A Review and Outlook on the Application of Automated Decision-Making Technology in the Operation and Control of Virtual Power Plants

With the profound transformation of the global energy structure and the continuous advancement of the dual-carbon goal, virtual power plants (VPPs), with distributed energy as their core, have become a key technological path to improving grid flexibility, promote the consumption of new energy sources, and ensure energy security. However, the diversity of resources within VPPs, their wide geographical distribution, and the rapidly changing external market environment have brought unprecedented challenges to their operation and control. Automatic decision-making technology, especially advanced algorithms based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), is becoming a core driving force for solving this problem. Therefore, this review introduces research on automatic decision-making technology in the operation and control of VPPs. First, it introduces the basic concepts, classifications, and operation and control framework of VPPs. Then, it describes the application methods of automatic decision-making technology in VPP operation and control. Finally, it points out the challenges of improving decision reliability and ensuring data security in VPP deployment and application. This provides theoretical support and practical guidance for subsequent research in the field of VPPs.