Assessing the impact of low-voltage energy communities on grid flexibility provision

The European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive II promotes Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) to achieve decarbonisation goals. RECs are geographically limited and centred on renewable energy sources (RES) owned and managed by the community. By involving individuals, local authorities, and small enterprises, RECs aim to provide social, economic, and environmental benefits while supporting distribution system operators (DSOs) by enhancing grid flexibility, which is crucial considering the RES variability and intermittency. By aligning local generation with consumption, RECs can help mitigate grid criticalities, such as overvoltage or congestion during peak production. However, prioritising self-consumption in RECs may conflict with DSOs’ flexibility needs, reducing grid interaction and hindering demand-response capabilities. The emphasis on self-consumption might lead to rigid patterns, challenging the grid operator’s ability to manage real-time fluctuations. This paper explores how prioritising self-consumption within the RECs affects grid flexibility. The study assesses flexibility reductions and their impact on the network through unbalanced load flow calculations on low-voltage networks in an REC and implementing a distribution management system based on a multi-agent optimisation algorithm. Scenarios with and without REC initiatives were analysed to understand the implications of providing flexibility services.