust the output of a solar or wind plant or to charge or discharge a battery.
“Traditionally, each power plant had its own local control system and was managed as a separate asset. With a virtual power plant, we can connect multiple remote power plants to a central system and manage them as a single portfolio. This also allows the portfolio to participate in the balancing market,” said Dr. Šarūnas Stanaitis, CEO of Inion Software.
Managing solar, wind and batteries based on trading strategies
The platform can automatically adjust the operation of renewable energy assets based on trading operations. Traders set trading strategies and VPP implements trading steps.
If electricity prices turn negative, for example, the system can curtail a solar plant or limit the amount of electricity it exports to the grid. The plant can continue producing electricity for on-site consumption. If a battery is installed, the electricity can instead be used to charge it. All balancing markets are implemented and can be used simultaneously – mFRR, aFRR, FCR and day-ahead, intraday and custom scenarios.
The platform can also control several battery containers at the same site separately. Each container can have its own daily schedule and receive individual charging and discharging commands.
White-label VPP for European markets
Inion Software plans to take the VPP platform to other European markets and make it available as a white-label product. Energy companies and aggregators will be able to offer VPP services based on Inion’s technology under their own brands.
Inion uses standard hardware at energy sites, while its software connects the equipment to the platform and handles control.
“We can offer the VPP as a white-label product. One of our strengths is integrating the hardware with the platform, which can be a difficult part of VPP deployment. Expanding this product outside Lithuania is one of our targets,” Stanaitis said.
