Preference-Oriented Aggregation of Heterogeneous Distributed Energy Resources for Reserve Dispatch

Abstract: Aggregating distributed energy resources (DERs) aims to encode their collective flexibility into a single set for efficient grid dispatch. However, existing aggregation methods are overly conservative for heterogeneous DERs due to two main challenges: 1) dimensional heterogeneity, which complicates the combination of flexibilities across different time dimensions, and 2) type heterogeneity, where diverse and irregular DER profiles hinder accurate approximations, resulting in significant flexibility loss. To resolve these challenges, this paper propose a novel preference-oriented aggregation method for reserve dispatch. For dimensional heterogeneity, we extend existing techniques by reformulating the Minkowski sum as a polytope projection problem using a matrix transformation technique. By unifying DERs in a higher-dimensional space and projecting them back into the aggregate feasible region, the proposed technique effectively aggregates dimensionally heterogeneous DERs. For type heterogeneity, we further develop a distributed aggregation-dispatch coordination framework that incorporates reserve dispatch preferences into aggregation. This framework effectively captures the critical, active aggregate flexibility prioritized in optimal reserve dispatch, thereby significantly reducing the flexibility loss when aggregating type-heterogeneous DERs. Numerical tests validate the effectiveness of our method in addressing both heterogeneities and highlight its promising potential for power systems with high reserve requirements.