Renewable Energy Communities in Islands: A Maltese Case Study

Alexander Micallef (), Cyril Spiteri Staines and John Licari
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Alexander Micallef: Department of Industrial Electrical Power Conversion, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta
Cyril Spiteri Staines: Department of Industrial Electrical Power Conversion, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta
John Licari: Department of Industrial Electrical Power Conversion, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 24, 1-21

Abstract: Renewable energy communities are considered as key elements for transforming the present fossil fuel-based energy systems of islands into renewable-based energy systems. This study shows how renewable energy communities can be deployed in the Maltese context to achieve higher penetration of residential-scale photovoltaic systems. Case studies for five renewable energy communities in the Maltese LV distribution network have been analyzed in detail. A novel community battery energy storage sizing strategy was proposed to determine the optimal storage capacity at each energy community. The main objective of the community battery storage in each REC is to minimize the reverse power injection in the grid (minimize the total reverse energy and reverse peak power values), as well as to reduce the peak evening electricity demand. The optimal sizes for communal BESSs were determined to be of 57 kWh (EC 1), 55 kWh (EC 2), 31 kWh (EC 3), 37 kWh (EC 4) and 10 kWh (EC 5), respectively. The community storage systems were observed to reduce the overall impact of all five energy communities on the grid infrastructure. Power system simulations were performed for a typical spring day to evaluate the impact of communal BESS placement on the node voltages for all five energy communities. The results showed that the community storage was more effective at reducing the node rms voltage magnitudes when deployed at the end of the respective energy communities, rather than at the beginning of the community. During peak generation hours, reductions of up to 0.48% in the node rms voltage magnitudes were observed. This contrasts with reductions of only 0.19% when the community storage was deployed at the beginning of the energy communities.

Keywords: battery sizing; community storage; peak shaving; renewable energy community (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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