P2P Energy Trading in Energy Communities with Local PV and Community Energy Storage Systems

In order to properly accommodate the proliferation of small-scale renewable generation in residential settings and the challenges posed by reduced feed-in-tariffs, a paradigm shift towards Peer-to-Peer (P2P) energy trading is required to enhance the financial benefits for prosumers by facilitating direct energy exchange among end-users and contributing to the resilience of energy systems. The participation of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) in P2P trading within the context of Energy Communities reduces energy costs for participants while optimizing renewable energy usage. Community Energy Storage Systems (CESS) are leveraged to mitigate the variability of DER and are gaining traction due to economies of scale. This paper proposes a comprehensive market-based scheme for energy communities incorporating P2P energy trading, transactions with utility companies, and the integration of CESS to maximize benefits. Realistic market policies are defined to encourage community participation, ensuring fair profit distribution. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed model in minimizing costs for end-users and maximizing revenue for DER producers within an energy community. With increasing community participation, P2P energy trading can significantly reduce energy costs, while enabling efficient utilization of CESS and facilitating transactions with utility companies.