On the operation and implications of grid-interactive renewable energy communities

The increasing installations of photovoltaic systems, electric vehicle chargers, heat pumps, and battery storage systems challenge distribution system operators to prevent critical grid operations. Nonetheless, flexibility potential from customer-owned assets remains untapped due to lacking federated coordination and incentives. In Europe, emerging renewable energy communities can address this challenge by facilitating collective optimal operation of flexible assets and providing grid services. This paper presents an approach for renewable energy communities to offer participants’ flexibility through grid-interactive operations. Distribution system operators then based on optimal power flow calculations request flexibility use to prevent voltage violations, transformer overloads, and line overloads. A case study with simulations for a future rural low-voltage grid is conducted. The results show that, compared to business-as-usual operations or renewable energy communities with fixed import and export limits, the grid-interactive approach ensures non-critical grid operations cost-efficiently and reduces curtailment by 60% to 90%, down to 1.1% of total generation. By providing both upward and downward flexibility and aligning with distribution system operators’ requirements, grid-interactive renewable energy communities can be key in enhancing the efficient use and stability of distribution grids.