In the process of promoting clean energy transition and achieving the "dual carbon" goals in China

the installed capacity of distributed energy resources(DER)is continuously increasing

bringing pressure on grid stability due to the uncertainty of their output.Virtual power plants(VPP)

by integrating DER

help alleviate operational pressures on the grid and increase the capacity for new energy absorption

playing a significant role in building a new type of power system.Firstly

the concept of VPP is introduced

followed by classification based on functionality.Then

the current research status involving five aspects of virtual power grids is summarized

including communication technology

resource modeling and aggregation

prediction technology

scheduling control

and participation in the electricity market. Subsequently

four representative VPP projects within China are briefly introduced. Following this

the three business models of VPP are analyzed. Finally

the challenges faced during the development of VPP are examined

the prospects for the future development of VPP in China are forecasted

and conclusions are drawn.