Real-time pricing scheme based on Stackelberg game in smart grid with multiple power retailers

Abstract As an essential characteristic of smart grid, demand response may reduce the power consumption of users and the operating expense of power suppliers. Real-time pricing is the key component of demand response that encourages power utilization in an efficient and economical way. In this paper, we study the real-time pricing scheme in smart grid with multiple retailers and multiple residential users using Stackelberg game. Additionally, the price competition among power retailers is formulated as a non-cooperative game, while the coordination among the residential users is formulated as an evolutionary game considering the private information of power retailers and residential users. The existence of Stackelberg equilibrium is proved. Moreover, two special algorithms are developed to solve the equilibrium. Numerical results show the convergence of algorithms, and also confirm the efficiency and effectiveness of proposed real-time pricing scheme.