An Open Virtual Power Plant for Renewable Energy Communities - Strategies for Centralized Batteries

An open Virtual Power Plant designed for rural Renewable Energy Communities (REC) is presented, considering centralized batteries associated with photovoltaic (PV) generators. To evaluate different possibilities of battery allocation among self-consumers, three strategies have been considered: i) priority-based distribution, ii) fixed proportional distribution, and iii) variable proportional distribution. The model has been applied to a real REC located in the Calatayud Region (Spain), composed of 22 end-users. Results show that the variable proportional distribution achieves the best performance in terms of self-consumption and self-sufficiency, while the priority-based distribution presents the lowest indicators. The analysis confirms the relevance of centralized batteries to increase local use of solar and stored energy, although some strategies are not possible under current legislation.