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Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A1: Smart Grids and Microgrids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2021) | Viewed by 26508

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hugo Morais

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Guest Editor

INESC-ID, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico-IST, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: smart grids; electricity markets; energy resource management; distributed power generation; smart power grids; battery-powered vehicles; distribution networks; electric vehicle charging; power distribution economics; power distribution operational planning; power system management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Tiago Soares

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Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC-TEC), Centre for Power and Energy Systems, Campus da FEUP, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, nº378, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: energy markets; energy resource management; distributed power generation; distribution network management; optimal power flow; electric vehicle management; power system management; multienergy systems; optimization under uncertainty; distributed optimization; peer-to-peer markets; prosumer integration in the market; blockchain; artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Bruno Henriques Dias

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Department of Electrical Energy, Engineering Faculty, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036-330, Brazil
Interests: distributed energy sources; plug-in vehicle charging; storage systems; smart grids; distribution system management; electricity markets; energy economics; power system planning; power system operation; applied optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

The fast development and integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) are changing the management and operation of power systems. Currently, more coordination between the owner of the resource, resource operator, and system operator is needed to ensure the required quality of service. The emergence of prosumers and aggregators, such as virtual power plants, fleet operators, or microgrids, introduced a new level of management in power systems. Additionally, new regulation frameworks are incentivizing the creation of energy communities, federated power plants, collective self-consumption, local markets and groups for balancing reserve. This new paradigm imposes the use of new methodologies in long term and operational planning, and real-time operation, allowing better management of the existing resources and more coordination between actors.

This Special Issue will focus on algorithms, models, methods, technologies, and applications that foster improvements in the management of DERs, taking into consideration better coordination with actors and different business models. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, DER optimization, peer-to-peer trading, energy business models, actor coordination, microgrids, energy communities, federated power plants, virtual power plants, fleet operators, system operation, flexible management, demand response, ICT infrastructures, and the use of distributed ledger (e.g. blockchain) in energy services and trading mechanisms.

Prof. Dr. Hugo Morais
Dr. Tiago Soares
Prof. Dr. Bruno Henriques Dias
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

distributed energy resources
microgrids
energy communities
virtual power plants
federated power plants
distribution system
energy Markets
electricity markets
energy Management System

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 6837 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermographic Measurement of the Temperature of Reactive Power Compensation Capacitors

by Krzysztof Dziarski, Arkadiusz Hulewicz and Grzegorz Dombek

Energies 2021, 14(18), 5736; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14185736 - 12 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1756

Abstract

An excessive increase in reactive power consumption is unfavorable from the point of view of a power system. For this reason, devices compensating reactive power consumption are used. The capacitor is one such device. Capacitors must be tested regularly during their exploitation. One of the activities that should be performed is testing the degree of heating of the cells of a capacitor bank. Thermography can be used to perform such tests. This non-contact method has its limitations. Due to the angular emissivity and the change in the distance between the lens and the object under observation, the temperature measured with a thermographic camera may differ from the actual temperature. This phenomenon is visible on cylindrical capacitor cases. Consequently, depending on the location of the observation point on the capacitor case, the result of the thermographic temperature measurement may be different. To investigate this phenomenon, experimental work has been undertaken. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities)

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16 pages, 1148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Contribution of Energy Communities to the Upscaling of Photovoltaics in Germany and Italy

by August Wierling, Jan Pedro Zeiss, Veronica Lupi, Chiara Candelise, Alessandro Sciullo and Valeria Jana Schwanitz

Energies 2021, 14(8), 2258; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14082258 - 17 Apr 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3466

Abstract

Energy communities (EC) are among the new actors in the energy market, playing an important role in the uptake of photovoltaics (PV) in European markets. This paper estimates their aggregate contribution to the low-carbon energy transition in terms of installed capacities for PV and evaluates their economic performance comparing with market prices. We compiled a database of PV facilities with 3672 entries for Germany and 64 entries for Italy. Our statistical analysis does not support an economic under-performance of EC. The aggregate contribution of EC currently amounts to 600–838 MWp installed capacity in Germany and 10.6 MWp installed capacity in Italy, which makes 1.2–1.7% and 0.07% of all PV installations in Germany and Italy, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities)

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27 pages, 6560 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polish Energy Transition 2040: Energy Mix Optimization Using Grey Wolf Optimizer

by Damian Hasterok, Rui Castro, Marcin Landrat, Krzysztof Pikoń, Markus Doepfert and Hugo Morais

Energies 2021, 14(2), 501; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14020501 - 19 Jan 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4248

Abstract

Poland is facing demanding challenges to achieve a sustainable energy mix in the near future. Crucial and tough decisions must be made about the direction of the national energy economy, safety, and environmental impact. Considering the electricity and heating demand forecast, this paper proposes an optimization model based on the Grey Wolf Optimizer meta-heuristic to support the definition of ideal energy mix considering the investment and operational costs. The proposed methodology uses the present energy mix in Poland (the most recent values are from 2017) to calibrate the model implemented in the EnergyPLAN tool. Afterwards, EnergyPLAN relates to an optimization process allowing the identification of the most convenient energy mix in 2040 in Poland. The values obtained are compared with those proposed by Polish public entities showing advantage regarding the global costs of the project nevertheless respecting the same levels of CO₂ and the energy import and export balance. The expected savings can achieve 1.3 billion euros a year and more than 8 million tonnes of CO₂ emission reduction. Sensitivity analysis considering the decrease of the global cost of renewables-based sources is also presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities)

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26 pages, 5791 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling Energy Communities with Collective Photovoltaic Self-Consumption: Synergies between a Small City and a Winery in Portugal

by Guilherme Pontes Luz and Rodrigo Amaro e Silva

Energies 2021, 14(2), 323; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14020323 - 08 Jan 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3452

Abstract

The recently approved regulation on Energy Communities in Europe is paving the way for new collective forms of energy consumption and production, mainly based on photovoltaics. However, energy modeling approaches that can adequately evaluate the impact of these new regulations on energy community configurations are still lacking, particularly with regards to the grid tariffs imposed on collective systems. Thus, the present work models three different energy community configurations sustained on collective photovoltaics self-consumption for a small city in southern Portugal. This energy community, which integrates the city consumers and a local winery, was modeled using the Python-based Calliope framework. Using real electricity demand data from power transformers and an actual winery, the techno-economic feasibility of each configuration was assessed. Results show that all collective arrangements can promote a higher penetration of photovoltaic capacity (up to 23%) and a modest reduction in the overall cost of electricity (up to 8%). However, there are clear trade-offs between the different pathways: more centralized configurations have 53% lower installation costs but are more sensitive to grid use costs (which can represent up to 74% of the total system costs). Moreover, key actor’s individual self-consumption rate may decrease by 10% in order to benefit the energy community as a whole. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities)

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30 pages, 2757 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Technical and Economic Analysis of Battery Storage for Residential Solar Photovoltaic Systems in the Brazilian Regulatory Context

by Lucas Deotti, Wanessa Guedes, Bruno Dias and Tiago Soares

Energies 2020, 13(24), 6517; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13246517 - 10 Dec 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3263

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the technical and economic benefits that a typical residential prosumer may experience when investing in a solar photovoltaic (PV) system with a battery energy storage system (BESS). To this end, a home energy management system has been designed to simulate the prosumer’s daily operation, considering a novel method for calculating battery degradation while minimizing its operating costs. In order to contribute to the regulatory review process of the distributed generation underway in Brazil, a set of PV+BESS configurations has been assessed under the current and future regulatory scenarios proposed for discussion by the Brazilian regulatory agency. Although the results demonstrate that the prosumer’s self-consumption rate may increase up to 14% with the BESS coupling in the PV system, the investment proved to be economically unattractive in the current regulatory scenario and practically unfeasible in any of the proposed future scenarios. To make PV+BESS systems economically feasible, some business models are proposed and discussed, and for example, provide subsidies for policymakers, financial agents, and battery manufacturers. A sensitivity analysis for each business model showing its economic feasibility spectrum is provided to assist the different sector players, especially the consumers, in their decision-making process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities)

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28 pages, 7616 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decision Making Support for Local Authorities Choosing the Method for Siting of In-City EV Charging Stations

by Grzegorz Sierpiński, Marcin Staniek and Marcin Jacek Kłos

Energies 2020, 13(18), 4682; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13184682 - 08 Sep 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2820

Abstract

Development of electromobility in urban areas requires an appropriate level of vehicle charging infrastructure. Numerous methods for siting of charging stations have been developed to date, and they appear to be delivering diverse outcomes for the same area, which is why local authorities face the problem of choosing the right station layout. The solution proposed in this article is to use a travel planner to evaluate the distribution of charging stations over the area of a metropolis. The decision making support is achieved by determining optimal travel routes for electric vehicles according to their initial state of charge for the three selected station siting methods. The evaluation focused on the following three aspects: (1) number of travels that cannot be made (due to the lack of a charging station at a certain distance around the start point), (2) extension of the travel caused by the need to recharge the vehicle on-route, and (3) additional energy consumption by electric vehicles required to reach the charging station (necessity of departing from the optimal route). An analysis of the results has made it possible to determine a solution which is superior to others. For the case study analysed in the paper, i.e., the territory of the Metropolis of Upper Silesia and Dabrową Basin (Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia, GZM), the distribution of charging stations established in line with method I has returned the best results. What the method in question also makes possible is to indicate a safe minimum energy reserve to complete the travel by eliminating situations of unexpected vehicle immobilisation due to on-route energy depletion and by minimising the phenomenon referred to as range anxiety. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities)

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12 pages, 488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Participation of an EV Aggregator in the Reserve Market through Chance-Constrained Optimization

by António Sérgio Faria, Tiago Soares, Tiago Sousa and Manuel A. Matos

Energies 2020, 13(16), 4071; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13164071 - 06 Aug 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1920

Abstract

The adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) will revolutionize the storage capacity in the power system and, therefore, will contribute to mitigate the uncertainty of renewable generation. In addition, EVs have fast response capabilities and are suitable for frequency regulation, which is essential for the proliferation of intermittent renewable sources. To this end, EV aggregators will arise as a market representative party on behalf of EVs. Thus, this player will be responsible for supplying the power needed to charge EVs, as well as offering their flexibility to support the system. The main goal of EV aggregators is to manage the potential participation of EVs in the reserve market, accounting for their charging and travel needs. This work follows this trend by conceiving a chance-constrained model able to optimize EVs participation in the reserve market, taking into account the uncertain behavior of EVs and their charging needs. The proposed model, includes penalties in the event of a failure in the provision of upward or downward reserve. Therefore, stochastic and chance-constrained programming are used to handle the uncertainty of a small fleet of EVs and the risk profile of the EV aggregator. Two different relaxation approaches, i.e., Big-M and McCormick, of the chance-constrained model are tested and validated for different number of scenarios and risk levels, based on an actual test case in Denmark with actual driving patterns. As a final remark, the McCormick relaxation presents better performance when the uncertainty budget increases, which is appropriated for large-scale problems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities)

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18 pages, 1404 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Practical Implementation of Adaptive SRF-PLL for Three-Phase Inverters Based on Sensitivity Function and Real-Time Grid-Impedance Measurements

by Roni Luhtala, Henrik Alenius and Tomi Roinila

Energies 2020, 13(5), 1173; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13051173 - 04 Mar 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2594

Abstract

Rapidly increasing demand for renewable energy has created a need for the photovoltaic and wind farms to be placed in various locations that have diverse and possibly time-variant grid conditions. A mismatch between the grid impedance and output admittance of an inverter causes impedance-based stability issues, which appear as power quality problems and poor transient performance. Grid synchronization with phase-locked loop (PLL) introduces a negative-resistance-like behavior to inverter output admittance. High control bandwidth of the PLL makes the system sensitive to impedance-based stability issues when the inverter is connected to a weak grid that has high impedance. However, very conservative tunings lead to overly damped dynamic responses in strong grids, where the control performance and power quality can be improved by applying higher PLL control bandwidths. Continuous evaluation of grid conditions makes it possible to avoid the risk of instability and poor dynamic responses, as the inverter output admittance can be re-shaped online to continuously match the grid conditions. The present work proposes method for adaptive control of the PLL based on the real-time measurements of the grid impedance, applying pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) injections. The method limits the PLL bandwidth in weak grids to avoid stability issues and increases the control bandwidth in strong grids to improve voltage-tracking, and thus overall control performance. The method is verified through simulations and experimental laboratory tests in a kW-scale system. The results show that optimizing the PLL bandwidth with respect to the grid conditions is highly beneficial for system performance and stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities)

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Review

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12 pages, 926 KiB

Open AccessReview

Islanding Detection in Rural Distribution Systems

by Wen Fan, Ning Kang, Robert Hebner and Xianyong Feng

Energies 2020, 13(20), 5503; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13205503 - 20 Oct 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2143

Abstract

This paper summarizes the literature on detection of islanding resulting from distributed generating capabilities in a power distribution system, with emphasis on the rural distribution systems. It is important to understand the legacy technology and equipment in the rural distribution electrical environment due to the growth of power electronics and the potential for adding the new generations of intelligent sensors. The survey identified four areas needing further research: 1. Robustness in the presence of distribution grid disturbances; 2. the future role of artificial intelligence in the islanding application; 3. more realistic standard tests for the emerging electrical environment; 4. smarter sensors. In addition, this paper presents a synchro-phasor-based islanding detection approach based on a wireless sensor network developed by the University of Texas at Austin. Initial test results in a control hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) simulation environment suggest the effectiveness of the developed method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Developments in Energy Resources Management, Distribution Systems, Microgrids and Energy Communities)

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