Flexibility Reserve of Self-Consumption Optimized Energy Systems in the Household Sector

Abstract

Energy generation and consumption in the power grid must be balanced at every single moment. Within the synchronous area of continental Europe, flexible generators and loads can provide Frequency Containment Reserve and Frequency Restoration Reserve marketed through the balancing markets. The Transmission System Operators use these flexibilities to maintain or restore the grid frequency when there are deviations. This paper shows the future flexibility potential of Germany’s household sector, in particular for single-family and twin homes in 2025 and 2030 with the assumption that households primarily optimize their self-consumption. The primary focus is directed to the flexibility potential of Electric Vehicles, Heat Pumps, Photovoltaics and Battery Storage Systems. A total of 10 different household system configurations were considered and combined in a weighted average based on the scenario framework of the German Grid Development Plan. The household generation, consumption and storage units were simulated in a mixed-integer linear programming model to create the time series for the self-consumption optimized households. This solved the unit commitment problem for each of the decentralized households in their individual configurations. Finally, the individual household flexibilities were evaluated and then aggregated to a Germany-wide flexibility profile for single-family and twin homes. The results indicate that the household sector can contribute significantly to system stabilization with an average potential of 30 negative and 3 positive flexibility in 2025. In 2030, the corresponding flexibilities potentially increase to 90 and 30 , respectively. This underlines that considerable flexibility reserves could be provided by single-family and twin homes in the future.

Quantification of the Flexibility of Residential Prosumers

“…In the example of [14], extrapolating the Belgian national level implied that domestic flexibility could equal 1.8% (upward) and 12.1% (downward) of installed generation capacity. The results presented by the authors of [15] forecast that the household sector will be able to contribute significantly to the distribution system stabilization with an average potential of 30 GW downwards and 3 GW upwards flexibility in the year 2025. Paper [15] analyzed the potential that is made possible by technology for the provision of system services by households.…”

“…The results presented by the authors of [15] forecast that the household sector will be able to contribute significantly to the distribution system stabilization with an average potential of 30 GW downwards and 3 GW upwards flexibility in the year 2025. Paper [15] analyzed the potential that is made possible by technology for the provision of system services by households. Single-family and twin homes were the main focus, since those are the types of households in which all system components are available.…”

Participative Renewable Energy Community—How Blockchain-Based Governance Enables a German Interpretation of RED II

“…Because distributed PV generation is less expensive than the retail price of electricity from the grid in most European countries [2,3], a prosumer who can operate self-consumption might have a significant advantage over a prosumer who cannot, such as a tenant living at rent. Furthermore, the German household sector can contribute significantly to system stabilization, with an average potential of 30 GW negative and 3 GW positive flexibility by 2025 and, respectively, 90 GW and 30 GW by 2030 [8]. However, the study focused on single-family and twin homes that optimize their self-consumption and not on apartment buildings with residents living at rent.…”