Flexible Energy Storage for Sustainable Load Leveling in Low-Voltage Electricity Distribution Grids with Prosumers

Abstract

The sustainability of the energy sector is linked today with the diminishing of the reliance on fossil fuels and on the large-scale adoption of renewable generation. Medium- and low-voltage electricity distribution grids see the proliferation of microgrids that supply consumers able to generate electricity with local installations of PV panels. These consuming and generating entities, called prosumers, use the local generation for their own consumption needs and are exporting the surplus in the grid, modifying the typical steady state operation conditions. For mitigating this inconvenience, local storage equipment can be used, which also helps the prosumers to reduce their costs and preserve the sustainable operation of the distribution infrastructure. The literature shows that by optimally using storage in microgrids, the deterioration in quality and security of supply can be minimized in the presence of prosumers. This paper presents a study regarding local storage management in prosumer-enabled microgrids, seeking to find the optimal configuration of community (shared) storage systems that charge batteries overnight, during low consumption hours, providing load leveling opportunities and energy loss minimization. A study case performed on a real low-voltage electricity distribution network (LVEDN) shows the performance of the proposed optimization.