Flexible Loads Scheduling Algorithms for Renewable Energy Communities

Tiago Fonseca (), Luis Lino Ferreira (), Jorge Landeck, Lurian Klein, Paulo Sousa and Fayaz Ahmed
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Tiago Fonseca: School of Engineering, Polytechnical Institute of Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
Luis Lino Ferreira: School of Engineering, Polytechnical Institute of Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
Jorge Landeck: LIBPhys, Department of Physics, University of Coimbra, 3004-516 Coimbra, Portugal
Lurian Klein: Cleanwatts, 3040-574 Coimbra, Portugal
Paulo Sousa: School of Engineering, Polytechnical Institute of Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
Fayaz Ahmed: Cleanwatts, 3040-574 Coimbra, Portugal

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-24

Abstract: Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) are emerging as an effective concept and model to empower the active participation of citizens in the energy transition, not only as energy consumers but also as promoters of environmentally friendly energy generation solutions, particularly through the use of photovoltaic panels. This paper aims to contribute to the management and optimization of individual and community Distributed Energy Resources (DER). The solution follows a price and source-based REC management program, in which consumers’ day-ahead flexible loads (Flex Offers) are shifted according to electricity generation availability, prices, and personal preferences, to balance the grid and incentivize user participation. The heuristic approach used in the proposed algorithms allows for the optimization of energy resources in a distributed edge-and-fog approach with a low computational overhead. The simulations performed using real-world energy consumption and flexibility data of a REC with 50 dwellings show an average cost reduction, taking into consideration all the seasons of the year, of 6.5%, with a peak of 12.2% reduction in the summer, and an average increase of 32.6% in individual self-consumption. In addition, the case study demonstrates promising results regarding grid load balancing and the introduction of intra-community energy trading.

Keywords: energy community; scheduling; renewable energy; flex-offers; algorithms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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