Low-Carbon Economic Dispatch of Virtual Power Plants Considering the Combined Operation of Oxygen-Enriched Combustion and Power-to-Ammonia

In order to achieve sustainable development, China has proposed to “strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and strive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060”. Virtual power plants (VPPs) are an effective means to achieve carbon neutrality goals. In order to improve the economy and low-carbon performance of virtual power plants, this paper proposes a low-carbon economic optimization dispatching model considering the combined operation of oxygen-enriched combustion (OEC) and electricity-to-ammonia (P2A). Firstly, the mechanism of the combined operation of OEC and P2A is proposed. The oxygen-enriched combustion technology can reduce the carbon emissions of the system and enhance the flexibility of the system operation; P2A can effectively consume renewable energy and improve the energy utilization rate. The by-product of the P2A process, oxygen, is the raw material needed for oxygen-enriched combustion, which reflects the complementary nature of the OEC and P2A.Then, an optimal dispatching model is established with the objective function of minimizing the total cost. Finally, the validity of the proposed model is verified by comparing and analyzing the simulation results of five different models. After the introduction of the combined operation of OEC and P2A, the total cost of the system decreases by 10.95%, and the carbon emission decreases by 34.79%.