VHPready

Key takeaways

VHPready belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect VHPready to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of VHPready from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

VHPready (abbreviation for Virtual Heat and Power Ready) is an open industry standard for the control of decentralised power generation plants, consumers and energy storage systems via a central control centre. The uniform use of this standard enables the flexible connection of decentralized power plants to virtual power plants and Smart Grid applications. VHPready was originally developed by Vattenfall on the basis of international communication standards and was initially used to network its own plants. At the beginning of 2014, Vattenfall handed over the standard with all rights to the Industrieforum VHPready e. V., which had been significantly prepared by the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) and took over the further development and dissemination as an international industry standard.

Background In the wake of the energy revolution, decentralised power generation plants such as wind power plants, photovoltaic plants, biogas plants, small hydropower plants and mini or micro combined heat and power plants, as well as controllable consumers and energy storage systems, are becoming increasingly important. One approach to integrating them into the energy supply and exploiting synergies is to interconnect these decentralised plants to form virtual power plants. These can help to intelligently orchestrate and reconcile consumption and generation, which should lead to better integration of renewable energies and decentralised plants, a reduction in the maximum load on the grids and cost advantages for market participants. An intelligent power grid (see Smart Grid) plays a key role in this. Various price mechanisms, some of which are already in use today (see standard power), can serve as an incentive for providing this so-called flexibility. Up to now, the connection of the plants has been carried out by manufacturer-specific information and communication standards using different data models. With the aid of an open industry standard and certification of the decentralised plants, the process for connection and pre-qualification is to be facilitated and shortened.

History

2011

Vattenfall develops the standard on the basis of international communication standards, initially to network its own plants. 2012

Vattenfall releases version 3.0 of the VHPready specification 2013

Due to the interest in the specification, it was decided to develop an open industry standard for general use. 2014

Foundation of the Industrieforum VHPready e.V. as a competition-neutral and cross-sector platform for the further development of the standard and the certification of standard-compliant plant components. Vattenfall hands over the standard with all results and rights to the industrial forum VHPready e. V. 2015

Publication of the white paper of the specification VHPready 4.0, developed by the members. Foundation of VHPready Services GmbH, which is responsible for the implementation and international dissemination of the standard. 2017

Publication of the specification VHPready 4.0 at the E-world energy & water 2019

The remaining members of the VHPready e.V. agreed on liquidation of VHPready e.V. in a general meeting on 29.11.2019.

Scope and certification VHPready comprises different requirements regarding system configuration as well as necessary control and measuring elements. Supported plant types range from power generation plants to energy storage units and consumers. Certification is carried out by VHPready Services GmbH and accredited testing laboratories. After receipt of an application for the VHPready certificate, testing laboratories are commissioned to test the respective systems on the basis of the technical requirements. The process is divided into two stages: first, the systems are tested against specifications by means of conformity tests. They begin with the static testing of the properties specified by the manufacturer. This is followed by the verification of the dynamic properties, i.e. tests under controlled conditions. In the second stage, end-to-end tests are carried out using reference systems. After successful testing and acceptance of the test report by VHPready Services GmbH, the systems receive a product-related VHPready certificate. Changed products require recertification.

Technical details In order to obtain the VHPready certificate, the plants must meet certain minimum requirements. These ensure that a technical connection to a virtual power plant runs smoothly. They concern, among other things, the connection protocols used, technical performance requirements, security of data transmission and types of commands to the plants. The focus is on data communication, remote monitoring and remote control of the equipment. The current version of the specification is VHPready 4.0. The functional core of VHPready 4.0 is an extensive data point list. It supports the integration of different energy systems into virtual power plants. The telecontrol protocol IEC 60870-5-104 or a modelling according to IEC 61850-7-420 is used for this purpose. In addition to a plant park with a network of different energy systems, this data point list enables the integration of block-type thermal power stations (CHPs), wind power and solar plants, heat pumps, batteries, electric heaters, boiler and buffer storage. In addition, there are data points for meters and external signalling contacts. The security of data transmission is guaranteed by the establishment of a virtual private network (VPN) based on OpenVPN with SSL/TLS connections (Secure Sockets Layer, Transport Layer Security). An essential goal of VHPready is the definition of subsets or profiles of the standards used, so that only the profile has to be named during certification and project realization. Project-specific agreements on the details of the standards are thus largely eliminated. All tests for certification to the VHPready standard follow internationally standardized methods and techniques as defined by ISO/IEC and ETSI.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with VHPready

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what VHPready claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to VHPready before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about VHPready ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of VHPready

In research: VHPready appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses VHPready in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: VHPready is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2011 introductions, Distributed generation, Power standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for VHPready outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study VHPready in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what VHPready means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain VHPready out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is VHPready in simple terms?

VHPready (abbreviation for Virtual Heat and Power Ready) is an open industry standard for the control of decentralised power generation plants, consumers and energy storage systems via a central control centre. The uniform use of this standard enables the flexible connection of decentralized power…

Why does VHPready matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study VHPready?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on VHPready.