*3.3. Demand Response Programs*

The aggregator is able to implement various types of DR programs. However, each program has its specific timescale. Therefore, the aggregator should select the most appropriate program according to the available timescale and objective, from long-term to real-time (Figure 4). In this paper, the main focus is given to short and real-time programs, as the ramp period is more critical in such programs. Therefore, the programs with long-term timescale (months or years planning) will be ignored.

**Figure 4.** The timescale of demand response implementation. Adapted from [22].

Furthermore, short and real-time DR programs are more applicable comparing to other types of programs. The reason is they are usually implemented for improving or maintaining power quality as well as security of the power distribution network (e.g., voltage and frequency instabilities issues). In this context, incentive-based DR programs are the ones that can be implemented in short-term to real-time timescale, especially less than 15 min. If the aggregator intends to define a DR program, there are plenty of parameters and specifications that have to be considered. In below, there is a list of the most relevant ones to the model proposed in this paper:


While a lot of DR programs with various specifications and parameters are accessible for the aggregator to implement, a question would be raised that which program is the most economical and optimal solution for the network. Therefore, DR program dispatch can make the use of a linear programming approach as will be explained in the next subsection.
