Aggregate power control of heterogeneous TCL populations governed by Fokker–Planck equations

This article addresses the modeling and control of heterogeneous populations of thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) operated by model predictive control (MPC) schemes at the level of each TCL. It is shown that the dynamics of such TCLs populations can be described by a pair of Fokker–Planck equations coupled via the actions in the domain. The technique of input–output feedback linearization is used in the design of aggregate power control, which leads to a nonlinear system in a closed loop. Well-posedness analysis is carried out to validate the developed control scheme. The closed-loop stability of the system is assessed by rigorous analysis. A simulation study is contacted, and the obtained results confirm the validity and effectiveness of the proposed approach.