The need for flexible networks is an emerging challenge for power system operators (SO). The use of additional support, such as demand response (DR), must be quantified in order to offer a reliable service, given that this information is vital for demand aggregators. Thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) are one of the most promising options among DR solutions; due to TCLs’ thermal characteristics their power may be increased or reduced accounting as ancillary services. However, TCLs tend to synchronize their behavior, which may affect their capacity to provide flexibility.

This paper proposes a method for quantifying TCLs’ power flexibility, taking into account different scenarios, types of controllers and loads. Two control methods are compared, and a modified control algorithm is applied to the controllers under analysis to avoid TCL synchronization. The analysis was validated by simultaneously using real demand data from the UK National Grid and temperature data for the same region and time frame.

对灵活网络的需求是电力系统运营商 (SO) 面临的新挑战。鉴于此信息对需求聚合器至关重要，因此必须量化额外支持（例如需求响应 (DR)）的使用，以提供可靠的服务。恒温控制负载 (TCL) 是 DR 解决方案中最有前途的选择之一；由于 TCL 的热特性，它们的功率可能会增加或减少作为辅助服务。然而，TCL 倾向于同步他们的行为，这可能会影响他们提供灵活性的能力。

本文提出了一种量化 TCL 功率灵活性的方法，考虑到不同的场景、控制器和负载的类型。比较了两种控制方法，并将修改后的控制算法应用于分析中的控制器以避免 TCL 同步。该分析同时使用来自英国国家电网的实际需求数据和同一地区和时间范围内的温度数据进行了验证。