Optimal and Sustainable Operation of Energy Communities Organized in Interconnected Microgrids

Epameinondas K. Koumaniotis, Dimitra G. Kyriakou and Fotios D. Kanellos ()
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Epameinondas K. Koumaniotis: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Crete, GR-73100 Chania, Greece
Dimitra G. Kyriakou: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Crete, GR-73100 Chania, Greece
Fotios D. Kanellos: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Crete, GR-73100 Chania, Greece

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-23

Abstract: Full dependence on the main electrical grid carries risks, including high electricity costs and increased power losses due to the distance between power plants and consumers. An energy community consists of distributed generation resources and consumers within a localized area, aiming to produce electricity economically and sustainably while minimizing long-distance power transfers and promoting renewable energy integration. In this paper, a method for the optimal and sustainable operation of energy communities organized in interconnected microgrids is developed. The microgrids examined in this work consist of residential buildings, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), renewable energy sources (RESs), and local generators. The primary objective of this study is to minimize the operational costs of the energy community resulting from the electricity exchange with the main grid and the power production of local generators. To achieve this, microgrids efficiently share electric power, regulate local generator production, and leverage energy storage in PEVs for power management, reducing the need for traditional energy storage installation. Additionally, this work aims to achieve net-zero energy exchange with the main grid, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and decrease power losses in the distribution lines connecting microgrids, while adhering to numerous technical and operational constraints. Detailed simulations were conducted to prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Keywords: energy community; interconnected microgrids; distributed generation; electric vehicles; optimization; power loss mitigation; sustainability; GHG emission limitation (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: 2025
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