A lecture was held on the 4th of November 2023 at Soegijapranata Catholic University (SCU) Campus in Semarang, Indonesia. Participants, including students and staff from SCU, attended the lecture on Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) as an outcome of the Smart Grid concept, led by Professor Dimitrios Labridis from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). The speaker introduced the smart grid concept and associated communication technologies, also presenting the concept of microgrids and highlighting distinctions between microgrids and smart grids. The lecture primarily focused on VPPs, elucidating their characteristics. The main reasons for creating VPPs were described, and examples of existing VPPs worldwide were reported.

The topics covered in the lecture included:

• Introduction to Smart Grid Concept
• Smart Grid communication technologies
• Introduction to Microgrids
• Microgrids vs. Smart Grids
• Virtual Power Plants
• Reasons for the creation of VPPs
• Existing VPPs around the world

Following aspects were covered in this workshop:

• The lecture was attended by approximately 140 individuals, mainly students and staff from SCU Semarang.
• Participants acquired knowledge in the concepts of smart grids, microgrids, and VPPs.