Optimal Battery Storage Sizing in Energy-Intensive Enterprises with Photovoltaics Considering Distribution Charges

In recent years, energy-intensive enterprises have faced increasing prices of primary and final energy carriers, combined with significant volatility in electricity market prices. In this regard, own low-cost generation and energy storage have become an effective strategy to mitigate this risk. This work addresses the challenge of sizing battery energy storage systems in energy-intensive enterprises with photovoltaic installations, taking into account distribution charges, and evaluates their effect on the energy balance and operating costs. For this purpose, a mixed-integer linear programming model is employed to optimize the operation of generation units and the storage charging and discharging schedule, considering variable and fixed distribution charges, price-driven curtailment of photovoltaic generation and battery degradation. The model is applied to the case study of a Polish energy-intensive enterprise with a 2.5 MWp photovoltaic installation, using one year of hourly data. Five storage configurations, with and without grid feed-in, are investigated. The results reveal that battery storage can reduce annual operating costs by up to about EUR 266 thousand (approx. 5%), depending on its power and capacity, whereas the fixed feed-in fee exceeds the additional sales revenues in all configurations. The proposed approach can support storage investment decisions in industry under volatile market conditions.