Initial exploration of wind farm cluster hierarchical coordinated dispatch based on virtual power generator concept

China has made many strides in large-scale development and centralized integration of wind power in recent years. The wind power penetration of some regions has reached a high level, which brings significant challenges for power system dispatch due to the inherent variability and uncertainty of wind resources. To increase the dispatch capabilities of wind power generation, the spatial smoothing effect among adjacent wind farms needs to be fully utilized. This paper presents the concept of hierarchical coordinated dispatch for wind power based on a new concept of a virtual power generator. The spatial smoothing effect of wind power is analyzed first. Next, the virtual power generator method of a wind farm cluster is defined and established. Then, the hierarchical coordinated dispatch mode is compared with an existing wind power dispatch mode for individual wind farms. Finally, the proposed concept is implemented on a simulation case to demonstrate applicability and effectiveness.