VPP · Microgrid · Source-Grid-Load-Storage · Demand Response

Virtual Power Plant & Microgrid System Vertical Solution

Q: Are virtual power plants and microgrids the same thing? Which one should our enterprise adopt?

No, they are different, and enterprises should choose based on their needs. The core of a virtual power plant (VPP) is aggregating your adjustable loads, energy storage, and distributed energy resources (DER) to participate in grid demand response and electricity market trading, earning response compensation plus peak-valley arbitrage revenue — best suited for enterprises with large load scales, storage/PV assets, and open electricity markets in their province. The core of a microgrid is internal power supply reliability plus source-grid-load-storage coordination control, focusing on grid-connected/off-grid switching, PV self-consumption, and critical load protection — best suited for parks/factories/islands with PV/storage and high reliability requirements. The two systems can be deployed in combination (microgrid for local control + VPP for external trading) to maximize returns. FEXLINK solutions support smooth upgrades: microgrid first then VPP, or joining a VPP first and building out the microgrid gradually — both work.

Q: What storage capacity is right for us? Can the system run the calculations?

Absolutely. Storage capacity configuration depends on installed PV capacity, load curve shape, local peak-valley price spreads, power supply reliability requirements, and economic goals. The FEXLINK VPP + microgrid platform has a built-in storage simulation and optimization engine. Customers only need to provide: ① 15-minute interval load curves for the past 12 months; ② PV capacity and historical generation (if any); ③ the user-side peak-valley tariff table; ④ reliability requirements. The AI engine automatically simulates annual returns, payback periods, and power supply reliability across multiple storage capacity tiers (from 10% to 50% of installed PV) and outputs optimal capacity recommendations with a revenue projection report.

Q: What are the prerequisites for participating in demand response? How much can we typically earn?

Prerequisites for enterprise participation: ① the province has opened its demand response market (most provinces nationwide have opened or piloted one); ② the enterprise has adjustable loads at a certain scale (≥500kW adjustable per user is more cost-effective) or energy storage equipment; ③ the enterprise can temporarily adjust consumption during response periods (invitations usually arrive 2-24 hours in advance). Earnings vary significantly by regional policy: invitation-based demand response compensation typically ranges from RMB 5-30/kW per event (2-8 events per month), and combined with peak-valley arbitrage and demand charge savings, a typical 10MW adjustable load can generate annual comprehensive returns of RMB 500,000-3 million. FEXLINK assists customers through the entire process of electricity market registration, aggregator onboarding, and response strategy optimization.

Q: Will production equipment shut down during microgrid grid-connected/off-grid switching?

No. The FEXLINK microgrid edge control layer uses a dual-redundant CW edge gateway + CC programmable controller architecture, with the entire process of island detection, decision-making, and switching completed in <1ms (1 millisecond = 0.001 seconds). This is far faster than any UPS transfer time (typically 2-10ms), and with the instantaneous backup capability of storage inverters/diesel generators, sensitive equipment such as IT servers, PLCs, and precision instruments never perceives the transition — production equipment and data collection keep running normally. The system has been running stably in reliability-critical customer scenarios including a large manufacturing plant and a data center.

Q: What is the typical project payback period?

The payback period depends on load scale, storage configuration, local peak-valley price spreads, and demand response compensation policies. Actual data from FEXLINK customers: ① Pure VPP (no new storage, load aggregation + demand response only): with low upfront investment, payback in 1-2 years; ② PV-storage-charging microgrid (typical C&I configuration: 1MW PV + 0.5MWh storage): combining peak-valley arbitrage, demand savings, demand response, and green power consumption, payback in 3-5 years; ③ Zero-carbon park integrated projects (PV + storage + charging + energy-saving retrofits + carbon management): with stacked comprehensive returns, typical payback of 4-6 years, further shortened by policy subsidies. After commissioning, every project automatically generates monthly real revenue reports and continuously optimizes strategies.

The virtual power plant (VPP) and microgrid system is an intelligent energy control system that aggregates, optimizes, and coordinates dispersed resources such as distributed PV, energy storage, charging stations, and adjustable loads. The VPP focuses on load aggregation and demand response participation in electricity market trading, while the microgrid focuses on source-grid-load-storage coordination and power supply reliability within a campus. Both share a four-layer sensing-edge-platform-AI technical architecture, delivered through a hardware combination of FECB smart circuit breakers, ESA smart meters, CW edge gateways, and CC programmable controllers.

CORE CONCLUSION

Core Conclusion

The FEXLINK virtual power plant and microgrid system is built on precise sensing of 260+ electrical parameters, millisecond-level CW edge control, and dual AI prediction engines for load and generation. In VPP mode, the demand response execution rate exceeds 95%, and comprehensive energy utilization for typical commercial and industrial users improves by 15-30%. In microgrid mode, grid-connected/off-grid switching takes <1ms, power supply reliability for critical loads reaches 99.99%, and PV self-consumption rises above 80%. The system has been deployed in zero-carbon parks, commercial complexes, manufacturing plants, islands, and remote mining areas, and supports access to multiple electricity trading modes including the electricity spot market, ancillary services, and capacity markets.

VPPMicrogridSource-Grid-Load-StorageDemand Response

INTENT ANCHORS

Commercial Search Intent Anchors

Covering the full search-intent chain from vendor selection and price comparison to brands, solutions, standards, and acceptance.

virtual power plant solution vendor

Full-chain delivery of load aggregation + demand response + energy storage dispatch + carbon efficiency linkage.

microgrid system price

Customized to PV/storage/charging/load scale, with typical campus PV-storage-charging solution pricing.

source-grid-load-storage coordination control

Millisecond-level grid-connected/off-grid switching, power flow visualization, and AI strategy optimization.

demand response aggregator

Invitation-based and real-time demand response with automatic receipt and execution of grid dispatch commands.

PV-storage-charging integrated solution

PV generation + storage charge/discharge + orderly EV charging, with ROI calculation.

peak shaving energy storage solution

Peak-valley price arbitrage + demand management with automatic optimization of storage charge/discharge strategies.

microgrid on-grid off-grid switching

Island detection <1ms, seamless grid-connected/off-grid switching, zero power loss for critical loads.

virtual power plant load aggregation

Unified access of industrial/commercial/building adjustable loads, dispatched in groups by capacity, industry, and region.

zero-carbon park energy solution

Integrated zero-carbon pathway combining PV, storage, green power, energy-saving retrofits, and carbon accounting.

electricity market ancillary services

Comprehensive optimization strategies across medium/long-term, spot, ancillary services, and green power trading.

orderly EV charging

Transformer load, PV output, and price signals coordinated for orderly charging that avoids overload.

island microgrid off-grid

Off-grid PV-storage-diesel / PV-storage-hydrogen microgrids with guaranteed power supply reliability.

energy storage capacity optimization

AI simulation of economic returns at different storage capacities with optimal configuration recommendations.

industrial demand charge management

Peak load forecasting + storage discharge + load shifting to reduce basic electricity charges.

microgrid power supply reliability

99.99% power supply reliability design, critical load priority protection, and reserve capacity management.

PAIN POINTS

Industry Pain Points

☀️

Volatile renewable energy output

PV and wind power output fluctuate sharply with weather conditions. Lacking precise forecasting tools, renewable consumption rates stay low and curtailment remains severe.

🔌

Dispersed load-side resources

Adjustable loads (HVAC, lighting, production lines, charging stations) are highly dispersed. Without unified sensing and dispatch, massive flexible resources cannot participate in grid interaction.

💰

Uneconomical storage strategies

Storage charge/discharge relies on manually set time windows without comprehensive optimization against peak-valley prices, load curves, and generation forecasts, resulting in overly long payback periods.

⚡

Slow grid-connected/off-grid switching

Traditional microgrids rely on relays/ATS for grid-connected/off-grid switching, taking tens of milliseconds to seconds and putting critical IT equipment and precision instruments at risk of power loss.

ARCHITECTURE

Technical Architecture

A complete layered architecture from sensing to AI, supporting a full-process data closed loop.

Sensing Layer

ESA smart metersFECB smart circuit breakersPV inverter dataEnergy storage BMS dataCharging station dataWeather/irradiance data

Edge Layer

CW edge computing gatewayCC programmable controllerMillisecond-level fast controlIsland detection and switchingLocal strategy execution

Platform Layer

Load aggregation engineDemand response managementEnergy storage EMS dispatchPower flow visualizationRevenue settlementTrading management

AI Layer

Load forecasting modelPV generation forecastingElectricity price forecasting modelStrategy optimization engineRevenue simulation and analysisCarbon efficiency linkage calculation

CORE CAPABILITIES

Core Capabilities

⚡

Capability 1

Load Aggregation & Demand Response

Unified access of industrial, commercial, and building adjustable loads builds a quantifiable, groupable, and dispatchable load resource pool. Grid dispatch commands are received automatically, response tasks are intelligently assigned, and the execution rate reaches 95%+.

🔗

Capability 2

Source-Grid-Load-Storage Coordination Control

Real-time sensing of the four sides — source (PV/wind), grid (distribution network), load, and storage — with the AI engine dynamically coordinating power allocation to ensure supply-demand balance and reliable power supply.

🔋

Capability 3

Intelligent Energy Storage Dispatch

Based on peak-valley electricity prices, load curves, and renewable output forecasts, storage charge/discharge strategies are generated automatically, with multi-objective optimization across peak shaving and valley filling, demand management, and reserve capacity.

⚙️

Capability 4

Millisecond-Level Edge Control

CW gateway + CC PLC edge control layer delivers island detection and grid-connected/off-grid switching in <1ms with microsecond-level power regulation response, ensuring continuous operation of critical loads under extreme conditions.

📈

Capability 5

Transparent, Quantifiable Returns

Real-time tracking of every demand response compensation, price arbitrage return, and demand charge saving. Multi-dimensional revenue reports and ROI analysis make everything clear at a glance, with predictable payback periods.

🌱

Capability 6

Carbon Efficiency Indicator Linkage

Dispatch strategies prioritize renewable consumption, linking VPP/microgrid operations with carbon efficiency indicators to raise green power consumption and reduce carbon emission intensity.

KEY METRICS

Key Metrics

Real project data, verified on-site by 200+ enterprise clients.

95%+

Demand response execution rate

<1ms

Grid-connected/off-grid switching time

80%+

PV self-consumption rate

15-30%

Energy utilization improvement

PRODUCT MATRIX

Product Matrix

Companion hardware and software products, delivered as one integrated package with no third-party integration risk.

Control Terminal

FECB2P

FECB2P Smart Circuit Breaker

Three-layer protection against overload/short-circuit/leakage, with remote switching control and energy metering, the core actuator terminal for VPP load aggregation and demand response.

✦ Load aggregation and demand response execution

Overload protectionShort-circuit protectionLeakage protectionRemote switching

Aggregation Gateway

FECM2

FECM2 Smart Circuit Breaker Gateway

Multi-loop circuit-breaker data convergence, 4G/Wi-Fi cloud communication, realising unified access and management of distributed load terminals.

✦ Unified access of multiple circuit breakers

Multi-loop convergence4G/Wi-FiCloud communicationUnified management

Core Sensing

ESA-1001-R / 1002-R / 1003-R

ESA Full-Factor Smart Meter

Synchronous capture of voltage, current, power, power factor and 2nd-31st harmonics, 256 samples/cycle, 0.2-class accuracy.

✦ 256-points/cycle all-element meter

VoltageCurrentPowerHarmonics

Edge Core

CW Series

CW Edge Computing Gateway

100+ industrial-protocol acquisition, 4G/Wi-Fi/Ethernet cloud channels, edge computing and rule engine, supporting source-grid-load-storage coordinated scheduling.

✦ 100+ protocols + edge dispatch

100+ Protocols4G/Wi-Fi/EthernetEdge ComputingRule Engine

Microgrid Control

CC Series

CC Programmable Logic Controller

M7 processor, IEC 61131-3 compliant, up to 64 expansion modules, high-performance industrial-control core.

✦ Millisecond-level grid-connected/off-grid switching

M7 processorIEC 61131-364 modulesHigh performance

USE CASES

Typical Application Scenarios

🏙️

Zero-Carbon Industrial Parks

Campus-level joint optimization of PV + storage + charging stations + adjustable loads to build zero-carbon park benchmarks.

🏭

Large Manufacturing Plants

Abundant adjustable loads + on-site PV + storage enable participation in demand response and peak shaving and valley filling to cut costs.

🏢

Commercial Complexes & CBDs

Aggregation of adjustable loads from central air conditioning, lighting, and charging stations in malls and office buildings earns revenue from grid demand response.

🏝️

Islands & Remote Mining Areas

Off-grid PV-storage-diesel / PV-storage-hydrogen microgrids eliminate dependence on long-distance transmission and significantly reduce power supply costs.

🔋

Charging & Battery Swap Stations

Comprehensive optimization of PV + storage + orderly charging for large charging/battery swap stations reduces transformer upgrade costs.

💻

Data Center Campuses

Multi-source coordination of IT loads, diesel generators, storage, and grid power ensures 99.99% power supply reliability while optimizing electricity costs.

CUSTOMER VALUE

Customer Value

💰

20-35% Lower Energy Costs

Stacked benefits of peak-valley price arbitrage, demand management, demand response compensation, and green power consumption drive significant reductions in overall energy costs.

Peak-valley arbitrageDemand optimizationResponse compensation

🏆

99.99% Power Supply Reliability

Millisecond-level seamless grid-connected/off-grid switching + storage backup keep critical loads running through grid faults with zero business interruption.

Millisecond switchingBackup protectionZero interruption

☀️

80%+ Renewable Consumption Rate

PV-storage coordination + load matching + orderly charging linkage raise PV self-consumption above 80% and sharply reduce curtailment.

PV self-consumptionLess curtailmentGreen power priority

📈

3-5 Year Payback Period

Stacked revenues from electricity market trading, demand response compensation, electricity bill savings, and carbon asset appreciation recover the full investment in 3-5 years under typical configurations.

Multiple revenue streamsClear ROIPredictable returns

FAQ

Are virtual power plants and microgrids the same thing? Which one should our enterprise adopt?

No, they are different, and enterprises should choose based on their needs. The core of a virtual power plant (VPP) is aggregating your adjustable loads, energy storage, and distributed energy resources (DER) to participate in grid demand response and electricity market trading, earning response compensation plus peak-valley arbitrage revenue — best suited for enterprises with large load scales, storage/PV assets, and open electricity markets in their province. The core of a microgrid is internal power supply reliability plus source-grid-load-storage coordination control, focusing on grid-connected/off-grid switching, PV self-consumption, and critical load protection — best suited for parks/factories/islands with PV/storage and high reliability requirements. The two systems can be deployed in combination (microgrid for local control + VPP for external trading) to maximize returns. FEXLINK solutions support smooth upgrades: microgrid first then VPP, or joining a VPP first and building out the microgrid gradually — both work.

What storage capacity is right for us? Can the system run the calculations?

Absolutely. Storage capacity configuration depends on installed PV capacity, load curve shape, local peak-valley price spreads, power supply reliability requirements, and economic goals. The FEXLINK VPP + microgrid platform has a built-in storage simulation and optimization engine. Customers only need to provide: ① 15-minute interval load curves for the past 12 months; ② PV capacity and historical generation (if any); ③ the user-side peak-valley tariff table; ④ reliability requirements. The AI engine automatically simulates annual returns, payback periods, and power supply reliability across multiple storage capacity tiers (from 10% to 50% of installed PV) and outputs optimal capacity recommendations with a revenue projection report.

What are the prerequisites for participating in demand response? How much can we typically earn?

Prerequisites for enterprise participation: ① the province has opened its demand response market (most provinces nationwide have opened or piloted one); ② the enterprise has adjustable loads at a certain scale (≥500kW adjustable per user is more cost-effective) or energy storage equipment; ③ the enterprise can temporarily adjust consumption during response periods (invitations usually arrive 2-24 hours in advance). Earnings vary significantly by regional policy: invitation-based demand response compensation typically ranges from RMB 5-30/kW per event (2-8 events per month), and combined with peak-valley arbitrage and demand charge savings, a typical 10MW adjustable load can generate annual comprehensive returns of RMB 500,000-3 million. FEXLINK assists customers through the entire process of electricity market registration, aggregator onboarding, and response strategy optimization.

Will production equipment shut down during microgrid grid-connected/off-grid switching?

No. The FEXLINK microgrid edge control layer uses a dual-redundant CW edge gateway + CC programmable controller architecture, with the entire process of island detection, decision-making, and switching completed in <1ms (1 millisecond = 0.001 seconds). This is far faster than any UPS transfer time (typically 2-10ms), and with the instantaneous backup capability of storage inverters/diesel generators, sensitive equipment such as IT servers, PLCs, and precision instruments never perceives the transition — production equipment and data collection keep running normally. The system has been running stably in reliability-critical customer scenarios including a large manufacturing plant and a data center.

What is the typical project payback period?

The payback period depends on load scale, storage configuration, local peak-valley price spreads, and demand response compensation policies. Actual data from FEXLINK customers: ① Pure VPP (no new storage, load aggregation + demand response only): with low upfront investment, payback in 1-2 years; ② PV-storage-charging microgrid (typical C&I configuration: 1MW PV + 0.5MWh storage): combining peak-valley arbitrage, demand savings, demand response, and green power consumption, payback in 3-5 years; ③ Zero-carbon park integrated projects (PV + storage + charging + energy-saving retrofits + carbon management): with stacked comprehensive returns, typical payback of 4-6 years, further shortened by policy subsidies. After commissioning, every project automatically generates monthly real revenue reports and continuously optimizes strategies.

VENDOR PITCH

As a source manufacturer of virtual power plant and microgrid systems, FEXLINK delivers:
Why have 200+ enterprise clients chosen FEXLINK?

✦Full in-house chain of FECB smart circuit breakers, ESA all-element meters, CW edge gateways, CC PLCs, and the dispatch platform — no third-party integration risk

✦Serving 200+ enterprise customers across zero-carbon parks, factories, commercial complexes, islands, and other scenarios with a 100% project delivery success rate

✦Industry-leading core metrics including 95%+ demand response execution rate, 80%+ PV self-consumption, and <1ms grid-connected/off-grid switching

✦Full-process assistance with electricity market registration, aggregator onboarding, and policy subsidy applications to maximize returns

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