Energy Storage-Driven Virtual Power Plants: Key Enablers, Operations, and Policy Landscapes in Future Power Systems

A special issue of Automation (ISSN 2673-4052). This special issue belongs to the section "Automation in Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 618

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China
Interests: automation in power system; energy storage; planning and dispatching

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Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
Interests: nonlinear systems; optimization; control theories and applications; sustainable transportation and electricity
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Guest Editor
School of Electrical Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin City 132012, China
Interests: wind and solar dispatch; uncertainty modeling and analysis; energy storage/EV integration; optimization of integrated energy systems; integrated demand response; AI-driven power system analysis; federated learning
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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
Interests: machine learning for energy systems; flexibility service provision; community energy system optimization; peer-to-peer energy trading; energy system resilience
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Guest Editor
Centre for Smart Power & Energy Research, School of Engineering, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
Interests: power electronics; renewable energy; systems; green hydrogen; microgrid; DC-DC converters

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The massive uptake of renewable energy sources helps reduce carbon emissions. However, with the continuous increase in the penetration rate of new energy resources, conventional units, as the main flexibility regulation resources in power grids, are gradually being phased out, resulting in an inability to guarantee secure operations and market functionality in power systems. Flexible regulatory resources, including energy storage and virtual power plants, can play an important role in power grid operations, helping ensure secure, cost-effective, and sustainable power system operations. This Special Issue aims to attract original research for key technologies related to the participation of flexible resources, such as energy storage and virtual power plants, in the operations and regulation of power systems, as well as novel energy market policies and commercial mechanisms, to promote the full utilization of flexible regulation resources and solve theoretical and practical problems for flexible resources in power systems.

This Special Issue welcomes original research on the topics, which include but are not limited to the following areas:

  • Planning, dispatch, and control for flexible resources participating in power system operations.
  • Business models and trading mechanisms of flexible resources in power systems.
  • Aggregation, trading, and control strategies for distributed flexible resources.
  • Collaborative control of the main-distribution network to support the flexible role of distributed resources.
  • Analysis and optimization of control mechanisms for frequency security and stability in power systems.
  • Classification and design of load forecasting application scenarios under the influence of multiple factors.
  • Coordination optimization and control of multiple resources, including conventional power sources, emerging renewable energy sources, and flexible resources.

Dr. Mingze Zhang
Prof. Dr. Yang Li
Dr. Samson Yu
Dr. Chao Long
Dr. Saman A. Gorji
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • planning, dispatch, and control for flexible resources participating in power system operations. business models and trading mechanisms of flexible resources in power systems
  • aggregation, trading, and control strategies for distributed flexible resources. collaborative control of the main-distribution network to support the flexible role of distributed resources
  • analysis and optimization of control mechanisms for frequency security and stability in power systems
  • classification and design of load forecasting application scenarios under the influence of multiple factors
  • coordination optimization and control of multiple resources, including conventional power sources, emerging renewable energy sources, and flexible resources

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

32 pages, 2177 KB  
Article
A Techno-Economic Analysis Using DERs on Apartments as Virtual Power Plants Based on Cooperative Game Theory
by Janak Nambiar, Samson Yu, Ian Lilley and Hieu Trinh
Automation 2026, 7(3), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/automation7030067 - 28 Apr 2026
Viewed by 247
Abstract
This study presents a techno-economic analysis of deploying distributed energy resources (DERs), specifically photovoltaic (PV), battery energy storage systems (BESSs) and electric vehicles (EVs), in apartment buildings configured as Virtual Power Plants (VPPs). Utilizing cooperative game theory, the research models strategic collaboration between [...] Read more.
This study presents a techno-economic analysis of deploying distributed energy resources (DERs), specifically photovoltaic (PV), battery energy storage systems (BESSs) and electric vehicles (EVs), in apartment buildings configured as Virtual Power Plants (VPPs). Utilizing cooperative game theory, the research models strategic collaboration between apartment residents (demand side) and utility operators (plant side) to maximize energy efficiency and economic returns. The VPP structure is analyzed over a 15-year life cycle, incorporating net present value (NPV), payback period (PBP), and government subsidy impacts. A cooperative game framework is applied using the Shapley value to ensure fair profit allocation based on each party’s contribution. Results indicate improved self-sufficiency, peak load reduction, and mutual financial benefits. Scenario analyses show that government subsidies to the plant side significantly increase the likelihood of successful cooperation, while declining DER costs enhance the VPP’s economic viability. The findings demonstrate that apartments configured as VPPs achieve strong economic viability (39% ROI, 10.5-year payback) and operational performance (70% self-sufficiency, 40% peak reduction) when grid arbitrage is enabled and moderate government subsidies (35% PV, 45% BESS) are provided. This research provides a replicable model for urban energy planning and policy development, promoting sustainable energy transitions through shared DER infrastructure and cooperative stakeholder engagement. Full article
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