Open Access

ARTICLE

Research on Master-Slave Game Optimization Scheduling Strategy for Virtual Power Plants Incorporating Photovoltaic and Thermal Storage Electric Heating Clusters

Meng Li, Mohan Yang^*, Yang Gao, Xiaokai Su, Hanwen Liang, Song Zhang
School of Electrical Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin, China
* Corresponding Author: Mohan Yang. Email:
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Integrated Renewable Energy Systems for Heating, Cooling, Power Generation and Energy Management)

Energy Engineering https://doi.org/10.32604/ee.2026.078284

Received 28 December 2025; Accepted 04 March 2026; Published online 08 April 2026

Abstract

In order to maximise the potential flexibility of winter electric heating loads, this study proposes a master-slave game-theoretic optimisation scheduling strategy for virtual power plants incorporating a photovoltaic and thermal storage electric heating cluster. This strategy is formulated as a leader-follower game with dynamic clustering. First, a dynamic clustering approach based on the K-means algorithm is employed to analyse the load characteristics of differentiated users, taking into account dynamic factors such as the charging/discharging power of thermal storage devices and variations in indoor temperature. Next, a leader-follower game optimisation model is established in which the VPP acts as the leader coordinating the photovoltaic-integrated thermal storage heating cluster. Given the differing economic objectives of the VPP and its users, the upper-level model aims to maximise the VPP’s operational revenue, while the lower-level model seeks to minimise users’ heating costs. Finally, Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) conditions are applied to transform the nonlinear, two-level model into a single-level, mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can effectively meet users’ heating demands while ensuring the economic benefits for both parties, thereby achieving a mutually beneficial outcome for the VPP and electric heating users.

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Keywords

Photovoltaic and thermal storage electric heating; dynamic clustering; behavioral differences; virtual power plant; Stackelberg game

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