Energy policy aims to ensure an affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy supply. Given that global warming is causing substantial loss and damage to nature and people, the transition to a greenhouse gas neutral energy system is essential. The implementation of required measures, such as the expansion of renewable energies and the electrification of mobility, heating, and industrial processes strains the local grid infrastructure. Utilizing the flexibility of electrical loads, generation, and storage systems coupled with an efficient grid operation is key to ensuring affordability and security of supply.

Renewable energy communities (RECs) were legally established and introduced by a European Union directive in 2018. In RECs, households and enterprises can share renewable energy and provide energy services.

The work examines contributions of collective energy management in RECs to achieve energy policy goals in distribution grids. To this end, novel models are developed to compute the operation of a REC using centralized linear optimization and to simulate grid-interactive operation in cooperation with distribution system operators (DSOs). A newly introduced method of REC-DSO cooperation enables the cost-optimal use of REC participants’ distributed flexibility in the grid. This involves upfront communication of the planned REC operation and available flexibility to the DSO. The DSO determines the required flexibility use to avoid critical transformer or line loading and voltage violations using an optimal power flow calculation. This enables an efficient use of the grid and reduces the curtailment of renewable energies.

R. Sudhoff, R. Derzbach, S. Schreck, S. Thiem and S. Niessen

“On the Operation and Implications of Grid-Interactive Renewable Energy Communities”

Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks, vol. 38, p. 101390, 2024
DOI:  10.1016/j.segan.2024.101390

R. Sudhoff, Y. Bouraoui, S. Schreck, S. Thiem and S. Niessen

“Implications of Electricity Tariff Design on the Operation of Renewable Energy Communities”

In 2023 IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference Europe (ISGT-Europe), Grenoble, 2023
DOI:  10.1109/ISGTEUROPE56780.2023.10408568

R. Sudhoff, S. Schreck, S. Thiem and S. Niessen

“Implications of Forecast Uncertainty on the Optimal Operation of Renewable Energy Communities”

In 27th International Conference on Electricity Distribution (CIRED 2023), Rome, 2023
DOI:  10.1049/icp.2023.0694

R. Sudhoff, S. Schreck, S. Thiem and S. Niessen

“Operating Renewable Energy Communities to Reduce Power Peaks in the Distribution Grid: An Analysis on Grid-Friendliness, Different Shares of Participants, and Economic Benefits”

Energies, vol. 15, no. 15, p. 5468, 2022
DOI:  10.3390/en15155468

R. Sudhoff, S. Schreck, S. Thiem and S. Niessen

“Achieving Grid-Friendly Operation of Renewable Energy Communities through Smart Usage of Electric Vehicle Charging and Flexibilities”

In CIRED Porto Workshop 2022: E-Mobility and Power Distribution Systems, Porto, 2022
DOI:  10.1049/icp.2022.0672