EGAT Successfully Tests Virtual Power Plant for Smart Grid
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EGAT is raising Thailand's electricity system to the future, having successfully tested a 'virtual power plant' that automatically controls distributed energy resources in line with Smart Grid policy.
Mr. TidEiam Sai, Deputy Governor for Related Business at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), said that the agency has succeeded in testing the connection and automatic control of energy in the form of a 'Virtual Power Plant' (VPP). The test linked the Demand Response Control Center (DRCC) with the ENZY Platform, an intelligent energy management platform developed to administer and control various types of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) so they can work together automatically and respond efficiently to the electricity system's needs.
The key of this test is the integration and automatic control of three types of energy resources working in concert: Demand Response (DR), which reduces or manages electricity use in buildings and factories upon command; Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), which store and discharge energy to maintain grid balance; and solar photovoltaic systems, a renewable energy source that can be suitably managed alongside other resources.
When the DRCC sends a command to the ENZY Platform, the system processes data from local energy resources before automatically directing equipment according to set conditions. For example, during periods of high electricity demand, the platform orders unnecessary power consumption to be cut while simultaneously dispatching energy from batteries and managing solar power use to quickly and accurately relieve the main grid's load. Conversely, when demand is low, the ENZY Platform can store energy in batteries for later use, allowing geographically dispersed energy resources to operate in unison and respond to DRCC commands as if they were a single power plant.
The successful test demonstrates EGAT's readiness to develop the infrastructure and ecosystem needed to advance toward a Smart Grid, accommodating growth in renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicles. It will enhance the flexibility of electricity system management, mitigate fluctuations in renewable generation, and enable electricity consumers, buildings, factories, and owners of distributed energy resources to participate in creating energy security and driving Thailand toward its Net Zero goal sustainably.
