Research on optimal scheduling method of solar assisted heat pump drying system based on demand response

The solar assisted heat pump drying (SAHPD) system offers energy saving, environmental protection, and sustainability benefits and has been widely used in recent years. However, there is a lack of research on its potential as a flexible resource for demand-side management. This paper explores the possibility of the solar assisted heat pump drying system participating in power grid demand response (DR). Firstly, a solar assisted heat pump drying system with heat storage is proposed. Secondly, the heat demand of the drying operation is analyzed based on drying kinetics and an equivalent thermal parameter model. Thirdly, a virtual energy storage (VES) model is constructed based on the heat storage characteristics of the drying chamber. Then, the methods and strategies of the system participating in price-based demand response and incentive-based demand response are studied. The simulation results demonstrate that the solar assisted heat pump drying system has good demand response capability. For price-based demand response, through optimal scheduling, the cost of a single drying operation decreases by 13.81 %. For incentive-based demand response, the system achieves a maximum demand response duration of 4 h and a power consumption reduction capacity of 71.92 % under different operating modes. This research aims to enhance the system's flexibility in demand response, reduce costs for users, and improve the reliability of the power grid.