Modelling of Energy Management Strategies in a PV-Based Renewable Energy Community with Electric Vehicles

The Renewable Energy Community (REC) has emerged in Europe, encouraging the use of renewable energy sources (RESs) within localities, bringing social, economic, and environmental benefits. RESs are characterized by various loads, including household consumption, storage systems, and the increasing integration of electric vehicles (EVs). EVs offer opportunities for distributed RESs, such as photovoltaic (PV) systems, which can be economically advantageous for RECs whose members own EVs and charge them within the community. This article focuses on the integration of PV systems and the management of energy loads for different participants—consumers and prosumers—along with a small EV charging setup in the REC. A REC consisting of a multi-unit building is examined through a mathematical and numerical model. In the model, hourly PV generation data are obtained from the PVGIS tool, while residential load data are modeled by converting monthly electricity bills, including peak and off-peak details, into hourly profiles. Finally, EV hourly load data are obtained after converting the data of voltage and current data from the charging monitoring portal into power profiles. These data are then used in our mathematical model to evaluate energy fluxes and to calculate self-consumed, exported, and shared energy within the REC based on energy balance criteria. In the model, an energy management system (EMS) is included within the REC to analyze EV charging behavior and optimize it in order to increase self-consumption and shared energy. Following the EMS, it is also suggested that the number of EVs to be charged should be evaluated in light of energy-sharing incentives. Numerical results have been reported for different seasons, showing the possibility for the owners of EVs to charge their vehicles within the community to optimize self-consumption and shared energy.