Two-Layer Optimization Strategy of Electric Vehicle and Air Conditioning Load Considering the Benefit of Peak-to-Valley Smoothing

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The article sets the context by discussing the importance of Demand Side Response (DSR) for achieving a balance between supply and demand in the power system, with a focus on the use of Air Conditioning (AC) and Electric Vehicles (EV) as loads.

1.The article is clearly structured and presents a comprehensive approach to optimising demand-side response of flexible loads through a two-layer optimisation model, which effectively balances the economic gains of distribution system operators and load aggregators, while improving grid efficiency and stability by minimising load fluctuations and peak-to-valley differences.

2.In the case study and simulation results, it appears that the scenarios of summer load profiles in the southern region prove the effectiveness of the proposed optimisation approach.

3.Comparing the data for air-conditioning and electric vehicle loads with the output data for photovoltaic and wind turbines, grid stability is effectively improved when peak and valley smoothing benefits and flexible loads are jointly optimised.

4.The highlight of this paper lies mainly in the development of a novel two-layer optimisation model for demand-side response, and the validity of this modelling approach is verified through detailed simulations.

5：Some related research is still missing for the literature review, please compared the following if suitable (not mine): 1: Stochastic-weighted robust optimization based bilayer operation of a multi-energy building microgrid considering practical thermal loads and battery degradation 2: FedPT-V2G: Security enhanced federated transformer learning for real-time V2G dispatch with non-IID data  

can be improved

Author Response

Response to the Editor and Reviewers

(Paper: sustainability-2933221: A demand-side response optimization method

 for flexible loads considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing)

Dear reviewers and editors，

Thank you very much for your careful review of the manuscript. The paper has been fully revised per reviewers’ comments. The changes are highlighted in red in the revised paper. We would like to show the details as follows:

The article sets the context by discussing the importance of Demand Side Response (DSR) for achieving a balance between supply and demand in the power system, with a focus on the use of Air Conditioning (AC) and Electric Vehicles (EV) as loads.

1.The article is clearly structured and presents a comprehensive approach to optimising demand-side response of flexible loads through a two-layer optimisation model, which effectively balances the economic gains of distribution system operators and load aggregators, while improving grid efficiency and stability by minimising load fluctuations and peak-to-valley differences.

2.In the case study and simulation results, it appears that the scenarios of summer load profiles in the southern region prove the effectiveness of the proposed optimisation approach.

3.Comparing the data for air-conditioning and electric vehicle loads with the output data for photovoltaic and wind turbines, grid stability is effectively improved when peak and valley smoothing benefits and flexible loads are jointly optimised.

4.The highlight of this paper lies mainly in the development of a novel two-layer optimisation model for demand-side response, and the validity of this modelling approach is verified through detailed simulations.

5：Some related research is still missing for the literature review, please compared the following if suitable (not mine):

1:Stochastic-weighted robust optimization based bilayer operation of a multi-energy building microgrid considering practical thermal loads and battery degradation

2:FedPT-V2G: Security enhanced federated transformer learning for real-time V2G dispatch with non-IID data

Response: Thank you for your affirmation and advice. We have carefully read the references you mentioned and we believe that their works does help to round out the literature review, we have cited both of them in the introduction. Changes are highlighted in red in the revised paper.

Best Wishes,

All authors of manuscript sustainability-2933221

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

This paper presents a flexible load demand-side response optimization method that considers the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing. It is a topic of interest to the researchers in the related areas, but the paper needs some improvements at this stage. My detailed comments are as follows:

1. 31 lines of cited references are formatted incorrectly and are recommended to be corrected.

2. Lines 66 to 69 mention the current status of existing research, but do not expand on specific literature, and it is recommended to select relevant literature to describe the current status of research.

3. In lines 172 to 176 it is mentioned that the data is analyzed based on historical data in the form of electric vehicles, please elaborate on how the analysis was carried out, the model methods used, etc.

4. When considering the temperature of the air conditioning model, the influence of the air conditioning temperature comfort on the user should be fully considered, and it is recommended to add comfort penalty constraints to make the model more reasonable.

5. This paper analyzes the models of air conditioning and electric vehicles to improve the benefits, but there are still deficiencies in tapping the load potential of air conditioning and electric vehicles, and it is recommended to refer to related articles, for example: DOI:10.17775/CSEEJPES.2021.04510.

Minor editing of English language required

Author Response

Response to the Editor and Reviewers

(Paper: sustainability-2933221: A demand-side response optimization method

 for flexible loads considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing)

Dear reviewers and editors，

Thank you very much for your careful review of the manuscript. The paper has been fully revised per reviewers’ comments. The changes are highlighted in red in the revised paper. See the response letter for details of the revisions. The revised version of the paper and the response letter are in the attached PDF.

Best Wishes,
All authors of manuscript sustainability-2933221

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The authors of the paper titled “A demand-side response optimization method for flexible loads considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing” present a new method for managing power demand. This is a crucial and timely topic given the ever-increasing global energy demand, the pressing need for environmental conservation, and the drive to reduce the energy intensity of our economy. The paper models how air conditioners and electric cars use power at different times, which helps balance the power usage in the network. The paper uses a two-step model to make sure power supply and demand are balanced and also helps smooth out the highs and lows in power usage. The authors show that their model works well. The examples in the paper show that this method can make more money for power companies and help balance power usage in the network.

Although the paper has been average prepared, in my opinion, corrections should be made in the following areas:

·       a more extensive literature review based on global experiences;

·   editorial corrections such as text formatting, numbering, and readability;

·   the need to complete the references as some of the source citations are not visible, making them impossible to verify;

·       correcting the axis labels on the graphs, for example, “Time / h” is misleading and could confuse the reader.

In the future, the authors should consider examining other devices that use power in flexible ways, investigating how changes in power demand affect the network, and exploring how this affects the cost for both the power companies and the users. This paper is important as it addresses a key challenge in power management and provides a solution that could make a big difference in the industry.

Author Response

Response to the Editor and Reviewers
(Paper: sustainability-2933221: A demand-side response optimization method
 for flexible loads considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing)

Dear reviewers and editors，

Thank you very much for your careful review of the manuscript. The paper has been fully revised per reviewers’ comments. The changes are highlighted in red in the revised paper. See the response letter for details of the revisions. The revised version of the paper and the response letter are in the attached PDF.

Best Wishes,
All authors of manuscript sustainability-2933221

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

The authors of this article have tried to provide a flexible load demand side response optimization method by considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing. The title of the article is stated in a general way and it needs to be revised, it is better to choose a better title that has details and innovation in it. Have the examples mentioned in this article been done? Materials and methods are not clearly defined. What is the reason for choosing this model? Different parts of the article are unclear. Where are the results and discussion exactly? The discussion of the results is unclear and the results are only reported. What is the conclusion analysis section?

Line 19-21: “Comparative examples demonstrate that the proposed two-layer optimization method can improve the revenue of the distribution network operators and the load aggregators by using the complementary nature of the load response characteristics of electric vehicles and air conditioners.” The sentence needs to be rewritten.

Line 25-26: Keywords should be sorted alphabetically

Line 31: Fix the reference error

Line 31-33: “Due to the volatility and stochasticity of renewable energy outputs, related power systems face an increased risk of double imbalances of short-term power and long-term power” Please expand this sentence, what are the volatility and stochasticity of renewable energy outputs?

Author Response

Response to the Editor and Reviewers
(Paper: sustainability-2933221: A demand-side response optimization method
 for flexible loads considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing)

Dear reviewers and editors，

Thank you very much for your careful review of the manuscript. The paper has been fully revised per reviewers’ comments. The changes are highlighted in red in the revised paper. See the response letter for details of the revisions. The revised version of the paper and the response letter are in the attached PDF.

Best Wishes,
All authors of manuscript sustainability-2933221

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 5 Report

I have the following comments: 

Clarify the reference citations throughout the paper to address instances of "[Error! Reference source not found.]" and ensure consistency in citation formatting.

Enhance the methodological section by incorporating a flow chart to illustrate the research steps undertaken to achieve the stated objectives. This visual aid would provide clarity and aid in understanding the research process.

Further elaborate on the connection between HVAC systems and temperature variations to illustrate their impact on power consumption, particularly considering seasonal changes. 

Expand on the advantages of the proposed model regarding peak demand tariff management. Specifically, discuss how the optimization model contributes to mitigating peak demand charges, thereby enhancing cost savings for both DSOs and LAs.

Include a discussion on the forecasted outputs of PV, wind, and load for a group of consumers with similar behavior and equal characteristics. This analysis would provide insights into the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed model in real-world scenarios.

Evaluate the potential impact of the optimization model and approach on the penetration level of renewable energy sources.

Discuss how the model facilitates the integration of renewable energy into the grid and its implications for achieving higher levels of renewable energy penetration.

Author Response

Response to the Editor and Reviewers
(Paper: sustainability-2933221: A demand-side response optimization method
 for flexible loads considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing)

Dear reviewers and editors，

Thank you very much for your careful review of the manuscript. The paper has been fully revised per reviewers’ comments. The changes are highlighted in red in the revised paper. See the response letter for details of the revisions. The revised version of the paper and the response letter are in the attached PDF.

Best Wishes,
All authors of manuscript sustainability-2933221

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

The authors took into account the comments and improved the paper. However, improvement is still required in terms of text formatting.

Author Response

Response to the Editor and Reviewers
(Paper: sustainability-2933221: A demand-side response optimization method
 for flexible loads considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing)

Dear reviewers and editors，

Thank you very much for your careful review of the manuscript. The paper has been fully revised per reviewers’ comments. The changes are highlighted in red in the revised paper. See the response letter for details of the revisions. The revised version of the paper and the response letter are in the attached PDF.

Best Wishes,
All authors of manuscript sustainability-2933221

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Good luck in future research

Author Response

Response to the Editor and Reviewers
(Paper: sustainability-2933221: A demand-side response optimization method
 for flexible loads considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing)

Dear reviewers and editors，

Thank you for your previous suggestions to improve and standardize this paper, and good luck with your research!

Best Wishes,
All authors of manuscript sustainability-2933221

Reviewer 5 Report

I agree

Author Response

Response to the Editor and Reviewers
(Paper: sustainability-2933221: A demand-side response optimization method
 for flexible loads considering the benefits of peak-to-valley smoothing)

Dear reviewers and editors，

Thank you for your previous suggestions to improve and standardize this paper, and good luck with your research!

Best Wishes,
All authors of manuscript sustainability-2933221